[EBB Sightings] Ferruginous Hawk, Cackling Geese @ Lake Elizabeth

I went to Lake Elizabeth in Fremont today at lunch to
see if I could find Stephanie's Ferruginous Hawk at
the softball fields. When I first arrived, there was a
large hawk on the ground surrounded by a hundred
Canada Geese. I thought this was the FEHA, but it
turned out to be a very light Red-tail Hawk. With
that, the Ferruginous Hawk snuck in behind me over the
parking lot and landed on one of the light poles along
the outfield fence of the softball field. I was able
to get quite close and follow it around as it moved
from pole to pole over the next 30 minutes. 
  Meanwhile in the open field, there were two groups
of Cackling Geese mixed in with the Canada Geese. I
counted a total of 17 Cackling Geese including at
least 5 with the white collar of the Aluetian
subspecies. As I was standing there, 3 White Fronted
Geese landed among the large flock. There is also one
strange goose that looks something like a White-front,
but the head and face are much whiter. The bird seems
larger than the GWFG and the belly is also a lighter,
more consistant gray without the speckling. Stephanie
had a photograph in her earlier posting of this goose.
Is there any opinion on this one? It may be a domestic
cross or a snow goose hybrid.

George Chrisman
Burlingame, CA


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