Orange County Ross’s Goose

~ROSS’S GOOSE showing nicely next to a Canada Goose at Monroe-Woodbury Middle School, 01/15/17.~

This post may be a day late and a dollar short, but in a conversation today with birding bud Linda Scrima, she reminded me of just how good of a bird ROSS’S GOOSE really is for Orange County and that it was certainly post-worthy.

I should have known when I left early Saturday morning for my pelagic adventure that, like clockwork, a good bird would be located in Orange County. It was upon my return to cell service, while still out at sea, that I started receive texts and voicemails from earlier in the day, regarding the Ross’s Goose that had been located at Monroe-Woodbury Middle School. Looking through my eBird rare bird reports as I write this, it appears that the bird was originally located by Bob Miller and it was Mark DeDea that informed the Mearns Bird Club of the bird so that they would be able to include it in their annual Winter Waterfowl Count. Huge thanks to both of them.

I woke up a little on the late side Sunday morning; I was exhausted from the day before. The Ross’s Goose was in the back of my mind but I had no plans to go for it. I was first of all tired, secondly excited to go through my photos and write a post for the pelagic, and thirdly, after a year of chasing every bird I got wind of in Orange County, I just wasn’t dying to run for the bird. But, in the early afternoon, I received a call from Ken McDermott, letting me know the bird was still present. I was in a better place by that time, so I ran for the bird. I saw Karen Miller and Kathy Ashman who were also going for the bird while I was there. A Ross’s Goose can’t come any easier than this; the bird was in ball field with forty or so Canada Geese. It was only my second time ever seeing a Ross’s (my first one was also in Orange County, at the Camel Farm in 2013). I was able to get some decent documentary shots of the bird, shooting through a fence. I promptly went home and took it easy for the rest of the day.

One final note: The bird was reported at the same location yesterday (Monday 01/16), but I have not seen any reports for today yet.

How’s this for a photo? A Canada Goose being decapitated by the top rail of a fence, yellow caution tape, AND, a Ross’s Goose all in one shot. I do like the way the Ross’s look here though, beautiful little goose. Monroe-Woodbury Middle School, 01/15/17.~

2 thoughts on “Orange County Ross’s Goose”

  1. Definitely post-worthy, but not so sure the decapitated goose/caution tape was picture-worthy (LOL)… All kidding aside, *any* rare bird is picture worthy (although, you may want to include a disclaimer). The Ross’s Goose was easy to find, getting any photo was a bonus. 🙂

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