Out On the Wing #89: Speckles, Snow, and the Death of a Goose
I've had a whirl of a day. Despite having a cold that started after minicamp this past week, I whisked myself off in pursuit of a Greater White-fronted Goose ( Anser albifrons ) that had been spotted recently among throngs of Canada Geese ( Branta canadensis ) at Peace Valley Park in Doylestown, PA. Reports of Lesser Black-backed Gulls ( Larus fuscus ) and a Red-headed Woodpecker ( Melanerpes erythrocephalus ) were nice treats to look for as well. As I arrived, I looked to my right and surveyed the mass of geese. I knew, or at least suspected, that it was somewhere in that group. So I set off down the path noting the calls of chickadees and sparrows as I went, while a vociferous Northern Mockingbird ( Mimus polyglottos ) sang a garbled remix of wren and sparrow song that made its way through the briars and broken trees near the water's edge. I walked onto a dock that from the looks of it floated in the summer, but due to the drop in water level, was now resting on the reservo...