[EBB Sightings] two strange Lake Merritt geese

[EBB Sightings] two strange Lake Merritt geese

David Couch
Fri Dec 09 07:41:02 PST 2005
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    At Lake Merritt, from Perkins Street eastward on the lawn between
    Bellevue and the lake today are two geese I am wondering about.

    One is (I think) some kind of domestic goose. It is very large (at least as big as the Canadas it is associating with, sometimes noisily) with a very big cushiony white belly (I would say pregnant if I didn't know better), a bright orange bill and orange feet. It looks a bit like greater white-fronted geese look in books and photos but is bigger, has no barring and no ring white around the bill (no white front). As I said, I think it's a domestic goose, maybe a kind of Chinese Goose with an orange bill?? I think it's too big to be a Greylag goose. Anybody know?

    The other goose looks like it could be the offspring of the first goose and a Canada! It looks somehow rather like a Canada despite having orange feet and a lot of white: white ring around the bill (like greater white-fronted should have) that blends into a white patch on the lower front forehead, a dark patch between that white ring and a white cheek, and white down the front of the neck. I am losing my memory now but I think the bill is black like a Canada.

    Several people have reported a greater white-fronted goose recently at Lake Merritt, but neither of these geese seems to me to be one.

    Any thoughts?

    Oh, otherwise a lot of the usual suspects, including most notably at least one Barrow's Goldeneye near the heron island, Ross's Goose across from 522 Grand. Couldn't find the Tufted Duck.

    1484 7th St
    Berkeley, CA 94710
    dhCouch at sonic.net
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