Maureen Ellis:

>There were about 35 Brant geese "foraging" in the shallows at the
>north edge of the public beach. Eel grass doesn't seem to grow
>here; could the geese have been eating algae, small invertebrates, or
>just gathering grit?

We've got flocks of Brant down here in the Nisqually Reach too. They
do some of their foraging in the offshore eelgrass beds, but much of
the time they spend feeding right along the shoreline. I've seen them
nibbling on sheets of sea lettuce, but most of the time I can't tell
what they're eating. I always enjoy seeing them, though, and hearing
them. I've grown accustomed to the sound of Canada Geese year round,
in urban settings as well as rural, but Brants still have the sound of
the wild.

Eric Kraig
Olympia, WA
kraig at wln.com