Comments below
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On Mon, 25 Sep 1995, Eugene Hunn wrote:

> Chuck Pilling has had a bunch of Red-breasted Geese at his place of
> late. You might call him to see if he lost one (he's in the Seattle
> phone book).
>
I called Chuck, and he lost a bird a year ago, but he thinks this is not
his. He gave me the name of two other goose breeders, the Morgans in
south King County and Paul Dye in Everett. Mr. Morgan's son just told me
that they may have lost an unbanded, "non-pinioned" male in the past year,
and they will contact the Everett source also. The consensus seems to be
that this bird may not survive in the wild if raised in captivity. So,
the cavalry is coming to the rescue.
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> I think the mergansers that winter on the lake you mentioned are probably
> Commons. Common might also be along salt water, especially early in the
> fall. The distinction amongst females & juveniles of Common vs.
> Red-breasted Mergansers is subtle.
>
The marina merganser visitors did appear to be red-breasted from the
small size. The local birders mentioned that Commons were on the lake
during the winter; I got the impression that across seasons all 3 species
of mergansers have been variously seen on the Burien lake.

> Gene Hunn.
>
> On Mon, 25 Sep 1995, Maureen Ellis wrote:
>
> >
> > As of last Friday, Sept 23, we had a red-breasted goose appear! The
> > consensus is that this Siberian breeding species is probably an escapee
> > from a zoo or a private collection. It is relatively "tame" or has
> > learned quickly.....like the mallards, domestic geese, Canada goose wannabes
> > (i.e., crossbreds), and hoards of gulls 'n crows.....that people = sumptuous
> > handouts. Regardless of its origin, it is an exquisite small goose, and is
> > drawing a lot of oohs 'n ahs from the Marina strollers.
> >
> > (snip) Sunday AM, there was a small flock (5-7 birds) of red-breasted
> > mergansers briefly feeding close to shore before moving on. A long-time
> > local birder told me that a merganser flock always winters at a private
> > lake in Burien, not far north of Des Moines.
more snip> >
> >
> > Maureen E Ellis
> > Tox Group at Roos 1
> > DEH, SPHCM
> > Box 354695
> > Univ of WA
> > Seattle, WA 98195
> > me2 at u.washington.edu
> >
>