An afternoon with Northern Shrike and Greater White-fronted Goose ~ December 15, 2021

I stopped at Ballas Park in the early afternoon and, surprisingly within a half-hour, spotted the Northern Shrike, which continued in the brushy area on the east side of the trail loop.

Northern Shrike

Later in the afternoon, I checked out the Silver Crest Road retention pond. As I walked up to the fence, I noticed a smaller goose among the many Canadas. The silvery coloration, short neck, steep forehead, and fairly stubby bill confirmed it to be a Cackling Goose.

Cackling Goose

While continuing to search through the Canadas, I then found a Greater White-fronted Goose where I got much better photos than I previously had of this species.

Greater White-fronted Goose

Also present there among the group were a Great Blue Heron and a single Snow Goose.

Great Blue Heron

Snow Goose

As dusk approached, a couple thousand Snow Geese appeared in the eastern sky and flew overhead. I assumed that these birds were coming from the Nazareth Quarry where tens of thousands have been almost filling it.

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