Taiga Bean-Goose in New York! ~ January 10, 2025

I was up very late the night before, so when my phone rang around 9:00, it woke me up. It was Jason Horn. He wanted to know if I was interested in trying for a Taiga Bean-Goose that had been seen late in the day yesterday and was refound this morning. I told him I was interested but asked him how soon he was leaving. He said, "I can be at your house in 20 minutes", so I ran to the bathroom, got dressed, threw some food down my throat, grabbed my gear, and got into his Jeep about a half-hour later.
We did the 250-mile drive in a little over 4 hours, quickly stopping for something to eat, and getting to the spot on the Hudson River a little after 2:00 PM. There were a few other birders there scanning through the Canada Goose flock. It wasn't long when one of them found the bird swimming across the Hudson. I grabbed a few photos of my 'life' Taiga Bean-Goose!

Taiga Bean-Goose

It eventually got up onto the ice in among the Canada Geese. Luckily, it stood a bit taller than the Canadas most of the time.

Taiga Bean-Goose

Late in the day, as the Canadas left the ice, the Bean-Goose was unblocked, showing off its orange legs and feet.

Taiga Bean-Goose

Eventually, it flew downriver and off towards the southwest with a small group of Canadas.

Taiga Bean-Goose

Also there was a very unusual Ross's x Cackling Goose hybrid. The bird was the size of a Ross's or Cackling Goose, smaller than the surrounding Canadas, had a white head and neck, a stubby bill, and the body color of a Cackling Goose.

A Ross's x Cackling Goose hybrid.

Other birds present on and around the river included 46 Common Goldeneye, 5 Common and 2 Hooded Mergansers, a Bufflehead, 7 Snow Geese, and a Bald Eagle.

We stopped before getting on the highway to get something to eat and then drove back to my house, getting there around 8:30 PM.

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