Lake Carasaljo 2/15--Greater White-fronted Goose

Greater White-fronted Goose

Another Saturday perambulation around Lake Unpronounceable, with waterfowl the focus.  I was hoping to add Pied-billed Grebe to my list but wound up with something much more interesting. As it happens, where I park, on the south side of the lake is where most of the waterfowl congregate, so I quickly ticked off a bunch of common ducks and of course scads of Canada Geese. I have found that after strolling up to the pontoon bridge that crosses the lake and looking through the amusing variety of domestic ducks that gather in the shallows there, including the resident uncountable Muscovy Duck, the waterfowl thin out and mostly what you find are Ring-bill Gulls standing on the ice. So, when I saw a smaller goose/duck with around 30 Canada Geese, I thought it was probably another domestic duck, but a quick look with the bins showed otherwise--it was a Greater White-fronted Goose, a rarity around here, and probably the most cooperative one I've seen. Not as confiding as the Muscovy, which will walk right up to you and try to eat your shoelaces, but it didn't immediately swim away to the middle of the lake as most geese will do when approached. In fact, after informing a couple of friends by text, I looked up to see that I it wasn't in the water anymore. Thinking it was gone, I turned around and found it on the shore, showing all its field marks. I continued my loop around the lake, and while I didn't have as many species as last week, it was still a respectable number for gray winter's morning.

26 species (+1 other taxa)
Greater White-fronted Goose  1     
Canada Goose  100
Mute Swan  4
Muscovy Duck (Domestic type)  1     
Mallard  4
Mallard (Domestic type)  15
Ring-necked Duck  14
Lesser Scaup  7
Bufflehead  2
Hooded Merganser  21
Mourning Dove  2
Ring-billed Gull  100
American Herring Gull  10
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Blue Jay  6
American Crow  1
Tufted Titmouse  2
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
Carolina Wren  1
American Robin  1
House Sparrow  5
Dark-eyed Junco  8
White-throated Sparrow  10
Song Sparrow  4
Red-winged Blackbird  3
Common Grackle  5

Northern Cardinal  4 

Muscovy Duck