Subject: [Tweeters] emperor and collared geese
Date: Jan 10 19:00:31 2012
From: jbroadus at seanet.com - jbroadus at seanet.com


Tweets: It just occurred to me that the "odd" character on the red collar on the Canada at Ocean Shores is
almost certainly a "rho", although stylized into a triangular shape with a very short tail. Also, from my
vantage point it was upside down. Does this identify where the bird was banded?

Clarice and I very rarely go out to actually "chase" an unusual bird for the area, mainly because when we do
we usually fail to see it. Today, however, the weather and all called us to Ocean Shores. The Emperor took
a little searching, but we noted it grazing in a low spot just south of the tee off area on the 14th fairway.
Hard to spot because its feeding spot was low enough for it to disappear. But when we parked south of the
bank on Chance a la Mer and scoped, it came out and was quite close. Beautiful.

I am curious about the apparent Canada that its been hanging out with. Red collar, which I have learned
marks a dusky, but I am not sure if that is universal. Vertical "0" (more of an oval) and a "1" and a character
I don't recognize, sort of an open triangle. Not a Greek letter that I recognize (but closest to a lambda). Any
ideas would be welcomed. If this is a dusky then I wonder if it migrated down with the Emperor. The odd
character makes me wonder if this is a USGS collar or not. We noted that the Emperor is not banded.

An hour later the Emperor, with its attendants (including the greater white fronteds) came south on the
fairway and were easily seen from behind the fire station.

Also, wonderful hike on Damon Point, six snowy owls from one scope setup.

Finally, after scoping the Emperor, we noticed a ring of feathers surrounding a dead black bellied plover.
Bird was freshly killed, with holes in its back spaced and arranged like a Peregrine snatch, but we never saw
the predator. We must have interrupted its lunch.Jerry Broadus
PLS 17660


Jerry Broadus
PLS 17660