Birds on a Road: A Gaggle of Geese - a photo on Flickriver

            A colony (gaggle) of Ross' Geese (Anser rossii), migrating from the north for the winter months, block a road at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge in the central San Joaquin Valley of California.  The Ross' goose is a small white goose with black primary feathers.  They are among the first to annually leave their breeding grounds in Canada. The California Central Valley is currently their main wintering area.  They feed on grasses, sedges and small grains, particularly waste wheat and barley in the winter months.

The species is named in honor of Bernard Rogan Ross (1827-1874), a Hudson's Bay Company trader and naturalist at Fort Resolution in Canada's Northwest Territories.  Ross was significant in the field of natural history rather than the fur trade. Like many company men he contributed much to the early scientific knowledge of the northwest.

The darker-colored geese in the front of this colony are called "Specklebellies."  These Pacific White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons) are a native North American goose species.  The birds in the background, gathered along the top edge of this photograph, are sandhill cranes...."birds of a feather, flock together."

THIS IS NATURE AT ITS ABSOLUTE SCENIC BEST...IF YOU'RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE ACTUALLY WITNESSED THIS SCENE, YOU CAN CONSIDER YOURSELF ONE OF THE VERY FEW......
(I captured this amazing image standing no more than 30 ft. in front of these geese, worried every second that I would make a sound and see the birds scatter before I got the shot.)
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© EVAN READER

Copyright for this photo belongs solely to EVAN READER, GREATEST PAKA PHOTOGRAPHY. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the express written permission of the photographer.
   

Taken in: United States / California / Merced (show map)

Taken on: February 5, 2016

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Merced National Wildlife Refuge

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Sets appears in: • Merced NWR 2016 • My Favorite Photos more » • Birds of a Feather • Nature Photography « less

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Camera: Nikon D300, f/16.0, 1/500 sec, 300mm (=450mm), ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D300
Lens:	70.0-300.0 mm f/4.0-5.6
Aperture:	f/16.0
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/500)
Focal Length:	300mm (35mm equivalent: 450mm)
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	-2/3 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Spot
White Balance:	Manual
Light Source:	Fine Weather
Saturation:	High
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS5 Macintosh
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