1-8-13 just before dusk Shawna Ellis and family Hatchie NWR (headquarters area viewing platforms) Haywood county? After our failed attempt to see the Ash-throated Flycatcher Tuesday, my husband, daughter and I stopped by at the Hatchie NWR headquarters site, where there are several viewing decks and a driving loop. This is the spot where the Say's Phoebe was seen last year. It was already getting dim as we scanned through the Canada Geese from the longer fishing pier style deck, and my husband spotted an unusual goose with a pale head. He hurried to the car for the scope while I kept the goose in sight. When we got it in the scope, we saw that it was a hybrid of some kind. It was smaller than the surrounding Canada geese, with a slim orange or pinkish bill. It had a very light grey head that looked white through binoculars but with the scope we saw it was all flecked and speckled so that it looked more white just by contasting with the dark neck. So the head and face were very light grey with lots of flecks and the only pure white was a crescent right in front of the bill. The top of the head was dark. The dark neck was not nearly as dark as that of a Canada, but it stopped at the same place a Canada's dark neck stops. The body color was the same warm brown tone as a Canada, but with much less of a scalloped look and slightly less contrast between wings and sides. The chest was not as pale as a Canada. I saw the bird raise up out of the water through a scope, and later saw it standing on a log through binoculars, and noted that it had a few darkish bars on the lower chest, for a slight scalloped effect there. It's primaries seemed the same length as its tail. The area of white under the tail did not seems as "long" as that of the Canadas, and was bright white. The bird tipped up a couple of times to feed, showing its orange legs and no black tail feathers. Later we saw it standing on a log, showing its long orange legs and a posture that denoted a relatively slim bird. I watched it preening through binoculars while my husband (in wading boots) attempted to walk closer for a photo, but the camera did not co-operate and the photos he got were dark and shaky. I included one photo of it on the log so you could see the posture and the relative size. The bird associated with a particular Canada Goose, following it wherever it swam. The only other geese there were many Canadas and only one Cackling that I could make out, although after spotting the hybrid we weren't as concerned with looking at all the others. Our attempts at photography were thwarted by bad light. It was getting very close to dark and the bird was at great distance. Please excuse the EXTREME blurriness of these shots... but they're the best we have. I did not have a small camera to attempt a digiscope, athough that usually fails for me! Note that the white of the head in the photos looks "whiter" than it did in real life... it was actually quite flecked and mottled and when seen through a scope was not solid as it appears. Photo one is the goose swimming with its companion. Photo 2 shows the other side and is the best view for seeing the pure white crescent at the base of the bill contrasting with its darker head. Photo 3 is it (on the right) standing on the log and is good for size comparison and posture... very very blurry, sorry! We are thinking that this might be a Greater White-fronted x Canada hybrid. I definitely do not think there is any domestic goose ancestry here, as the bird was not that heavy-bodied and its bill was not at all thick or knobby. It did not have a domestic "look." What do you think? -Shawna Ellis Paris, TN Henry County
Attachment:
odd goose.jpg
Description: JPEG image
Attachment:
odd goose 2.jpg
Description: JPEG image
Attachment:
odd goose 3.jpg
Description: JPEG image
