I took these photos back in April last year at Lema Ranch but never wrote a post showing the difference between these two species (click on photos for full sized images). Better late than never I guess!
The first thing that you would probably notice is the size difference between the Canada Goose and the Cackler. It seems obvious but if you don’t see the two side by side, it’s sometimes hard to tell.
The Cackling Geese (Branta hutchinsii), the small bodied group which primarily breed in tundra, consist of four subspecies, Richardson’s (or Hutchins’s) Goose (B. h. hutchinsii), Taverner’s (or Alaska) Goose (B. h. taverneri), Aleutian Goose (B. h. leucopareia) and Cackling Goose (B. h. minima).
The Cackling Goose and the Aleutian Goose are the two subspecies we see here in the Pacific northwest. The Aleutian Goose is larger, has a paler breast and has a thick white collar at the base of its black neck. Range map of all Cackling Geese species courtesy of Terry Sohl from South Dakota Birds and Birding.
Within the species, there are trends in size from largest in the south to smallest in the north, and likewise in color from lighter in south and east, as well as in arid interior regions, to darker in the north and west1.
Note the dark breast, short black neck and short stubby bill on this Cackling Goose (B. h. minima), the smallest of the Cackling Geese, breeding in the far north western parts of Alaska.
Here is a photo of this bird with its neck fully extended.
And another with its neck pulled in
You can often find them in mixed flocks where the smaller Cackling Goose can be more readily distinguished from the larger Canada Goose.
To see more great bird photos check out World Bird Wednesday! And while you’re here, if you use Google Friend Connect, please consider joining my website via the widget in the right hand column of my blog and I will join yours in return. Thanks for the visit!
Western Willet (Tringa semipalmata) photos by Larry Jordan
(Click on photos for full sized images)
The Willet (Tringa semipalmata) doesn’t look very interesting as it scours the shore, or in this case, the Arcata Marsh mudflats.
Its a rather nondescript wading bird consisting of two subspecies, the Western Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus inornatus) pictured here, and the Eastern Willet (C. s. semipalmatus).
The Western Willet consists of populations breeding in inland, primarily freshwater habitats of western states and provinces while the Eastern Willet populations breed in the marshes of the Atlantic coast, from New Brunswick to Tamaulipas, Mexico1.
I guess I should say Willets are rather nondescript until they fly…
or you hear that distinctive call!
I was able to snap some photos of this Western Willet in flight, showing off those broad white wing-stripes that run across the primaries and secondaries, bordered in black.
No other large shorebird has such a striking in-flight wing pattern.
And then, when they land…
and they are backlit…
it’s even more striking…
leaving just a glimpse of their secret identity as they fold their wings back up.
To see a Western Willet in breeding plumage, check out my friend Kyle McCreary’s flickr photo here. If you want to see more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly!
And while you’re here, if you use Google Friend Connect, please consider joining my website via the widget in the right hand column of my blog and I will join yours in return. Thanks for the visit!
(Washington, D.C., November 9, 2011) American Bird Conservancy (ABC), the nation’s leading bird conservation organization, has called on the mayors of U.S. cities to stop the epidemic spread of feral cats that threaten national bird populations as well as scores of other wildlife. Letters were mailed to mayors of the fifty largest cities in the United States, urging they support responsible pet ownership and oppose Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) programs that promote the feeding of outdoor cats. You can download a copy of the letter here.
“Cat overpopulation is a human-caused tragedy that affects the health and well-being of cats, our native wildlife, and the public,” says Darin Schroeder, Vice President for Conservation Advocacy for ABC in a letter to the mayors. “Numerous published, scientific studies have shown that trap, neuter, re-abandon programs do not reduce feral cat populations, and that outdoor cats, even well-fed ones, kill hundreds of millions of wild birds and other animals each year in the U.S., including endangered species. Birds that nest or feed on the ground are especially vulnerable to cat attacks.”
“What few people seem to understand is that the domestic cat is an extremely effective predator that has been introduced by modern man into an environment whose species have evolved few, if any natural cat defenses. Non-native, well-fed, inoculated, healthy cats versus defenseless prey is about as fair in the world of nature as the proverbial shooting of fish in a barrel,” he said.
Studies indicate that there are 95 million outdoor and feral cats in the United States that kill at least 532 million birds, and possibly significantly more. Given the well-documented impacts of cat predation on wildlife, ABC urges the mayors to oppose TNR programs and the outdoor feeding of cats as a feral cat management option.
Specifically, ABC asks the mayors to issue a policy directive opposing TNR, and to halt city funding for the practice if any is currently being expended. The ABC letter says that dog overpopulation problems aren’t solved by simply turning unwanted dogs loose onto the streets; the same should be true for cats. Ensuring responsible pet ownership is at the core of any long-term solution to the cat overpopulation problem.
“This is a problem in every city in America including our most populous, New York City,” said Schroeder. “Unfortunately we see too many cities abdicating their responsibility to public welfare and wildlife, and embracing TNR programs. We urge Mayors to take a closer look and recognize this doesn’t work to reduce cat populations.”
ABC suggests communities concerned about feral cats work to enact mandatory licensing programs, the fees from which can fund programs to help find homes for the unwanted pets and educate pet owners about keeping their cats indoors. Through the Cats Indoors! Campaign, American Bird Conservancy and its many partners encourage people to keep their cats indoors, train them to go outside on a harness and leash, or build outdoor cat enclosures. Cats should be spayed or neutered before they can produce an unwanted litter, and should never be abandoned. Abandoning cats is illegal in many areas, is extremely cruel to cats, and is harmful to birds and other wildlife. Further, the sanctioning of cat colonies by local officials only serves to encourage cat owners to dump more unwanted cats at these sites.
“TNR is not humane to the cats or the wildlife. Free-roaming cats are in constant danger of being hit by cars, contracting diseases and parasites, or being attacked by other animals or people,” said Schroeder. “Colonies often become dumping grounds for unwanted pets, thus continuing the inhumane cycle.”
Cats can also transmit diseases such as rabies, toxoplasmosis, and cat scratch fever to humans. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has declared that cats are the top carrier of rabies in domestic animals. In just the last month, about 30 feral cats in northwestern Florida were euthanized following tests that confirmed two feral cats in the area were indeed rabid.
Food left out at TNR colonies attracts not only more cats, but hungry wildlife as well, which increases the chances for interactions with rabid animals. Three people in Florida living in the vicinity of TNR feeding sites were bitten last year by rabid cats and had to undergo rabies treatments.
Federal, state, and local governments have responsibilities under the Endangered Species Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act to protect birds. Failing to do so can result in legal penalties and civil liability.
The National Association of Public Health Veterinarians, The Wildlife Society, and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have joined ABC in opposing TNR programs.
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) Fishing photo by Larry Jordan
More fun at Arcata Marsh can be seen in my latest West Coast Beat Writer post over at 10000 Birds. I captured a Snowy Egret fishing and got some great video (even if I do say so myself) of the different techniques that bird uses to catch its food.
And while you’re here, if you use Google Friend Connect, please consider joining my website via the widget in the right hand column of my blog and I will join yours in return. Thanks for the visit!
Social Media Connect