Marshall's Pond 12/11--Cackling Goose

I found it funny, in a non-funny way, this morning, that I saw more species (17) looking out the side window at our bird bath, suet feeders, and half-empty hopper feeder than I did in more than two hours and 4 miles of walking in the wind and cold at Double Trouble SP (15).  Winter birding (and it isn't even officially winter) can be slow in the Pine Barrens. So, when I got a text from Steve that there was a Cackling Goose at Marshall's Pond in Toms River, I was inclined to chase it, especially when I realized it was another waterfowl (like the Eurasian Wigeon at Lake of the Lilies last month), that I hadn't gotten onto the year list.

Marshall's Pond is about 15 miles away so about a half hour later I was at the site, and only then did it dawn on me that I would have to look through roughly 250 to 400 Canada Geese to find the one goose that was 2/3 the size of the rest of them with a stubby bill. Not as bad as looking through a thousand Snow Geese for the one Ross's Goose, but still, not much fun with the winds gusting to 36 mph and the real feel temperature around 17. Steve's photo had shown a neat little package of 3 Canada Geese with the Cackler tucked in. The reality of course was the flock of geese was spread out for a thousand feet and somewhere in there was the Cackler. I started at the outflow pipe and worked my way west to the sand bar without finding the goose, then proceeded to walk back east. When I got back to the outflow pipe, I stood on unstable rocks and scanned again. Suddenly it appeared. Then disappeared. Then appeared. As waterfowl are wont to do, it was playing the avian version of 3-card monte. Finally, I was able to keep it in sight long enough to get some pictures with it next to Canada Geese for comparison. 

American Wigeon with Canada Goose

I walked east to the end of the pond where there were a few duck species--Bufflehead, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, and Ring-necked Duck, then returned to the outflow pipe area. The trick to me, with a rare waterfowl, is if you can relocate it after you've gone for a few minutes. If you can, then you've really seen it. And I could. It took a little bit, but once again I found the Cackler, this time with its head tucked in floating amidst the larger geese. 

As I was telling Shari the story this evening at dinner, I remembered another little amusing fact--the first time we met Steve was at Marshall's Pond, on a cold January day many years ago (it might have been the first) when we were looking for another rare goose, either a Ross's or a Cackling, I can't recall which. Yesterday, I had been on Hooper Avenue for a doctor's appointment and considered going over to Marshall's Pond afterward to see what was there, but I thought it was too cold and windy to be appealing. And realistically, had I gone, I wouldn't have spent 40+ minutes looking through a flock of geese for the one outlier. When they were handing out patience, I was too impatient to stand in that line.