One Month and Counting

Thanks to Les Sweetapple, I learned the Brant is still in Flatrock.  A quick trip out on the day of his report yielded nothing. I tried again the next day and found it feeding quite close to shore, offering up my best opportunity to watch this bird.

The Brant was first spotted on November 10 which falls squarely in the range when most Brants have arrived in Newfoundland. The one that appeared in Harbour Grace last year stayed at least three months. 

When I first saw this goose in November, I really didn't think it would stay long as it looked anxious and uncomfortable. Now, it looks healthy and quite at home. It has been seen actively moving about the inlet and feeding in several different places.

The best I can tell from the log of the Discussion Group, this is likely the 9th recorded visit by a Brant to Newfoundland since 2002. In 2002 there was an unusually high number of three Brant Geese located.

While I really enjoyed seeing this bird again, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival and first look at a Snow Goose, a Barnacle or Ross's Goose.  However, the window of opportunity for such a bird coming this year is getting smaller.

I checked the ebird reports of the Brant Goose (certainly not all-inclusive), and I was amazed to see how many Brant were reported from Maine to Virginia over the last month or so. During this same period, there was one Brant reported in the Bay of Fundy seen from a ferry and one in Rimouski, Quebec. I think we are pretty lucky to have one on our shores.