Since early October, a small number of Greater Snow Geese (up to 1500) have shown up in fields southeast of Casselman which is about 25 minutes east of Ottawa. Today I spotted a flock of about 2500 a few km west of Moose Creek along Cty Rd 6 with a larger number showing up on the traditional gathering site on the sod farm beside the Lafleche Dump. There were in excess of 9000 there which is the largest flock to date. The bulk of the geese, which could be another 50-70,000 may be along soon. The flock also contains some Lesser Snow Geese, distinguished by smaller size. Blue morphs are present in small numbers. Very dark geese are juvenile blue morphs.
In a small flock of Canadas on the sod field I spotted a Greater White-fronted Goose. There were also at least 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls nearby, in with Herring and a Great Black-backed. Brian Morin Directions: The sod farm is south of Hwy 417 off Hwy 138 at Lafleche Rd. The road to the dump is busy with heavy trucks so park at the pull offs. -- Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario. Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to: [email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines To edit your membership settings visit the Birdnews setup page at: http://ontbirds.ca/mailman/listinfo/birdnews_ontbirds.ca. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Ontario birders should be taking extra precautions and following local, provincial, and federal regulations regarding physical distancing and non-essential travel. To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
