I made an afternoon stop at Green Pond and found the
Sandhill Crane standing among Snow Geese.
Sandhill Crane at the flooded fields by Green Pond, Northampton County.
Just as I picked out a
Cackling Goose among the few thousand Canadas, it flew off to the eastern edge of the cornfield.
Cackling Goose flying over the flooded fields by Green Pond, Northampton County. Note the obvious short neck.
Then, a tight group of six "Richardson's"
Cackling Geese swam fairly close, providing some great comparisons between them and the surrounding Canadas.
Two "Richardson's" Cackling Geese bracketing a Canada Goose at the flooded fields by Green Pond, Northampton County. In comparison to the Canada Goose, note the Cacklings' much smaller overall size and their more silvery or grayish backs, shorter necks, stubbier bills, and more vertical foreheads, which make the heads look 'blocky'. Another trait that most Cackling Geese show is a white 'chinstrap' that often appears wider and more horizontal at its top edge.
Another Cackling Goose / Canada Goose comparison. In addition to the aforementioned points, note the hint of a white line between the dark neck and the gray breast shown by some birds.
I also found a male Green-winged Teal that had no vertical white bar but only had a hint of a horizontal stripe on the wing, bringing up the possibility of the dreaded American/Eurasian Teal 'hybrid'. I tried to get photos of it, but it was fairly concealed in among the corn stubble and blocked most of the time by Canada Geese.
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