Hi, Elinor & Tweeters!

I was at Montlake Fill on Sunday, Jan. 2, from about 2-4 PM. I
encountered 5 "non-Canada" geese, mostly in the Southwest corner of the
Fill.

1. I saw one bird that fit the description of an immature Snow Goose
very well. I first saw it flying with a flock of Canada Geese that
circled the Fill several times before landing on the grass. Later the
group moved to the larger pond. This bird had dark wing tips, was
smaller than the Canada's, and had the right body proportions and
plumage to be a Snow Goose.

2. and 3. In the area just to the East of the footbridge, I saw 2 adult
white geese feeding with a flock of Canada Geese.. Both had pink bills
& legs. However, the bills seemed to be solid pink, with no black
"grin" mark.
a. One had small black "smudges" located symmetrically on either side
of its neck. When it flew, it did NOT have black wing tips.
b. The other goose appeared to be all white. I did not see it fly,
but I saw no evidence of black primaries.
These geese didn't fit the adult Snow Goose description, but they
didn't look like domestic geese, either. Any suggestions?

4. With the same group of geese to the East of the footbridge there was
a goose that appeared to be a Canada hybrid or a Canada with some
plumage variations. It looked very much like a Canada on the back, but
its belly and the front of its neck were almost completely white, except
for a dark band.

5. Not far away, in a lagoon just South of the loop trail, there was
another unusual goose, hanging out with a Canada who had a numbered neck
band (? 271). My first impression was of a Greater White-Fronted
Goose: a mostly charcoal-gray goose. However, instead of just having a
white patch by the bill, this bird's head was mostly white, gradually
tapering to gray on the back of the neck. A few of the feathers on the
rear of the back that fold over the primaries had white edges. I don't
clearly remember bill & leg color; I think they were dark. Another
hybrid? I'd be interested to know if anyone else has seen this goose.

I hope this helps give some clues; obviously, I should have taken
detailed field notes!

Best, Anne Winskie
--
John & Anne Winskie
Winskie Services
mailto:winskie at cmc.net
Edmonds, WA 98020