ML21488421
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Media notes
Cackling Goose (foreground/right) with Canada Geese at Uplands Farm Sanctuary in Cold Spring Harbor on 12/1/2015 - Small size, pale appearance and triangular less convex attenuated bill are all noted in this image. Also thicker white fringes on upperparts.
Observation details
Small white-cheeked goose, very pale in appearance which stood out well while viewing in the field. Easily relocated by size and frosty look. Smaller than we'd expect for parvipes and shorter billed. Bill shape was more triangular and thick, not convex like seen in parvipes. This bird also exhibited a short neck, markedly shorter than the surrounding Canada Geese. This was apparent at varying postures as seen in attached photographs. Head shape was a bit more round and less boxy than typical Richardson's but I think the suite of characteristics still favor the more common Richardson's subspecies. Fairly broad white cheek patch with tiny hint of dark feathering bisecting white underneath chin (gular stripe). This characteristic is highly variable among Cackling Geese. Slight indent noted along posterior side of cheek patch. Photos with descriptions attached below:
Technical information
- Model
- NIKON D7100
- Lens
- 300.0 mm f/4.0
- ISO
- 1000
- Focal length
- 420 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire, auto
- f-stop
- f/5.6
- Shutter speed
- 1/500 sec
- Dimensions
- 3979 pixels x 2653 pixels
- Original file size
- 7.37 MB