A late-October trip to the Champlain Valley is sure to turn up some “good birds”. And good birds are exactly what a group with the North Branch Nature Center’s fall trip found as they explored Chittenden and Addison counties this weekend (10/26/13). Two of the most intriguing finds were rare “look-alike” species that have very similar, more common counterparts.
The first look-alike was a Ross’s Goose, which another group
of birders had already located when we arrived to the goose viewing area at
Dead Creek. This species is rare in
Vermont and looks like a miniature of its larger cousin, the Snow Goose. It is easy to see how a Ross’s Goose could be
difficult to locate when it is mingling with a flock of thousands of Snow
Geese! In addition to its diminutive
size, the Ross’s Goose can also be identied by its shorter, stubbier beak and
the lack of a “grin patch” amongst other subtle characteristics.
The difference between Snow and Ross’s Goose is night and
day when compared to the next dubious duo.
A mixed flock of dowitchers has been present at the Brilyea Access of
Dead Creek for weeks. The two species
are Long-billed and Short-billed, although bill length is rarely an identifying
characteristic. Long-billed Dowitcher is
especially rare in Vermont, but either species is unexpected this late into
October. To tell these birds apart takes
patience and experience. A combination
of variable traits are used to distinguish them, including but not limited to
bill length, body shape, color, pattern, and overall impression. Our group continued the debate about which
species we had seen well after the trip, sharing photos of the puzzling birds
by email. The jury is still out!
Here is our full species list from the trip:
Snow Goose
|
Short/Long-billed Dowitcher
|
Ross's Goose
|
Long-billed Dowitcher
|
Canada Goose
|
Bonaparte's Gull
|
Gadwall
|
Ring-billed Gull
|
American Black Duck
|
Herring Gull
|
Mallard
|
Great Black-backed Gull
|
Black Duck x Mallard (hybrid)
|
Rock Pigeon
|
Green-winged Teal
|
Mourning Dove
|
Lesser Scaup
|
Downy Woodpecker
|
Surf Scoter
|
Hairy Woodpecker
|
White-winged Scoter
|
Blue Jay
|
Common Merganser
|
American Crow
|
Ruddy Duck
|
Common Raven
|
Common Loon
|
Black-capped Chickadee
|
Pied-billed Grebe
|
Red-breasted Nuthatch
|
Horned Grebe
|
Carolina Wren
|
Double-crested Cormorant
|
American Robin
|
Great Blue Heron
|
European Starling
|
Northern Harrier
|
Yellow-rumped Warbler
|
Cooper's Hawk
|
Northern Cardinal
|
Bald Eagle
|
Red-winged Blackbird
|
Killdeer
|
American Goldfinch
|
Greater Yellowlegs
|
House Sparrow
|
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