While running errands this afternoon, I drove by the Roosevelt Reservoir,
between 12th and 15th Avenues NE along NE 75th St, and noticed a group of
Canada Geese feeding with a small group of American Wigeon. Within this group
was a small individual of the Canada Goose. I remembered hearing on the
BirdBox about a week ago that an apparent Aleutian Canada was present and had
been meaning to check it out.

This goose is very small, about half the size of the other geese present, just
a bit larger than the wigeon. It had a thin partial whitish neck ring,
thickest in front and absent on the back of the neck. The chest was a medium
to dark reddish brown, and the rest of the plumage was just a shade darker
than the other Canadas it was associating with. I believe this bird is not an
Aleutian (Branta canadensis leucopareia) but a Cackling (B. c. minima).
Leucopareia should be paler grey on the chest without reddish tones and have a
very distinct complete white neck ring. Both minima and eastern hutchinsii can
have complete or partial white neck ring, so caution is warranted when
identifying small Canadas. Whether this is the same bird that was seen on the
18th, I do not know.

Alan
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Alan J. Knue
2642 NW 87th St
Seattle, WA 98117

pinguinus at aol.com