Straggler from the Sky

Quite a few birders around the state have been reporting flocks of migrating Greater White-fronted Geese passing overhead on their way south. I haven’t seen any yet, but it’s probably from my lack of experience to be able to differentiate them from flocks of Canada Geese. When we headed out to Ona Beach this morning if I had been able to articulate my wish for the morning it would probably have been to see some Greater White-fronted Geese.  You can imagine my surprise and pleasure to find such a goose on a little island in Beaver Creek at Ona Beach.  I consider it my “gift of the day”.  You can tell from the lack of white on the forehead that it is a juvenile.  My guess is that it got dropped from a passing flight last night or very early this morning.  I’m hoping that after a day or more of rest, feeding and recuperation that it will join with another passing flock and continue its migration south.