On the Wing #63: Pink-footed and Giddy

Something has been lurking in North Jersey this winter. An unfamiliar species with dark plumage, silver wings, and pink feet! For two days in a row, I got to see this European species in all its rare, code 4 glory. In case you're confused, a Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) (of Big Year movie fame) has been spotted wintering in the fields and marshes of North Jersey. This ABA code 4 (the American Birding Association code 4 designation indicates a casual visitor to a given region meaning that while they've occurred in the general area before, but the likelihood of it occurring year after year is extremely unlikely) was an excellent addition to my life list. The inclusion of a quality zoom on a good camera made documenting this species a delight!


After reading reports from a day earlier (March 21st), I decided to check out Assiscong Marsh in Flemington, New Jersey where it had been spotted most recently. It's always a rush to see such rarities in the wild, but because I'd found the bird myself, I felt all the more capable of finding these rare birds (after they've been reported of course).

I returned the next day to spot the bird with a friend and found it feeding in a nearby horse pasture with 100+ Canada Geese (Branta canadensis). It was pretty cool to spot it for two days in a row and get another nice series of pictures as well.





The Pink foot wasn't the only one chilling with the Canadas.



Hopefully I can continue to see such rarities, but as April looms, so does spring migration! With all the reports of Eastern Phoebes (Sayornis phoebe), American Robins (Turdus migratorius), and American Woodcocks (Scolopax minor), I'm hella excited for spring to bring back more warm weather residents. It's going to be amazing.

Hope everyone who got to see this bird enjoyed it and to those that didn't, birding isn't all about rarities. I listed my FOY Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) just two days ago so there's plenty of other feathered folk to find out there. Have a great week and as always, happy birding ^_^.

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