***CACKLING GOOSE***
David Shepherd
a week trying to nail down the ID on this bird (Don't panic anyway as
it flew away shortly after the sighting and was never seen again.)
Last Friday on my way into Trepassey I noticed a party of three geese,
line astern, at the far end of the Biscay Bay causeway. The last bird
was much smaller and I thought to myself "It's way too early for
goslings". As I got closer it was evident that the third bird was in
fact an adult, but tiny, "Canada" Goose. Alarm bells rang
somewhere that "Branta canadensis" had recently been split into 2
if not 3 species. I got as much as I could on the bird and its 2
companion "normal" Canada Geese before they took flight.
The bird was tiny, maybe 2/3 the size of its companions. The overall
colouration was very similar, except that the white "chin-strap"
was narrower and less extensive. The neck was much shorter. The bill
was very short and stubby, more like a Pink-foot's. When it flew,
again, it was much smaller with faster wingbeats.
Back at the house, the research began and I finally lucked into a great
ID article by Dave Sibley and a very erudite discourse by Ken Abraham
(who is probably the authority on Canada geese - and my former boss!)
on the OFO website, as well as some great pics by Jean Iron on the same
site.
There is little doubt that the bird was a Cackling Goose (of the race
hutchensii) which was known as Richardson's Canada Goose. The only
possible conflict is with a small specimen of the "parvipes" race
of the Lesser Canada Goose, which has not yet been split. But neck
length, colour and bill size should preclude this. Moreover, from CWS
banding recoveries "parvipes" has never been recorded in Ontario or
east of the Mississippi flyway. However "hutchensii" Cackling
Geese banded in Nunavut (not far from Iqualuit) have been recovered in
Ontario and on the eastern seaboard of the US, although their normal
wintering area is coastal Louisiana and Texas,.
Bearing in mind the very late fall influx of Snow Geese into Nova
Scotia and Newfoundland, I suspect this bird was involved in that
movement and has only now revealed itself
I'm not very keen on what I call library "ticks", you know when
the A.O.U. decides to split a species and you think "Oh yeah, I must
have seen that subspecies (now species) when I was in Arizona!".
Well, we banded one of these at Thunder Cape back in the 90's, so I
don't care, but for those of you that are itching for one more on
your list - it's out there!
I'll also do a deal with you "townies" - if you're going to
count your Ross's Goose, I'm going to count my Cackling Goose!
If anyone wants links to the sites mentioned just let me know and
I'll forward them.
TTFN
TBs
DS