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Wednesday, February 08, 2017

Cool Goose

Not an unusual goose...just our common Rock Pigeon

Every day I do my eBird list, usually walking out as far as I can on our own land, taking into consideration ice and temperatures. And wind. Almost every day I count Canada Geese. Some days there are only one or two. Some days there are hundreds. 

This morning I was out on the front lawn when they started straggling up off the river. With this open winter they sleep in front of the house many nights so I get to see them when they go off to the cornfields, north and south.

About the second gaggle one individual caught my eye. Even in the poor light this miserable morning it was very pale. At first I thought that it was the lone Snow Goose we have been seeing, but it looked too large.

I put the binoculars on it and to my surprise it appeared to be a leucistic Canada. It was pale tan from the neck back; only the head was normal colored. I tried for a photo but the group flew off behind the heifer barn and by the time they were back in sight they were too far off in the dim light to get more than a blur. I will be looking for this bird when we go down to the river to count.

4 comments:

Terry and Linda said...

It's always so exciting to see something new!!!

Tom said...

That is a spectacularly handsome Rock Dove though.

Cathy said...

"a leucistic Canada."

That would be an interesting picture, for sure. Hope you get it.

threecollie said...

Linda, it is! It keeps me going out day after day. Hope I see it again. We stopped down by the river to see if we saw it but did not.

Tom, lol, ain't he...or she...a cutie? lol Think it might be a girl, as three rough neck pigeons from town come up and chase it all the time. Thanks to the Cooper's Hawk that is the only one that stays here.

Cathy, I really hope I do. Very different looking bird