[cobirds] Mystery Goose, Aurora Reservoir

Hi all - 

I went to Aurora Reservoir this afternoon. I had Ross's, Snow, and one Greater White-fronted Goose, along with about 12,000 Canada/Cackling (mostly Cackling) Geese. I got a couple of nice hybrids: a Snow x Cackling Goose, and a Greater White-fronted x Cackling Goose. Anyway, something struck me about one of the Cackling Geese. It had a white bar on its forehead. 

Here is my ebird checklist, where the bird in question is listed under "goose sp.", in case the pic here is too small : https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S50560182

The one of the right of the three center birds is the bird in question.

Anyway, my field guides mention Canada and Cackling Geese can have a variety of unusual white markings on the head. I looked up some pictures of ebird of Cackling x Barnacle Geese that have been reported in the NE US. The white bar on their forehead looks very similar. It should be noted that the hybrids on ebird have a more Barnacle Goose like torso, whereas this bird has a normal Cackling Goose torso. But, this is the same place Steven Mlodinow remarkably found a Barnacle Goose this January. This goose I found with the white bar is likely just a variant Cackling Goose. Still, I can't help but think it looks Barnacle Goose-esq. What do you all think?

Ben Sampson,

Centennial, CO

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