Hi there, It appears the bird is a juvenile. I first reported the bird as a juvenile to our (Ottawa's) local list-serve but then changed my mind when I posted to Ontbirds - I thought the coloration on the head was attributed to the surrounding mud that the bird was foraging in. The clean-white throughout its plumage w/ dark gray/brown limited entirely to its head is what began to confuse me. Thanks for the comment, Bred Fried.
I have uploaded all of my pics and I'm carefully looking through them right now on my computer. This is a fascinating specimen, and I have reason to believe that maybe this bird is a intermediate between a true Ross's and a Lesser Snow Goose. The bill AND "grin patch" size are on the extreme end for a true Ross's. I would appreciate an experts opinion on the identification of this bird - that is, whether it is an intermediate between Ross's and Lesser. Please email for photos. Good birding, Jon Ruddy _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup
