Wednesday 16 December 2015

Lifer #200 for NB! Greater White-fronted Goose

Thanks for a tip for a friend who is a hunter (it is duck season!), I got to see my first Greater White-fronted Goose last week and #200 for NB. It was with a flock of thirty or so Canada's in the Saint John River. I watched it for ten minutes or so with my scope, but couldn't get the greatest picture as it was quite far out. He was telling me how it was easy to spot in flight and to hear it among the Canada Geese. Hopefully someday I'll get to experience the same thing and find one on my own. I played with the photo a bit so that its orange bill and the size difference would stand out more. 




Barrow's Goldeneye

For the past little while, I've been scanning Common Goldeneye's in hopes of finally seeing a Barrow's. This happened just a few weeks ago and since then, I've seen them on a few occasions in the Saint John River. The first I found was a male in the sewage lagoon. It really stood out since I have been so used to just seeing Common's. I later found a few females (the different color bill stood out) and I'm hoping one is still around for the Christmas Bird Count here in Woodstock.

Here is a photo of the male I saw. Its not the greatest photo as it was at the far end of the lagoon, but its clear enough for a positive ID.