Waterfowl Gallery
click on thumbnails for slideshow

Adult and juvenile blue geese and one juvenile snow (left).Adult blue goose (left) and juvenile blue geese. Very large flock of snow and blue geese, mostly adults.Group of snow geese and their smaller cousins, Ross' geese. The Ross' geese have stubbier necks, shorter bills and the lack of a "grin patch" at the base of the bill. A few Ross' geese in the foreground among a larger group of snows. Cackling geese (miniature versions of Canada geese) flying with White fronted geese.Landing in a field with pipeline construction in the background.Cacklers used to be considered a sub species of Canadas, but now they are in their own category. White fronted geese (specklebellies) seem to make good company. Giant Canada geese (sometimes known as honkers) feeding in a cut corn field. Giant Canadas were brought in by the truckloads to parts of MS some 20 or 30 years ago and now can be found at most any pond.Giant Canadas are truly that, giants. Weighing up to 15 pounds or more and sporting a 60-inch wingspan, they are the largest geese in the area.Blue goose/ white fronted goose hybrid. Center left. White lores (whitefront), grin patch (snow/blue), white streak on neck (blue goose), dark primary feathers with white ribs (blue goose).Compare the primary feathers (long wing feathers) that are dark with white ribs, to the blue geese in the bottom left and top right of the photo. Note that the white front in the top left has all dark primary feathers.White fronts have white undertail coverts and a white flank stripe with dark flank feathers. This bird (seen with head down facing right) has white flanks.Here you can see the grin patch characteristic of snow/blue geese, the white lores characteristic of white fronts, and the white flanks.
Geese
This pair of wood ducks had just walked up the bank from a nearby lake. The hen landed on the box first, followed by the drake. The hen carefully looked over the box and down into the entrance hole to make sure the coast was clear before entering. Predators such as raccoons and rat snakes will enter boxes to eat the eggs.While balancing on the edge of the roof, he stretched his left wing and left foot.Then he stretched both wings and his neck.He couldn't quite figure out what I was in my blind, but took no alarm since I had put the blind there a week earlier. After 45 minutes or so, she finally flew back over to the box and into the hole. After several peeks outside to make sure all was safe, she began to lay another egg.
Ducks