Rare Bird Report 21-B-09

IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES: Cackling Goose
HOW MANY: 5

REPORTER: Charles Swift            REPORTER EMAIL: chaetura@gmail.com
OTHER OBSERVERS:

DATE REPORT PREPARED: 3/22/2009                DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED: 3/22/2009

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION: Field at Darby & Mountainview Rds. just north of Moscow, Latah Co.

HABITAT: field w/ winter wheat

CONDITIONS: Overcast w/ steady light rain and light wind (< 10 mph). The birds were ~200 yds. east foraging in the field. Viewed for several minutes w/ Nikon Fieldscope at 15X mag.

DID YOU TAKE NOTES?: No, not at all

DID YOU CONSULT FIELD GUIDE OR OTHER REFERENCES?: No, not at all

WHAT GUIDE(S) OR REFERENCE(S) DID YOU CONSULT?:

DESCRIPTION: White cheeked geese w/ short, thick necks, stubby triangular bills, and variably dusky upper breast and under parts. At least 1 or 2 had partial white bands at the base of the black neck (below black stocking). I suspect these are "Taverner's" Cackling Geese but haven't done an analysis.

BEHAVIOR: Foraging slowly in field of winter wheat separate from other waterfowl (incl. Canada Geese).

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU? Almost immediately based on distinctive structural features and dusky underparts.

HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY? Canada Goose is eliminated based on structure and underpart color. More specifically Lesser Canada Goose (B.c. parvipes) should have a longer, thinner neck than these birds.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES): I have become familiar w/ Cackling Geese over the past few years and have made an effort to study them and familiarize myself w/ the literature. I've seen at least several dozen in which I was confident of my identification.

GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE: I've been birding ~35 years most seriously the last 15 years. I'd say I'm pretty competent and fairly conservative birder.

WERE PHOTO(S), VIDEO, AND/OR AUDIO OBTAINED BY YOU?: Photo