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| Ross's Geese |
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| Greater White-fronted was a really nice surprise! |
http://dwaynejava.blogspot.ca/2012/03/snow-geese-in-ridgetown.html
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| Do you see the Cackling Goose in comparison to Canada Geese? |
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| I think the middle goose is a Cackling Goose. Thanks to Ken Burrell for pointing them out to me. |
On the way home, I drove by Ojibway Park and found this Northern Shrike sitting on a telephone wire! This was reported earlier this week, so hopefully it stays around. The last time I saw one was Nov 2010! Read more about this awesome bird here: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Shrike/id
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| Northern Shrike - Lanius excubitor ... Literally means Butcher Watchman! |
Cackling Geese were only 'recognized' in 2004 ... Prior to that, they were thought of as a sub-species of Canada Geese. Genetic differences were big enough to warrant a new species! Pretty cool!
Oddly enough, at the time I posted this posting, David Sibley's blog had an entry on indentifying Cackling Geese. Check it out here: http://www.sibleyguides.com/2012/11/can-you-find-the-cackling-goose/ .
Alternative titles for this blog posting could have been:
"What's Good for the Goose is Good For My Life List"
"I'm Grinnin' Like a Snow Goose - Three Lifers at Ridgetown"
"Duck... Duck... Ross's Goose, White Fronted Goose, Cackling Goose"
The birding gods smiled upon me today.
Goose Birding,
Dwaynejava
Lifer Summary:
311 - Ross's Goose,
312 - Great White-fronted Goose
313 - Cackling Geese
Wow! What a great birding day!
ReplyDeleteI better pop on over to Ojibway tomorrow to see if the Shrike is still there. That would be a lifer for me.
Are the Ridgetown Lagoons accessible for everyone?
Karen,
DeleteRidgetown Lagoons are quite accessible. Good luck with the Shrike!
Dwayne
Congrats, Dwayne! I had to go all the way to Washington State for my Cacklers. I would love to see one in Ontario. I check every single group of Canadas I pass. One day it will pay off. ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dwayne! I will try and try again. :)
ReplyDeleteNice to see some activity on this blog again! :) Like I can talk. Hope your exams are going well, or are you done?
ReplyDeleteBrian, thanks for noticing my two-week hiatus :-p ... I only take one night-course at time generally, and I wrote the exam on Wednesday. I think I did really well!
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