New Arrival - Speckle Belly Geese (Anser albifrons)

Observation by Michael Opheim

Over the last few weeks we have had a flock of geese here in Seldovia roaming main street and feeding. We have looked them up and some folks have had knowledge of them from other areas where they are local to. It turns out they are Speckle Belly geese. Someone said they were here in Seldovia last year as well so maybe this is part of their flight pattern now. This is something we have not had here in the past but it is pretty neat to watch them.

Comments by LEO editors:

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the speckle bellied goose, also known as the greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) breed near wetlands, rivers, and ponds. During migration they forage in wet sedge meadows, tidal mudflats, ponds, lakes, and wetlands. In the winter they frequently roost on open lakes and ponds at night. During the day they feed in barley, oat, corn, rice, and wheat fields or on ponds and lakes. The best time to go looking for a Greater White-fronted Goose is during migration from February through May and again from September through November. Looking at the date and location of this observation, Seldovia is within the yellow migration range area on the attached map. Their arrival could signal changes in weather patterns or food abundance at other migratory stops.