Canackling Goose

Here are the best (not quite the right word, perhaps) photos of the Cackling Goose we observed in the Sulphur Springs Valley Sunday. [Edit: as it turns out, Harry, who probably knows more about the field identification of these blasted white-cheeks than anyone else, has identified the bird as a parvipes Canada Goose. Thanks, Harry! Other correspondents still lean towards Cackling Goose, and I'm just sitting back at this point.]

This was the scene at a distance: Canada Geese, Great-tailed Grackles, American Coots, and a smattering of ducks including Bufflehead.

The little white-cheeked Branta of interest was associated with the 4 mid-sized Canada Geese on the shore, and stood out immediately by virtue of its tiny size.

The bird immediately in front of the little one is badly foreshortened, but the others, particularly the individual in profile on the right, provides a reasonable size comparison. Note also the little guy’s slightly darker plumage, less extensively black “stocking,” and head shape: the forehead is nearly vertical, with a pronounced stop where it meets the flat crown. Will pointed out to me, too, that this individual has a somewhat reduced cheek patch.

This image is even worse than the two preceding, but it does show the “bumpy” forecrown and the bill shape: small, slender, and barely longer than it is deep.

I’d be interested to hear what the rest of you think about this bird (less interested, probably, in your comments on my failings as a photographer!).