Hi all; A hybrid goose has spent the winter with the brant flock on Randall's Island, first noted (by me, at least) in January the same day the barnacle goose was found. It appears very similar to a dark brant, but aside from the obvious darker coloration, particularly on the flanks, and reduced black on the neck, there is also reduced white uppertail coverts and subtly different head and neck shape. Brant x Cackling goose has been suggested and seems plausible to me, although I don't know if this combination has been ever definitively recorded. A few pictures taken today are on my flickr page, below. Also of interest, every time I have seen it this bird has kept to the very edge of the brant flock- the other birds don't seem fond of it.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/elwingflight/sets/72157640157804394/ Anya Auerbach -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
