[TN-Bird] Blue morph Blue Ross's Geese - Tunica Co. MS

From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
To: missbird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:21:12 -0500 (EST)
Jan. 19, 2011
Tunica Co. MS
Just south of Memphis, TN
 
Today, while scanning the hordes of gulls around the landfill, I started  
looking at the huge numbers of geese that have moved back into the area over 
the  past few days. Large blocks consisting of Snow, Blue, Cackling (11),  
White-fronts and Ross's were falling into all the surrounding fields. Large  
groups of Ross's were noted in the multi-thousands of Snows and White-fronts 
 with Ross's totals topping 4-500 in just 3 fields.
 
A few years back, Mike Todd found a blue morph Ross's in TN and while I was 
 photographing that bird I found a second. These birds are a rare form even 
in  the Ross's home wintering grounds in California so really a rarity here 
in the  east. Kenny and LaDonna Nichols found 3 in a huge flock of Ross's 
in AR this  year on a Christmas Count (would you believe over 10,000 Ross's 
over there plus  a Barnacle Goose!!)
 
Today, I found 2 blue morph birds about 2 miles apart and was successful in 
 photographing both birds. They stand out from Blue Snows in many ways 
besides  their size. First, they are almost blue-black next to the grayish 
colored Blues  and there is twice the white on their tertials. The black or 
dark 
blue runs up  the back of the neck and curves over the crown and of course 
the small gray  based pink bill and the vertical almost straight cut of white 
feathering at the  bill base.
 As soon as I get my photo-shop program back up and running I'll post  the 
photos. If interested you might look at the photos of the TN Birds at: 
_http://www.pbase.com/ol_coot/goose_ (http://www.pbase.com/ol_coot/goose) 
 
 
Jeff R.  Wilson / TLBA
6300 Memphis-Arlington Road
Bartlett, TN  38135
http://www.pbase.com/ol_coot/
What is this feathered thing that  lifts my heart to the heavens?
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[TN-Bird] Blue morph Blue Ross's Geese - Tunica Co. MS

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