MD Osprey:

For those of you who looked over my previous post on the 45th Supplement to
the AOU Checklist, you may be wondering about the status of Cackling Goose
in Maryland.

1. Our Maryland state baseline, The Birds of Maryland and the District of
Columbia, Stewart and Robbins, 1958 does not address subspecies of Canada
Geese.

2. A few days ago, I checked the database catalog of the US National Museum
of Natural History (the Smithsonian) and did not find any specimens listed
for any of the small subspecies of Canada Goose for MD.

3. We know that at least the former "Richardson's" Canada Goose (B.
hutchinsii) is found regularly in Maryland during the winter. The committee
does have one report, with photos, of a Richardson's Goose from Cambridge,
MD from December, 1995. The committee will discuss how to handle this; I
suspect that we could try to conduct an expedited review of this report and
hope to have a decision prior to the end of the year.

4. I am not aware of any reports of Richardson's Geese for DC, although it
would not surprise me. There was a report of a minima subspecies in DC near
the Wilson Bridge from a few years ago, but it was not submitted to the
committee. (Minima would probably be a tougher decision that Richardson's).

If anyone has an reports or photos of Cackling Geese from MD or DC, please
contact me.

Hope this helps ...

Phil



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Phil Davis, Secretary
MD/DC Records Committee
2549 Vale Court
Davidsonville, Maryland  21035     USA
301-261-0184
mailto:[log in to unmask]

MD/DCRC Web site:  http://www.MDBirds.org/mddcrc/rcindex.html
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