Denny and Tweeters,

I'm curious about the comments about the Emperor Goose in Sequim.

The bird is no more a "kept bird" than the 50-200 Canada Geese and
White-fronted Geese it travels with. It is not in an "enclosure," so to
speak, instead always seen grazing in the bison and reindeer area, which
must be larger than 5 acres in size. It flies in and out with the other
geese. It has been seen with the other geese at other sites in the area,
sometimes up to almost a mile away. Clearly it is not always at the game
farm -- in fact, checks of the game farm in early morning and late
evening frequently miss the bird, suggesting that it roosts elsewhere
with its pals. Certainly the possibility that it was reared in captivity
exists, but since it is not banded, and it seems to behave very much like
other Emperor Geese seen up and down the Pacific Coast, I would guess
that it is a wild bird.

When Ostriches can fly here on their own, perhap we can count them, too.

Bob B.
Sequim