Grandma & Geese

I had talked with Grandma Louise Gambill a couple of times since the new year but not seen her since Christmas Day. She got out to do a New Years Day BigDay2014 with her daughter and son-in-law and got 50 species for first of the year. Not bad considering the cold and snow. This is only her 2nd winter here in Ohio in the last 26 years; always staying in the Rio Grand Valley, Texas for the winter.

Yeah #birds

 So I picked grandma up on the 14th, and did a little birding at Pickerington Ponds and Howe Industrial Parkway(got GBH there). It was good to get out of the house, get some sun and see some birds. Nothing too fancy, the BarnOwl must of been hunkered down low so no go, but we did get 20 species for the day with Northern Pintail, E. Bluebird, A. Kestrel as the highlights.

She told me of a time during spring migration her and Red got 100 species everyday for 10 days in a row!! That's a big accomplishment. They were on their way back north from the valley along the gulf coast, with stops in Galveston and High Island in Louisiana.

GWFG

On the morning of the 19th, myself and fellow team SnowBlunting member rode out to Prairie Oaks Metro Park in West Jeff to spot the reported Greater White-Fronted Geese from the birding.aba.org/maillist/OH.  This is the same park I got them last year, just a different pond. No Ross or Cackling with other geese this time.

Breeding across the tundra from Nunavut to Siberia, across Russia, and in Greenland, the Greater White-fronted Goose has one of the largest ranges of any species of goose in the world. There are 4 sub species of this goose. Greater/Lesser/Tule/Greenland

Different flight beat/pattern than CAGO

Can you spot the GOOSE?

Up next: More snow and cold in January