Originally they were quite a distance from the road, but with binoculars, I could see that they were all white except they had black primaries. Their bills, legs, and feet were pink and I knew they were either Ross’s or Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens). I could not see a grin patch that would make them Snow Geese, but I wasn’t sure just how visible that field mark would be and the other field marks, rounder head, shorter more triangular bill, and smaller overall size are subjective. Without much experience with either of these species, I wasn’t sure which they were.

I thought they might be Ross’s Geese, but I knew of the two species that this was the least likely so I had to get a better look. Unfortunately, I was fifty miles from home without my scope, it was already 4:30 PM, and it was supposed to start raining any minute. With no other options available, I drove home at a high rate of speed and returned with my scope. Even though the light was waning fast, I was able to get a good look through the scope. I could now tell that their lips had a slight upturn, but there was no grin patch. I could also now see the grayish color at the base of the bill. The book describes this as a warty area, however, if not for the color difference this would have been very difficult to detect.

After looking at the pictures in National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds Western Region, I was sure they were Ross’s Geese. I returned the following week to get pictures and to talk with the owner of the property they were on. He indicated that one of them had been there for two years and the other arrived about two months ago with eight Canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria). It will be interesting to see what happens when the migratory urge strikes this spring.

The Annotated Checklist of Georgia Birds (1986) does not have a listing for Ross’s Geese, but they have since been placed on the Regular List.

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