Monday, November 20, 2023

Pale/leucistic Canada Goose returns for a fourth winter

Pale/Leucistic Canada Goose, Smith College, Northampton, MA, Nov 20, 2023
Pale/Leucistic Canada Goose, Smith College, Northampton, MA, Nov 20, 2023
Pale/Leucistic Canada Goose, Smith College, Northampton, MA, Nov 20, 2023
Pale/Leucistic Canada Goose, Smith College, Northampton, MA, Nov 20, 2023

I came across a pale Canada Goose this morning at Paradise Pond at Smith College and I presume it to be the same unique individual returning for the fourth winter to the local area.  I first found this bird on January 6th of 2021 at Arcadia and then caught up with it again a week or so later at the UMASS campus pond in a snow storm and it continued in the area through January and then I lost track of it.  The following fall it arrived in late November and it stayed around throughout the winter of 2021-2022.  It arrived back in the area for the winter of 2022-2023 in late December and stayed until the early part of March.  It is now back in the area for the fourth winter season in a row.  It really is a neat looking individual and will hopefully stay around.  Would love to know where the bird spends its summer.

Pale/Leucistic Canada Goose, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Jan 6, 2021
Pale/Leucistic Canada Goose, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Jan 14, 2021
Pale/Leucistic Canada Goose, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Jan 15, 2021
Pale/leucistic Canada Goose, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Nov 28, 2021
Pale/leucistic Canada Goose, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Dec 20, 2021
Pale/leucistic Canada Goose, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 16, 2022
Pale/leucistic Canada Goose, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Dec 30, 2022
Pale/leucistic Canada Goose, Hadley, MA, Jan 5, 2023
Pale/leucistic Canada Goose, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Jan 26, 2023
Pale/leucistic Canada Goose, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Jan 31, 2023
Pale/leucistic Canada Goose, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 11, 2023
Pale/leucistic Canada Goose, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Mar 8, 2023

Here is a sample of some photos I have captured of this individual the last few years at various spots in the valley as it travels around with typical looking Canada Geese.

Cackling Goose, Smith College, Northampton, MA, Nov 20, 2023

Although I did not see the Pink footed Geese among the few hundred Canada Geese at Smith College this morning I did find a Cackling Goose that showed fairly well.

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