Snow Geese at Brigantine

In addition to the avocets I mentioned in an earlier post, Brigantine is now hosting a large flock of Snow Geese. When I was there last week, I counted about 500 geese in one large flock. Other observers have reported similar numbers since then, as well as possible Ross's Geese in the mix. I did not see any Ross's Geese myself, but the viewing conditions were not ideal for picking out rarities like that. However, I did find some "Blue Goose" forms in my photos.

I saw the Snow Geese from the south dike observation platform. They took flight as a flock from somewhere in the middle of the impoundments, flew over and around the observation tower, and finally settled out in the tidal marsh south of the dike. Some of them actually flew back and forth over the tower a few times as they tried to choose a spot in the marsh.

One Blue Goose is in this photo. In addition, some geese appear significantly smaller than others. I am not sure if that is a matter of distance or whether it reflects a real size difference.