Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 11:09:45 EST Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Marshall Iliff Subject: Fwd: [VA-BIRD] Barnacle Goose - YES! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="part1_45.11cdd789.297c45c9_boundary" --part1_45.11cdd789.297c45c9_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit MDOspreyers, I just now realized that this Barnacle Goose that has been reported from VA for the past couple weeks (it has been elusive most of the time) has now violated Maryland territory! Maryland owns the Potomac up to the high water mar. However, Hunting Creek is wholly in VA. You'll have to check the maps carefully if you find this bird and want it for any given state. Please do send a post to boh listservs if you look for this bird. The MD Records Committee has yet to tackle the Barnacle Goose question in earnest, but certain opinions appear to be swinging back towards considering some (the majority) of these birds as natural vagrants. Touch call though - it is a bird kept often in captivity. Best, Marshall Iliff miliff@aol.com Annapolis, MD > Subj: [VA-BIRD] Barnacle Goose - YES! > Date: 01/20/2002 10:48:16 AM Eastern Standard Time > From: sheath@EROLS.COM (Susan Heath) > Sender: VA-BIRD@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG (Virginia Birding) > Reply-to: sheath@erols.com > To: VA-BIRD@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG > > All, > > At least 10 birders plus myself saw the Barnacle Goose this morning. It > was first spotted around 9:10am by myself and Steve Williams in the > Potomac south of Hunting Creek very near the water's edge closest to the > George Washington Parkway. It was swimming rapidly along the edge > towards Hunting Creek passing up Canada Geese right and left. We walked > quickly back up the paved path to the bridge where we were joined by two > other birders. We all watched it swim under the bridge (~ 9:20am) > offering excellent photo opportunities (unfortunately, no one had a > camera!). It swam over to the south mud flats and tarried there for > about 10 minutes allowing several other birders who had just arrived to > get great views in the morning light. It then started walking towards > the golf course. We all noted that it did not have a band on either > leg. When it got to the edge of the mud flat it made a short flight up > onto the golf course and proceeded to feed with the 20 or 30 Canada > Geese that were there. > > This is exactly the behavior described by Bill Young to Rob Hilton who > posted it on the listserv. Nothing is a sure thing of course, but if I > wanted to see this goose again, I would put my money on being on the > George Washington Parkway bridge over Hunting Creek tomorrow morning > around 9:00am. It's a holiday you know! As Steve noted to me, the > geese seem to move into Hunting Creek with the rising tide so for the > next few days, at least until the tide changes significantly, I'd bet > this bird could seen by hanging out there and waiting for it to swim by. > > I owe a special thanks to Gerry Weinberger for canceling our plans this > morning or I wouldn't have even been there to see it. Thanks Gerry - I > promise to find you a Greater White-fronted Goose when the roads are > clear again! This was bird number 300 in Virginia for me so it was a > special treat. And I just have to say, to someone who is used to > counting upwards of 10,000 Canada Geese every week on a waterfowl > survey, this was one sweet lookin' little goose! > > Good luck to all. > > Sue > -- > Susan Heath > Fairfax County > Centreville, VA > sheath@erols.com > ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= --part1_45.11cdd789.297c45c9_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit All, At least 10 birders plus myself saw the Barnacle Goose this morning. It was first spotted around 9:10am by myself and Steve Williams in the Potomac south of Hunting Creek very near the water's edge closest to the George Washington Parkway. It was swimming rapidly along the edge towards Hunting Creek passing up Canada Geese right and left. We walked quickly back up the paved path to the bridge where we were joined by two other birders. We all watched it swim under the bridge (~ 9:20am) offering excellent photo opportunities (unfortunately, no one had a camera!). It swam over to the south mud flats and tarried there for about 10 minutes allowing several other birders who had just arrived to get great views in the morning light. It then started walking towards the golf course. We all noted that it did not have a band on either leg. When it got to the edge of the mud flat it made a short flight up onto the golf course and proceeded to feed with the 20 or 30 Canada Geese that were there. This is exactly the behavior described by Bill Young to Rob Hilton who posted it on the listserv. Nothing is a sure thing of course, but if I wanted to see this goose again, I would put my money on being on the George Washington Parkway bridge over Hunting Creek tomorrow morning around 9:00am. It's a holiday you know! As Steve noted to me, the geese seem to move into Hunting Creek with the rising tide so for the next few days, at least until the tide changes significantly, I'd bet this bird could seen by hanging out there and waiting for it to swim by. I owe a special thanks to Gerry Weinberger for canceling our plans this morning or I wouldn't have even been there to see it. Thanks Gerry - I promise to find you a Greater White-fronted Goose when the roads are clear again! This was bird number 300 in Virginia for me so it was a special treat. And I just have to say, to someone who is used to counting upwards of 10,000 Canada Geese every week on a waterfowl survey, this was one sweet lookin' little goose! Good luck to all. Sue -- Susan Heath Fairfax County Centreville, VA sheath@erols.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= --part1_45.11cdd789.297c45c9_boundary-- =========================================================================