On Saturday, Dec.17th. at 8AM, a Greater White-fronted Goose was on the 
Potomac River in Washington DC, just south of the Memorial Bridge. Photos at:

http://odolep.com/midatlantic%20birds/WhitefrontedGoose2.jpg


The bill was yellow-orange, and longer than on many White-fronteds that I 
see, suggesting flavirostris from Greenland. But the head and chest were not as 
dark or as slaty gray as in photos of what they are calling flavirostris in 
Europe. The bill shape and length of the DC bird did seem to match many of these 
photos. The DC bird never got out of the water to show off its belly bands.

Googling on "flavirostris" and "Greenland White fronted Goose" turned up 
plenty of photos. Here is a sample:
http://www.naturnett.org/nofoa/jpgs/tu3144W.jpg

http://www.naturnett.org/nofoa/jpgs/tu3190W.jpg

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/michelbj/oiseaux_chn/oie_rieuse_groenland/oie_du_groen
landAA1.jpg

http://cyberbirding.uib.no/photo/divers_ducks/a_albifrons_01a.jpg

http://avesibericas.iespana.es/images/ansalbweba7.jpg

http://peterboroughbirdclub.blogspot.com/2003/01/greenland-white-fronted-geese
-at.html

http://peterboroughbirdclub.blogspot.com/2003/12/greenland-white-fronted-goose
-at.html

http://brianhstone.fireflyinternet.co.uk/images/gwf_goose_8dec04_400b.jpg

http://home.btconnect.com/toadsnatcher/photos/pboro/gwfg.html

The Dec.1994 issue of birding had a note (no photos) by Kenn Kaufman on the 
difficulty of identifying these races. He thought that flavirostris was over 
reported in North America. 

Among all the Canadas on the river were two smaller birds that might have 
been parvipes. I did not see any hutchinsi.

Dave Czaplak