I received several e-mails after my "Cackling Geese - Foiled Again" 
posting, including one from Kevin Graff reminding me he had seen the 
Centennial Lake Howard Co Cackler on Sunday. Thank you.

Inspired by this, and by the surprising break in the rain and clouds, I 
buzzed down to Centennial Lake this afternoon and pretty quickly 
found...
a Cackling Goose!

It was standing and preening on a rock at the west end of the first 
little island west of the floating rope barrier. It was clearly 2/3 to 
1/2 the size of the many nearby Canada Geese. It had the appropriate 
short, steep bill and boxy" head. It was probably somewhat paler and 
grayer than the Canadas, but this was not prominent. Also, the white 
face-patch looked rounder than on the Canada's.

I looked at some more web sites with pictures in addition to the two 
mentioned by June Tveekrem.
 http://www.idahobirds.net/identification/white-cheeked/subspecies.html 
by Harry Krueger was extensive, with lots of pictures, although focused 
heavily on Western subspecies that we wouldn't expect here (?).
http://www.oceanwanderers.com/CAGO.Subspecies.html by Angus Wilson was 
also extensive.  Of most interest to me was the first picture on the 
site showing a Richardson's Cackling with a common Canada Goose in New 
York, both on land and very sharp.  The small goose I saw today matched 
very well with his Richardson's Cackling Goose.
(His division of the species and sub-species is really confusing, 
though, leaving me baffled as to which sub-species he calls Cackling 
Geese and which are Canada Geese. He uses "B.c. xxx" for all 
sub-species, I guess because he originally wrote this before the split 
occurs. Sibley's http://www.sibleyguides.com/canada_cackling.htm is a 
lot clearer about which is which, but doesn't have illustrations.)

With happy heart but strained brain,
Steve Sanford
Randallstown MD
scartan ^at^ verizon ^dot^ net