October 17, 2004
Wacky waterfowl of the arboretum
In the week I've been gone from Davis, it appears that fall has passed and winter is here! It's cold and cloudy, many trees have lost their leaves and Yellow-rumped Warblers, Juncos and Zonotrichia sparrows are back en masse (the large sparrow flock in Solano Park Garden today contained a Chipping).
I rode my bike around the UCD arboretum, bumping into the Peahen who thinks she's a Mallard...
... and good numbers of Wood Duck.
Most interesting of all was the presence of much larger numbers of feral Canada Geese than usual (I estimated at least 300 birds at the west end of the lake alone). This large flock contained a single Cackling Goose (nice size comparison with their bigger, uglier cousins)....
... and a young Greater White-fronted Goose.
Where did these birds originate? Are they escapees, or lost wild birds which joined the first goose flock they could find?
Posted by rjhall at October 17, 2004 10:46 PM