Words On Birds 01-31-25

 

     As it turned out, there WAS another “wild “goose chase in our future! Another Bean Goose was discovered in Rhode Island at the Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth Rhode Island on Saturday, Jan 18. First reports called the bird a Bean Goose and didn’t definitively say which species. We had traveled more than 4 hours to see the Taiga Bean Goose in New York, so we weren’t in a hurry to travel to RI to see another.

 

     After detailed reports, birding experts concluded that the Rhode Island bird was a different species – a Tundra Bean Goose. That put the goose within our criteria for another “life bird within a car ride away.” But this bird was inconsistent as to locations where people were seeing it. After the weekend, the high school was in session, and that eliminated the school as a location to see the bird.

 

     The most consistent location was its night roost, the Lawton Valley Reservoir in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Birders were seeing the Bean Goose fly in with Canada Geese during the late afternoon and fly out in the early morning. Arriving early before it took off in the morning was unlikely for us. If we were at the reservoir in late afternoon, declining sunlight didn’t seem like a guaranty of satisfying looks. 

 

     A map of all the grazing fields for geese over the entire Aquidneck Island that was shared with the group seemed undaunting. There were too many fields to check to find a Bean Goose among hundreds of Canada Geese. It was finally found grazing in fields northeast of the reservoir during the day. So, we decided to go.  

 

     We left after rush hour and arrived in Rhode Island during the noon hour giving us the afternoon to try to find the goose. We went directly to the last reported field. There were only half a dozen people there looking at 300 geese! 

 

     There was a definite sense of urgency to find the bean goose. One person said that the farmer asked that no one go onto the field. They said that the goose had just gone into a dip behind a mound and it was hard to find a spot on the edge to be able to scope that area. As we kept trying to position back and forth for a view, a loud cannon went off at a residence at the far end of the field. (The farmer did not want the geese, and maybe the birders and photographers, there!) 

 

     Most all the geese lifted off immediately. We frantically tried to try to see the smaller bean goose among the hundreds of birds that circled above us, but we could not spot the different bird. Small groups of geese continually broke off to head north and northwest. They all eventually disappeared out of view. Our hearts sank, and we were disappointed with the opportunity lost.

 

     The other people left, perhaps having their own ideas as to where to look for the geese. I looked at the map and made our own plan to travel up Middle Road and search all accessible fields in the northerly direction where the geese flew. We checked several fields, all with a few Canada geese or no geese at all. Finally, we noticed several cars ahead that were pulled over to the side of the road. 

 

     As we pulled over behind them, we could see cameras and scopes pointed into an open field full of geese. As we got out of the car, we were told that the bird was there and we immediately set up our scopes.