Canada Geese

Canada Geese are quite common and often don’t make an eye-catching photo. But when seen in the right environment and living their lives, their beauty is enhanced marvelously.

Photograph of 4 Canada Geese floating along a rive surrounded by low, green, aquatic foliage. The riverbank in the background is slightly out of focus. It is mostly gray-brown dotted by green leaves.
The riverbank serves as the background. It is lined with reeds, with green brush and brown grass behind.
The Canada Geese are large birds whose back is brown, its breast and bottom are white, its neck and head are black, and it has a white chinstrap.
Island Ford,
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Sandy Springs, Georgia, USA; SEP 2025

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Photograph of 5 Canada Geese standing in a stream, all facing to the left.  The riverbank is in the background. There are brown and green reeds along the river edge with various shrubs and grasses behind them. Next to the riverbank, the stream is running smoothly, reflecting the plants along the riverbank. The river under the geese is running over obstructions causing ripples.
The Canada Geese are large birds whose back is brown, its breast and bottom are white, its neck and head are black, and it has a white chinstrap.
William B Pond Park,
American River Parkway, Sacramento, California, USA; DEC 2014
Photograph of 4 Canada Geese, two facing left one floating in the stream facing right and the other on the riverbank facing right. The background is brown and green reeds lining the riverbank in front of a gray, fog covered, forest scene. Next to the riverbank, the stream is running smoothly, reflecting the plants along the riverbank. The river under the 2 geese in the front is running over obstructions causing ripples.
The Canada Geese are large birds whose back is brown, its breast and bottom are white, its neck and head are black, and it has a white chinstrap.
William B Pond Park,
American River Parkway, Sacramento, California, USA; DEC 2015

Canada Geese

A scene with 2 Canada Geese at a pond in a woodland setting. One goose is laying in what appears to be a nest on a dark mound in the middle of the left side of the image. The other goose is floating on the pond in the lower right corner of the image. The geese have brown backs and wings with off-white lower body parts, a black neck and head, and a white spot on the side of the head. The top half, i.e. the background is green grass gray tree trunk a brown woodland debris. The fore ground is the pond reflecting the geese and background.
Nesting – Canada Geese; Island Ford
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Sandy Springs, Georgia, USA; APR 2025

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A Canada Goose standing in a puddle of water against a background of gray rocks. The goose has a brown back and wings with off-white lower body parts, a black neck and head, and a white spot on the side of the head.
Canada Goose
Island Ford, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Sandy Springs, Georgia, USA; APR 2025

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These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

Chattahoochee River in Morning Fog

First Light on the Chattahoochee
Island Ford, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Roswell, Georgia, USA; JUL 2024

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Canada Geese Taking a Nap
Island Ford, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Roswell, Georgia, USA; AUG 2024
Spider Web in Crepuscular Rays; Island Ford
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Roswell, Georgia, USA; AUG 2024

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These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

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Wild White Geese

Snow Geese
Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, Willows, CA; NOV 2020

The wildlife refuges in Northern California are one of the wintering over spots  for our two varieties of wild white geese: The Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens) and the Ross’s Goose (Chen rossii). They are 2 species that look almost alike and hang around together. In fact they do inter-breed so hybridized geese can be found. There is also a darker morph of both species which can sometimes be found in the flock. The darker or “blue morph” of the Snow Goose is sometimes called a Blue Goose. The head of the Ross’s Goose is smaller and more rounded than the that of the Snow Goose. The Ross’s Goose has a gray patch at the base of its bill. The Snow Goose has dark smile lines on the side of its bill that, I think, look like teeth.

It is amazing site to see these birds lift into the air. Entire fields full of geese will take off at one time making it look like a blizzard of white. On the day we observed them we were treated to an air show by many flocks. Thousands of birds were flying in large “V” formations as far as you could see in all directions. It was amazing!

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Ross’s Goose, Northern Shoveler
Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, Willows, CA; NOV 2020
Snow Geese
Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, DEC 2016
Ross’s Geese
Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, Willows, CA; NOV 2020

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

Cackling Geese

Cackling Geese
North Staten Island Road, Thornton, CA; NOV 2020

Living along the Pacific Flyway provides a treat; many birds pass through or winter over around here. Our most well known and popular of the winter visitors is the Sandhill Crane. But, in this post, I am going to present another visitor, one less known, the Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii).

The Cackling Goose and the Canada Goose look nearly identical and they are related. Until recently they were considered 2 subspecies of a single species. The Cackling Goose is smaller and makes a distinctive cackle instead of the Canada Goose’s honk. One of the field marks I use to identify them is a white band at the base of the black neck; its not a perfect identifier but it is very good.

While the Canada Goose is ubiquitous year around, I have only seen the Cackling Geese, reliably, in a limited area and only in Late October and November. One birder told me that we get the Aleutian Subspecies; there are several other subspecies.

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Cackling Geese
North Staten Island Road, Thornton, CA; NOV 2020
Cackling Geese
North Staten Island Road, Thornton, CA; NOV 2020

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.