Hi Blaine
Thank you for your report of a Barnacle Goose in Mississauga. Over the
years I have run across 3 birds along the Oakville, Mississauga
waterfront all in winter. Those birds were considered to have escaped
from captivity. If a case can be made for a wild bird that arrived in
the province on it's own steam it would be considered a first for the
province and a new bird for the Ontario checklist. I strongly suggest
that you contact the OBRC (Ontario Bird Records Committee -
http://www.ofo.ca/obrc/index.htm for advice on how to prepare a report
documenting your bird. Conventional wisdom has it that Barnacle Geese
avoid other geese but are fairly tame and approachable. They are
supposed to migrate in family groups showing up in along the eastern
seaboard from October to April. They are smaller than Canada Geese.
Juveniles look very much like adults so that all Barnacle Geese should
be very distinctive and should not be confused with other geese. Captive
birds have bred with Canada Geese and produced hybrids. Those birds
could be odd.
While people might question your bird's origin your report would be of
interest to the readers of Ontbirds so a report to Ontbirds would
appreciated. To post you must send your message from an email address
that is subscribed (this is necessary to block spam from accessing the
list). A message sent to ontbirds@ hwcn.org should include a location
in the subject head and directions in the main part of the message. For
more details on Ontbirds including how to subscribe please visit
http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm
A
Mark Cranford
ONTBIRDS Coordinator
Mississauga, Ont.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
905 279 9576
Louise Long wrote:
I was on a walk today Aug 20 when I saw one unusual goose in the middle
of a flock of Canadian Geese. At first I thought it may have been a
snow goose, but the head had a definite black and white pattern to it.
When I checked my Field Guide, the closest match looks like a Barnacle
Goose. The guide lists it as an accidental to the NE seaboard.
The geese were located in a wheat field on the north side of Matheson
Blvd about 400 yards east of the Etobicoke Creek in Mississauga. There
is a larger wheat field on the south side of Matheson, but there were
only two flocks of Canadian Geese in that field.
Blaine Long
416-576-7619
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