Richardson's Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii.
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October 29th, 2005. Point au Roche State Park, Beekmantown,
Clinton County, NY.
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birding on the western shore of Lake
Champlain, Matt Medler and Julie Hart got some great digi-scope
shots of a Richardson’s Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii) amongst large numbers of (Greater/Lesser?) Snow Geese, after following up a report of two Cacklers by Bill Krueger and Charlie Mitchell.
Although good clear shots of the upperparts aren’t available in this
selection, the images do show many of the characteristics normally
associated with Richardson’s Cackling Goose.
It is obviously a very
small goose with a proportionately small, relatively stubby bill and
petite head. The neck looks very short, although the posture here is
relaxed, exaggerating the stubby appearance. Even so, this bird is
clearly
very short necked, resulting in the black neck sock appearing very
short as well. At the base of the neck sock is a thin but noticeable
white
half-collar, a character often associated with Richardson’s but
also seen (rarely) in some Canada Geese. The breast is also undoubtedly
pale, much paler than the
flanks and this combined with the features listed above, represent a
pretty good example of a Richardson’s Cackling Goose. Matt is to be
congratulated for getting such excellent records shots of this form,
now treated as a full species by the AOU. Reports of Cackling Geese
seem to be on the increase in New England, especially this autumn, no
doubt attributed to birders looking harder for them.
Caution: There is
plenty of variation in the size and color of Canada Geese, especially
where large concentrations occur. Some of the birds can appear to be
very small, but often lack the essential suite of characters that would
match a good example of a Richardson’s Cackling Goose, such as those
shown here. Finding your Cackler amongst Snow Geese admittedly looks a
little bit easier than sifting through hundreds of Canada Geese!!
Special thanks go to Matt Medler for his image sharing and for keeping us dated on the presence of the Black-tailed Gull, last seen on November 6th.
| Link: Phil Brown took some excellent close up shots of a Richardson's Cackling Goose (as well as a Greater White-fronted Goose!) at Acton October 23rd, 2005.
| View: Another selection of record shots of Richardson's Cackling Goose, this time from Brattleboro's Retreat Meadows, VT. The images were taken last year on October 29th, 2004.
| | Taken using Olympus C-5000 Zoom through Swarovski HD telescope. | All images appear here courtesy of © Matt Medler ‘05
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