23 December 2024
Plainly Pittsburgh missed waterfowl migration this fall with solely a handful of the anticipated migrants touchdown on our rivers and lakes. Aside from lengthy distance migrants, waterfowl haven’t come in any respect.
Some geese, geese and gulls solely transfer south when ice overtakes their location. In the event that they’re hanging out at Lake Erie close to Presque Isle, the map of yesterday’s water temperature signifies they don’t have any motive to go away. The water there’s greater than 40°F and the one ice is in small bays (black shade on the map).
There are a number of uncommon geese, although, photographed and posted to eBird and embedded under.
There’s at the moment a Ross’s goose (Anser rossii) at North Park, noticeably small than the Canada geese it’s hanging out with.
Yesterday there was a brant (Branta bernicla) at Duck Hole with none Canada geese to maintain it firm. So it frolicked with ring-billed gulls.
And a flock of 16 higher white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons) who usually migrate west of the Mississippi and winter in Louisiana, southern Texas and Mexico have been hanging out with Canada geese in Butler County since 1 December.
These geese are referred to as “white-fronted” as a result of their foreheads are white.
Questioning why the geese aren’t right here? This 2021 classic article explains why.
