Fall Geese

The last couple weeks have been nice for seeing geese around Osatsunuma and Utonai Ko where I have been helping out with their fall goose counting. The numbers are less impressive than springs numbers when waiting for the ice to melt farther north they all back up in nice flocks totaling around 80,000 geese. In the fall the count is smaller (2,000 total) but the possibility for seeing rare geese seems to increase. On 10/17 I saw a Swan Goose at Osatsunuma which made its way to the news paper on the 22nd, and on the 19th I also found a Lesser white-fronted Goose in the same flock. I am guessing they are both around Osatsunuma still, but the Swan Goose tends to be absent from the area occasionally, sometimes turning up at Utonai Ko.

Here are a few pictures.

Swan Goose

Lesser white-fronted Goose imm.