Life Bird #250: Ross's Goose

I went to Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge this afternoon with some other area birders. If only we had gone this morning! There were several thousand Sandhill Cranes there around noon, and even a Whooping Crane! But by the time we arrived, around 3:30, most of the cranes had left. No Whooping Crane and only about 700 Sandhills. Still, it was a lovely day. I enjoyed listening to the calls of the cranes as they gathered up the waste corn from the fields or stood in the shallows. I had a good view of a Northern Harrier hunting its supper. And of course, I had a life bird. It's a relatively common bird in Tennessee in the winter, but I'm bad at identifying the white geese (I tend to assume they're domestic so I skip over them). There was a collection of 2 Snow Geese and 3 Ross's Geese on the short amid the cranes. Also in the water was a blue morph Snow Goose. There were lots of ducks as well, many too far to ID, but I know there were Hooded Mergansers, Ring-necked Ducks, Gadwall, and Mallards.

As the sun was setting, 2 does and a 6-point buck came out from cover. More birds were gathering overhead, more ducks landing in the water. The sky gradually turned pink then orange. The wind was biting. I was happy.