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Subject:

Cackling Goose in DC

From:

Rob Hilton

Reply-To:

Rob Hilton

Date:

Sat, 3 Feb 2007 09:08:07 -0800

Hello,

At 8:16 this morning Paul Pisano called saying he was
watching a Cackling Goose in DC.  Lisa and I rushed
out of the house to East Potomac Park.  We saw Paul
standing at the west corner of Buckeye Drive and Ohio
Drive SW, looking north across Ohio Drive into
Washington Channel at a loose flock of 100 to 200
Canada Geese.  Lisa and I were able to pick out the
"little guy" without much trouble.  For at least 10
minutes around 9 am we observed the Cackling Goose
swimming on the water with its larger companions,
before it and some Canadas took off in the direction
of the 12th Street (i.e. I 395) bridge.  

The little goose had a stubby, triangle-shaped and
straight-sided bill, a ridiculously short neck in
comparison to the shorter Canadas, a body smaller than
other Canadas, and a steep forehead profile.  It was
colored essentially like a Canada Goose.  We observed
it at a distance of about 200 feet, swimming on the
water before it took off.  

This may be the first DC record of this species; I can
find no mention of the species in the MDDCRC database.
  I think Paul took photos before our arrival.  After
arriving home and finishing breakfast I wrote up my
sighting as neatly as I could in the one field
notebook that I can actually locate.  And I'm charging
my almost-dead cell phone in the warmth of my house.  

Cheers, 

Rob Hilton
aimophila "diez"
Silver Spring
yahoo
Maryland


 
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