birdsoup

A sharp-eyed customer called the store saying she had just seen an “odd” goose in a flock of hundreds of Canada Geese at Larchmont Reservoir. What is it? After some questioning, we decided it must be a Barnacle Goose. Doug Bloom stopped at the Reservoir before the store opened today and confirmed that, indeed, it was a Barnacle Goose.

I’ve never seen one. So I checked the field guides. In fact, I checked every field guide in the store and they all said the same thing: A Barnacle Goose is a rare bird in this area. It summers in Greenland and usually winters in Europe. Occasionally, one will be seen in winter along the northeastern shore. Well, I decided to see this one and raced over to the reservoir at lunch time.

It was easy to spot the Barnacle Goose, even in the middle of a flock of Canada Geese. The Barnacle Goose looks different. It is slightly smaller. It has a silvery-gray back, as opposed to the brownish-black back of the Canada. The short neck is similar to a Brandt. But the most distinguishing field mark is the large white patch on the head.

So it is only mid-February and I found my first Life Bird of the Year. (Lately, I have only added one or two lifers per year. It gets harder every year to add a new bird) I was so out of practice I almost forgot to do the obligatory “lifer dance”. I did it. But it was so icy I almost slipped and broke my neck. Still, one must maintain traditions.

A new life bird brightens the spirits on a gloomy winter day. Hooray!