Barnacle Goose Humber Bay / Gzowski park

[David the park stroller]

This morning after the big rainstorm we saw an unusual bird!  Among the Canada Geese who panhandle on the beach boardwalk at Gzowski Park near the Humber Bay pedestrian bridge we were less than 15 feet away from a Barnacle Goose. Unmistakeable: it's like a Canada Goose but with a distinctive white face-mask, black breast instead of buff, and a bit smaller. He was happliy chowing down grass with the Canada's.  Peterson says these are rare/accidental visitors in eastern North America. Is there some local domestic population? Zoo? Farm? Any info? [Also enjoyed an osprey coursing over the Humber River outflow which we rarely see downtown, the now familiar Great Egret and various terns.] NOTE:  No, there's no bird-band visible on the goose.

[jennie]

thanks for the posting, i just returned from a run along the boardwalk and spotted the unusual goose.  my birds of ontario guide was of no help at all and your posting satisfied my curiosity!

[Craig McL]

I went by today and tuck some photos of the Adult Barnacle Goose still milling around with the Canadian 's  :lol:

I wood think that its 99.99 % escapee but no one can tell !! many wood try to tell you 100% yes but unless they have a line to god they do not no !! the one seen  in 1978 in Garden Hill Ont. was never excepted by the ORBC so to this day it is still not on the Ontario bird Checklist .

still a nice bird to look at and thanks for posting it .

Craig

[Craig McL]

Hi this was posted on Ontbirds this moring by Hugh Currie, so I gess you do as you see fit !! still a nice bird I think Ill go see it today with out the rane !!

Craig

FYI a Barnacle Goose was shot near Hawkesbury, Ont last November. It bore a band placed as a gosling in Scotland. This means the species will go on the Ontario list (but apparently not yet) and they are now countable according to ABA rules depending on the observer's judgment. Hugh Currie

[David the park stroller]

Fun guy to watch... he was still with the flock of Canada's near the western end of the boardwalk today near the Humber . Photo in my album on this site too.

[David the park stroller]

"Barnacle Bill" was still there on the weekend. Anyone got any idea where he might have "escaped" from... there doesn't seem to be an obvious domestic source such as the zoo. [which means he's flown here from Scotland and is a true accidental and famous, and... OK I'll calm down.]

[Craig McL]

the strange thing is that its a adult yet it shows no cage damage, IE the webbing of the feet are pristine and show no ripping and the fathering is in good shape and the bill has on damage that one wood see from pen feeding . :?


But as I seed before I do not have a direct line to GOD  :lol: .... so he being the only one to really no and there not being a lag band your guess is as good ( or better ) than any one ells ...

still a nice bird to go look at, and I do no a lote of Toronto birders that have seen this bird !!  

Craig

[David the park stroller]

Up on the Cornell E-bird site we see a tiny smattering of reports of Barnacle geese seen near Syracuse New York.  There's also a report of a small 6-bird escaped population in 1996 near NYC. Kind of fun isn't it... beats doing the work I shold be doing today!

[Bill Halliday]

Went for a short walk this evening to check out this posting. Nice sighting! The bird is still at the park this evening and like reports describe, you can come within 6ft of it. Actually, just stand still and it will come to you with the group of Canadas Those wondering about Sunday, it will likely be there.