Hi all,
 I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon looking through the  huge 
flock of Canada Geese on Zion Rd. X Riggs Rd. for the (earlier) reported  
Cackling Geese, which though I have seen (before the split) would have been a  "new" 
lifer for me, as I never made notes or recorded it as anything different  from 
the run-of-the-mill Canada's. So, I sat in my van parked by the Ace Tree  
nursery gate searching through what looked like 2000-3000 geese which were  in 
the fields feeding. A small car pulled behind me and its occupant (Harvey  Mudd 
it turned out) also began a long fruitless search. At one point 2 girls  
entered one of the fields and spooked about 80% of the flock into flight, and  they 
landed back in the farm pond, which was mostly unviewable but held many  
geese.
 
Harvey then came up and knocked on my side window, and we talked about the  
geese and the possibility of getting permission to get nearer the farm pond.  
Dave Powell drove up and we talked, then he left us to our search. Just as we  
were about ready to give up and leave, a youngish guy drove up in a  small 
SUV, rolled down his window and suggested that since we had been there  looking 
for so long with such persistance (though he didn't know what we were  looking 
for), maybe we'd like to drive up his driveway and walk down along his  
property line to the pond. WOW! Talk about good karma! We were fast to take him  up 
on his offer.
 
Harvey and I made our way down a well-mowed grassy area along his back  
fence, down a small swale and up to the edge of the pond, without scaring the  huge 
flock of geese. It took us about another 45-60 minutes to search through  the 
flock and find at least one Cackling Goose, maybe as many as 3. After a  
while they all started to look rather small billed, but eventually I got on a  
"good" one, and we thought there were 2 others swimming close by, but it was  
hard to tell with so many geese milling about, changing directions, passing  
behind and in front of each other. We left when many of the birds decided it was  
time to go back to the fields to feed, including the Cackler, and we went  up 
to talk to the owner and thank him. I brought my 'big" Sibley and showed  him 
the difference in the geese, and also showed him the other ducks that he had  
on his pond, including a pair of REDHEADS, Ring-necked Ducks, Buffleheads, a  
female Green-winged Teal, Mallards and Black Duck as well as a few beautiful  
Hooded Mergs. We talked a bit longer and then as we left he wished us both a  
Happy New Year, which it certainly was!
 
Thanks to Emmet Tydings for his kindness.
 
 
Rick Sussman
Ashton,MD
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