ML545305821

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

A continuing bird at this location. I originally assumed that this hybrid would stick out a lot more in terms of size, so when none of the three Ross's-like geese seemed different to my eye, I assumed it was missing altogether. Looking back at my photos now, however, I think I did see the hybrid bird. I have two photos of all three Ross's-like geese together, but their postures make it difficult to draw any conclusions about size. Instead, I'm relying on a few goose portraits that I took. Without size as a factor, I used facial features identify this goose. Here's what sticks out to me: 1) The warty structures on the base of the bill seem to match those of the hybrid bird. In particular, Ken Burgdorff's photos from Feb 16 2023 (https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/535844271) show a similar pattern to the bill. The warty structures appear to jut out towards the eye near the top base of the bill, which I think is unique to this bird. 2) It's incredibly subtle, but I think the bill of this bird is also abnormally long, at least for a Ross's Goose. Overall, it certainly leans more towards Ross's, but the upper edge of the bill looks proportionately long.

Technical information

Model

COOLPIX P1000

ISO

200

Focal length

167 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/8.0

Shutter speed

1/1250 sec

Dimensions

4608 pixels x 3347 pixels

Original file size

5.62 MB