Date: 1/18/25 6:35 pm From: James Pike via groups.io <jimpike444...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] a maxima of minima
The six Cackling Geese (all minima) continue around the lake at Mason Regional Park in Irvine. Interestingly, I noted that only one had a bold black gular (chin) stripe, which is found in "most" leucopareia (Reeber 2015). The darkest four birds are immatures in various stages of formative molt, with only one having a drizzle of white across the base of the foreneck. The largest bird is an adult that leads the group when it takes flight and is the most vigilant when it is foraging. This presumed male is one of two individuals that have insubstantial white bands across their forenecks. The other is a smaller bird (female?), and is possibly an adult that has yet to complete its molt into basic plumage. So, while I'm no goosologist, the possibility exists that this is a family group of minima that has found our Orange County grass to its liking, and is by far the highest number of this subspecies I've seen locally.
