Pinky Comes To Town

Coming home yesterday morning, we were confronted with the paparazzi...right here at the end of our country road.



After asking what was going on, we discovered that the cow field at the end of our road was the host to a celebrity in the birding world...it was a pinky billed greenland white fronted goose, doncha know.

We had to get out and take a look.  This kind gentleman from Pennsylvania let me use his $2,000 binoculars and guided me to where the goose was in the gaggle of Canadian geese.  I couldn't distinguish it from any other goose, but I'm fine with that.  Luckily we had Joe's binoculars so he wouldn't need to borrow the big guns.

More people were observing this special feat, this stranger to our little piece of heaven.  You see, this type of goose is from Greenland and has never been seen this far south before.  Someone birding in our area spotted this renegade goose and tweeted about it...the power of the Internet is a very powerful one.  Soon, birders from neighboring Pennsylvania and West Virginia (and probably other lisences plates which I didn't catch), flocked to the end of our road to take in this rare sight to see.

A few hours later (after lunch and a trip to the playground and library), the word must have spread like wildfire.  These "gooser finders" (as Joe named them) were taking over the thin strip of grass next to our small country road.

and parking whereever they could find a place.

During my short discussion with one of the birders, he told of his travels from Pennsylvania to seek out this renegade goose.  I asked if he had a theory of why this goose would be so far off track and he didn't.  Joe piped up his idea (confusing Pennsylvania for from where the goose had come):

"Maybe der is a mean goose in Pennsylvnia and dat goose few here to be wif his friends...dats what I would do."

Needless to say, when we opened the shades this morning, Joe peered out the window and exclaimed, "Hey! Dey are STILL down der!"  These are some hard core birders, let me tell you.

Maybe we can take a lesson from this goose today...stay away from the mean guys and gather with friends...no matter how far you may have to travel.