On Saturday, Dec.17th. at 8AM, a Greater White-fronted Goose was on the
Potomac River in Washington DC, just south of the Memorial Bridge. Photos at:
http://odolep.com/midatlantic%20birds/WhitefrontedGoose2.jpg
The bill was yellow-orange, and longer than on many White-fronteds that I
see, suggesting flavirostris from Greenland. But the head and chest were not as
dark or as slaty gray as in photos of what they are calling flavirostris in
Europe. The bill shape and length of the DC bird did seem to match many of these
photos. The DC bird never got out of the water to show off its belly bands.
Googling on "flavirostris" and "Greenland White fronted Goose" turned up
plenty of photos. Here is a sample:
http://www.naturnett.org/nofoa/jpgs/tu3144W.jpg
http://www.naturnett.org/nofoa/jpgs/tu3190W.jpg
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/michelbj/oiseaux_chn/oie_rieuse_groenland/oie_du_groen
landAA1.jpg
http://cyberbirding.uib.no/photo/divers_ducks/a_albifrons_01a.jpg
http://avesibericas.iespana.es/images/ansalbweba7.jpg
http://peterboroughbirdclub.blogspot.com/2003/01/greenland-white-fronted-geese
-at.html
http://peterboroughbirdclub.blogspot.com/2003/12/greenland-white-fronted-goose
-at.html
http://brianhstone.fireflyinternet.co.uk/images/gwf_goose_8dec04_400b.jpg
http://home.btconnect.com/toadsnatcher/photos/pboro/gwfg.html
The Dec.1994 issue of birding had a note (no photos) by Kenn Kaufman on the
difficulty of identifying these races. He thought that flavirostris was over
reported in North America.
Among all the Canadas on the river were two smaller birds that might have
been parvipes. I did not see any hutchinsi.
Dave Czaplak
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