On 27 Dec 2003, Pat Lindsay and I observed an adult Barnacle Goose and a hybrid juvenile Barnacle Goose x Canada/Cackling Goose at what we used to call the "Grumman Pond"--the pond on the north side of Grumman Blvd, near the entrance. This is in central Suffolk County, LI.
I can't find a record of these birds in The Kingbird, and my own notes are incomplete (see below). If anyone has more information about these birds, particularly details of the appearance of the juvenile, I would be most appreciative. Shai Mitra Bay Shore, NY Barnacle Goose--adult **very rare; continuing; neatly marked adult showing no signs of prior captivity; followed by a juv hybrid Barnacle x white-cheeked goose. The adult showed the tiny black bill, extensively whitish face, black neck and breast, and barred black and gray and white upperparts of this unmistakable species. Barnacle Goose x Canada/Cackling Goose hybrid--juv. juv; recorded as "apparent Barnacle x Canada Goose hybrid" but the latter parent probably should be construed as Cackling/Canada Goose; this is not a choice in eBird, so I am choosing Cackling rather than Canada, as better fitting my recollection. Unfortunately, we did not record a detailed description of the juvenile hybrid. We knew of the adult Barnacle Goose, but we either found or independently re-found this juv hybrid. This juv was small. As I recall, it was not obviously larger or differently shaped than the Barnacle Goose, which it was following around and which was evidently its parent. I recall with great confidence that it showed intermediate plumage features on the face and back, and that it had a solidly black neck extending down as far as on a Canada or Cackling Goose, then a "shadow bib" covering the area that is black on Cackling but pale on Canada or Cackling. At the time of this record, all Barnacle Geese were regarded as likely escapes, and the presenc of the hybrid youngster was viewed with some confusion. Also, we were only in the early stages of becoming familiar with Richardson's Goose, which might even still have been considered conspecific with Canada Goose. In retrospect, these seem likely to have been wild birds from Greenland, and the juv's other parent quite possibly a Richardson's Cackling Goose. ________________________________ Support CSI students each time you shop with Amazon Smile<https://smile.amazon.com/ch/13-3683723> -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
