After another morning of point counts I headed back to Fountain Hills via Scottsdale Road, calling in at Back Lake, McCormick Ranch. I was pleased to find good numbers (100+) of Canada Geese there, though no Cacklers that I could see. A really nice surprise was a White-fronted Goose grazing right next to the main road. It looked small and relatively pale, with a more pinkish bill compared to the birds that I've seen in recent years in the north-east, such as this bird near home in Amherst, MA. I'm wondering about Russian White-fronted Goose but would like to do a little more reading on the subject first.
Also of interest, a good candidate for 'Giant' Canada Goose (B.c. maxima) amongst the 'presumed' Moffit's Canada Geese (B.c. moffiti). Features associated with maxima include the very large size, large bill, broad white cheek extending high towards the crown and prominent white spots on the forehead.About four Northern Rough-winged Swallows were quartering over the water as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment