Gary and Tweeters,

I would suggest that the geese/swans you heard flying over your place
at night were most likely Greater White-fronted Geese. Swans are
unlikely at this date; nearly all swans, Trumpeter and Tundra, have
left Washington for points north by this time of year. White-fronts,
on the other hand, have a migration that often peaks in late April or
early May. The main migration route for White-fronts is right along
the outer WA coast and the west coast of Vancouver Island, but this
could have been a flock that strayed a bit farther east than usual.

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net


----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Bletsch <garybletsch at yahoo.com>
To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2004 11:31 AM
Subject: some Skagit birds/waterfowl question


> Dear Tweeters,
>
> Last night I heard flocks of geese or perhaps swans
> flying over my place near Lyman (Skagit County). I
> could not place the calls by ear, and it was dark and
> cloudy, so there was no visual ID possible. They
> weren't Canadas. It was a gentle, two-noted call,
> somewhat like Snow Geese in quality. However,
> sometimes when I hear Tundra Swans, it sounds somewhat
> gooselike to me. I made a mental note of the sound,
> ran inside, and then listened to my Stokes CD's, but
> still was not sure. I figure the possibilities for
> this migrant flock would be Snow Geese, White-fronted
> Geeese, or Tundra Swans. Any thoughts?
>
< snip >

> =====
>
> Yours truly,
>
> Gary Bletsch
>
> near Lyman (Skagit County), Washington
>
> garybletsch at yahoo.com
>