Hey Tweets

Steve Mlodinow writes:

>4) If a Barnacle Goose were to escape in the Portland area, joining a flock
of Cackling Geese would be a natural thing to do. It would not be unexpected
for it to then migrate north with its new-found fellows, and breeding could
ensue, producing the hybrid birds that were photographed.

And, in the the early 1980's, imagine the surprise some birders, including
myself, when a spot of pink on the opposite side of Boundary Bay turned out
to be a feeding, free-flying Greater Flamingo which had escaped from the
Vancouver concentrati---sorry, zoo---and joined a flock of wild Canada Geese
which then trundled back and forth between Alaska and points south for the
next several years, garnering many WTF sightings wherever the flock put
down.

A Barnacle Goose on the East Coast of North America has a good chance of
wild origin, but on the Pacific Coast? Much harder sell. I'd opine escapee
as the default condition until proven otherwise. And how would you prove?

best wishes

Michael Price
Vancouver BC Canada
loblollyboy at gmail.com

Every answer deepens the mystery.
- E.O. Wilson
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