I had an education program way out at Chilo Lock #34 park today, one of my favorite birding spots. After the presentation, I was showing some of the kids my Party Favors (heads, feet, wings and feathers) when out of the blue, there was Katdoc! She lives pretty close to the park, and came down to see my program! Now, how cool is that? (Thanks, Kath)
We were talking about the peregrines that are seen at the dam down the road, and Kathi told me not to bother since she had just come from there and she didn’t see any.
I took her word for it, but as I was nearing the dam on the way back, I just had to turn in, just to have a peek. And I am so glad I did!
Behold: A Snow goose. Life bird #117.
I couldn’t even believe my eyes. It was hanging out with a flock of Canada geese, and I was pretty far away, so I almost didn’t give them a second glance. But I had the scope with me, so I set it up in the lee of a tree (the wind was of the type that slices through you like frozen razor blades) and aimed it at the geese to practice. And there it was.
Thank goodness there was a birder down the way, and I walked down and introduced myself (turns out that he had been at my program) and asked him to look at the goose and confirm it.
Thanks, Steve Wagner!
We don’t get too many snow geese around here, just isolated sightings here and there. And I found it all by myself.
*Boom shaka laka laka* Boom shaka laka laka*
When I got home, Geoff suggested that we all go get some dinner and decided on Burger King since it has a playground for the girls to burn up their energy. We rarely get to go out to dinner with all four of us present, so it was a nice change…I love my family.
And for some reason, Geoff and I were enticed to climb the jungle gym and go down the slide.
(I remember Geoff saying something about what a good blogging opportunity it was…that did it) This was no ordinary slide: It was in the shape of a corkscrew and was pitch black inside.
Geoff was brave…he went down head first.
I was yelling and laughing so hard, I couldn’t sit up. I thought it would be a simple, short slide just a “whee!” and that’s all. Well, this damn thing went on and on and I couldn’t see where I was going and I was all like “Aiiiiiiiiiii!!”
Have I mentioned that I love Flickr?
I made this movie poster last night:
Click on the picture to go to flickr and enlarge it. There’s quite a cast of characters listed…hopefully you can read the fine print.
As far as my last post:
Thank you for all of your supportive words and encouragement. Sometimes, that’s all it takes.
February 3, 2007 at 11:49 pm
Hey Susan! Cool goose–but it looks like a leucistic Canada to me. See the white cheek patch and the dark neck, just like the one behind it? It has a pink bill with but the shadowy brown coloration, distributed like a Canada’s, is not typical of snow geese, even of immatures. It lacks the black “smile” that a snow goose has, that looks like it’s grimacing even when its bill is shut. It’s too big to be a snow goose, too, unless that’s an Aleutian Canada behind it. There are a lot of snows around this season, but I think you’ve found something far more interesting! Very, very cool and very rare. I’ve never seen a leucistic Canada.
Give Booms a kiss for me. I see good things on the horizon for him. Baker sez HEY Buumer!
February 4, 2007 at 12:02 am
Arrgh…Julie! Don’t tell me that!
This goose had blue markings (blue morph? Others have seen them around). I know that it didn’t match exactly with my guide, but it did have a grinning patch. I wish I had taken better digiscoped pictures (I’m still learning) to show you. This pic was taken pretty far away.
And isn’t the bill more like a snow goose than a Canada? It’s bulkier than the Canada’s behind it.
Maybe a male leucistic blue morph snow goose?
Wouldn’t THAT be something???
February 4, 2007 at 11:18 pm
Quack!