Subject: [Tweeters] Blue Geese on Wrangel Island
Date: Feb 9 07:19:49 2006
From: Wayne C. Weber - contopus at telus.net


Steve and Tweeters,

It may be of interest that two Blue Geese (an adult and an immature)
were seen and photographed in late November last year by me and
others with Snow Geese at Iona I. near Vancouver. We have had a few
records of Blue Geese here over the years, but these are the first ones
I've seen locally. They could be some of the same ones that are
being seen in Skagit County.

And yes, it has been well-documented that the Blue/Snow Goose
difference is a single-gene difference. It's laughable that these
birds were once considered separate species. Given the genetic basis
of the difference, it seems just as likely to me that Blue Geese wintering
in western BC/WA could have arisen from a mutation (or several
mutations) in the Wrangel Island population as from wanderers from
the Canadian Arctic.

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




----- Original Message -----
From: <SGMlod at aol.com>
To: <Tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Cc: <k_aanerud at comcast.net>; <dennispaulson at comcast.net>;
<jhbirds384 at hotmail.com>; <Sebnabgill at aol.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 8:49 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] Blue Geese on Wrangel Island


Greetings All

So, I think it was Dr. Paulson that asked me a couple months ago about
whether or not Blue Geese occurred on Wrangel Island. This was apropros
of the recent spate of Blue Geese among Fir Island/Stanwood flocks (spate =
2-4 per year).

After some delay, I've heard back from a Russian goose biologist, Konstantin
Litvin, who actually sent some photos of Blue Geese on Wrangel. Apparently
they are annual there, though he did not indicate in what kind of numbers.
He
did state that most were males and most paired with Snow Geese. This
certainly would explain the Blue Geese found in Skagit/Snohomish, though
the two immatures I've seen looked like pure Blues.

Also of note, Maynard Axelson knows of at least one Snow Goose shot by
hunters in Skagit County that had been banded in the Canadian Arctic.

So, it is also possible that a Blue Goose or two is coming from that angle.
Certainly, e. WA Blue Geese are almost certainly from the Canadian Arctic.

Anyway, thought some of you out there might be interested in this. Blue
Geese
are not supposed to nest (per various books) anywhere near Wrangel.

Cheers
Steven Mlodinow