In speaking with people on this past weekend's pelagic trip off Virginia=20
Beach, I noted that most folks had not heard about previous records of the=20
species not listed in published resources. There are actually a dozen=20
records of the species in the state, but because the perception was that=20
records committees tend to reject records of waterfowl (owing to questions o=
f=20
provenance), most observers did not submit their records to the state record=
s=20
committee. It's important to note that a new Category (Category 3) was=20
established in the mid-1990s by the Virginia Avian Records Committee, in=20
order to encourage observers to submit records of birds such as the Barnacle=
=20
Goose. Though these records may ultimately be listed in Category 3=20
(Identification accepted; origin uncertain), the records can be listed as=20
"accepted" now, rather than "rejected" as in most of the past. =20
I list out all the records I know of for this species in Virginia. I'd be=20
glad to hear of any others or about errors in the list below. If it seems a=
s=20
though Fenton Day has seen the lion's share of these birds, remember that he=
=20
spent a lot of time in central Virginia studying goose flocks and looking fo=
r=20
banded and neck-collared birds!
1) Arlington, VA 11/10/56 (Kain 1987)
2) Lafayette River, Norfolk, VA 09/23/82 Jeffrey Byrd
3) Jamestown, VA 01/25/84 Mitchell Byrd=20
and probably the same individual near Jamestown on 02/03/84 by Robert L.=20
Anderson and Fenton Day =20
4) Hog Is. WMA, Surry County, VA 02/13/84 Rich and Cindy Goll; not unlikely=
=20
that this bird was the bird seen near Jamestown earlier that winter
5) Greenlaw Field on the Rappahanock, e. of Fredericksburg, off Rte 3, in=20
Stafford County, VA (at a=20
reclaimed gravel pit) 12/23/87 Fenton Day, Lawrence Latan=C3=
=A9; the=20
bird was with 300 Canada Geese
=20
6) Lands End WMA, King George County, Rappahanock River 12/11/89 Fenton=20
Day
=20
7) Turkey Is. Road, Curles Neck Farm, VA 01/12/88 Fenton Day; this bird=20
bore a left leg band
this bird accompanied thousands of Canada Geese
8) near Lyndhurst, Augusta County, VA 03/21/95 H. A. Larner =20
9) Loudoun County, VA 02/02/97 David F. Abbott
10) Smith=E2=80=99s Switch Rd, Loudoun County, VA 10/18/97 Davi=
d F.=20
Abbott, Steve Cordle
possibly the same bird returning to the county from the previous winter
11) Elk Garden, Russell County, VA 02/24/98-03/01/98 Tom Hunter,=20
David Worley, Robert Riggs
also seen: Stuarts Pond, Hwy 19,north of Lebanon, Russell County, VA =20
03/01/98 Ron Carrico, Rob Biller, Larry McDaniel
Ned Brinkley
Cape Charles, VA=20
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