Subject: Re: Ross' Or Snow Goose at Everett Sewerage Ponds
Date: Sep 9 09:03:21 1996
From: Dennis Paulson - dpaulson at mirrors.ups.edu


>Tweeters,
>
>Today at 2:00 pm at the Everett Sewerage Ponds in a group of 15 or so
>Canadian Geese was a Blue Phase of either a Ross' Goose or a Snow Goose.
>Not having a scope with the combination of having to look through a fence
>at a distance that was a little too far for positive ID, leaves me at
>best guessing that this was a Ross'. We did not see the smiling patch on
>the bill and size was hard to determine, but it seemed smaller to me than
>Snow geese I have previously seen. If anyone has some information about
>which of these species would be most likely at this time of the year, I
>would appreciate it. Also if anyone heads to the ponds tomorrow and
>positively ID's it, please post that. Thanks
>Barry Levine Seattle levineb at belnet.bellevue.k12.wa.us

Stimulated in part by your call, in part by the need to get out of the
house, I visited the sewage ponds Sunday morning and saw no geese at all,
Barry, so I'm no help. The ponds and Spencer Island did produce 51 species
of birds in the drizzle. I was surprised to see no Franklin's Gulls.

Ross' Goose is still considered very rare in Washington, notwithstanding
that a few have hung around as stake-outs some years. Ross' is more likely
to be seen in migration than winter, and so are Snow Geese away from their
winter stronghold on Skagit Bay.

The blue morph of either species is extremely rare in the region (a record
or two of Snow, none of Ross'), so such a bird should be well documented.
It would indeed be great to tie this bird down, if anyone else can find it.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416