Winter Whites
Several years ago, I made a trip to southeast Texas to find the “Holy Trinity” of white birds of the Gulf of Mexico: Great Egret, White Ibis and Roseate Spoonbill. Last month I found an all-new white bird trinity and my total mileage was about 5 miles – round trip! And unlike my Texas trip where those sightings were a specific goal of the trip, this time I used plain dumb luck to find all three. (As always, please click on any image to enlarge to better enjoy it.)
Above - I got my dream goal of photographing my “Holy Trinity” of white birds of Texas in one photo here as they all sit in a tree. On the top branch is a Roseate Spoonbill on the left with two White Ibises next to it and a Great Egret somewhat hiding on the branch below the others.
So, what birds comprise this new group? Well, let’s start with the first one I saw. It was in December and at one of my favorite local parks, Sterne Park in Littleton. Sterne had once again disappointed in October when for the second year in a row it failed to produce any of the colorful Wood Ducks that had previously perennially graced its presence. And it looked like this day would also disappoint in anything of interest as hundreds of “regular” old geese flooded the park. By “regular” geese I mean Canada Geese and/or Cackling Geese, the two species of brown geese that populate parks everywhere with their cacophony of honking and cackling to say nothing of their droppings we have to adroitly avoid. Cackling Geese, by the way, closely resemble the more prevalent Canada Geese, just without the long neck.
But something stood out and caught my eye that day – a white “speck”. The “speck” only looked smaller because it was in with about a hundred or so brown geese swimming in the lake. It turned out to be a Ross’s Goose, a somewhat rare goose for Colorado that only migrates through on its way from the Arctic Tundra down to the a few Southern states. They are simply miniature versions of its better-known cousin, the Snow Goose. So, white bird #1!
Above - I spotted this white Ross’s Goose swimming with its eyes shut among Cackling Geese at a local park.
Above - Here the Ross’s Goose is about to land after a short flight. the colorful background and gorgeous late afternoon light made this a unique photo.
Then, a few days later, I got a tip from a friend who thought she saw the Ross’s Goose again in yet another obscure local park here. Well, even a second-hand thought of an interesting sighting is good enough for me to hop in the car and check it out.
As I parked my car, I saw the single largest gaggle of “regular” geese I had ever seen, at least a thousand of them in a very large open field. And smack dab in the middle was yet another white “speck”, only this time the “speck” was quite large, like pelican size which I could quickly rule out upon a better visual. In fact, it turned out to be the Snow Goose, yet another Arctic Tundra breeder that was on its way down to the Gulf. It usually stayed in the middle of the flock so I had a difficult time isolating it, but I was able to occasionally get close enough without disturbing it for good photos and videos. White bird #2!
Above - This photo always cracks me up. Is the Snow Goose hamming it up or just trying to figure out what the guy with a camera is doing?
Above - One of my favorite photos of 2025. This shows a single Snow Goose among dozens of “regular” brown geese. It seems so metaphorical about being different and standing head and shoulders above everyone else.
The trinity was completed successfully right then and there from a stroke of luck that I could have easily missed. While photographing the Snow Goose I decided to change my vantage point, but I had to wait for a procession of the geese to walk past me before I could cross over. I must have waited about 20 minutes as they took their sweet time marching ever so slowly in single file. I remember marveling at how my grammar school nuns would have been so proud of such discipline that we students never showed. Finally, as the “caboose goose” waddled past, I noticed something a bit different about it. It had a large white patch near its bill and maybe more white on its front than the others. Not knowing what it was, I suspected a possible rarity, so I quickly snapped away, Then I ran one of the photos through Merlin, my trusty bird identification app on my phone. Sure enough, it came back as a Greater White-fronted Goose, a somewhat rare bird here that, like its cousins, breeds in the Arctic and winters in warmer climes.
I got very excited and wished I had gotten more photos of it, so I tried to find it again but, alas, it had now rejoined the gaggle and was one among a cast of thousands. Talk about the proverbial needle in a haystack! So I gave up and focused on just getting my last Snow Goose images when all of a sudden I realized the Greater White-fronted Goose was “photobombing” me. My irritation turned to elation when I realized I had a photo of not one but TWO rare birds in the same frame!
Above - I was trying to only photograph the Snow Goose when the greater White-fronted Goose just happened to wander next to it and “photobombed” itself into the picture. I was delighted to get two rare birds in one photo, even if I didn’t have the greatest focus in this one.
But wait, there’s more! The next day another friend of mine told me the Snow Goose was at good old Sterne Park now and it was swimming in the water. I couldn’t make it that day so I headed there the next day. Of course, it was gone. But I did find an interesting surprise when I thought I saw a terribly out of season Barn Swallow plucking insects off the lake as it often does in summer. I took a few shots and then zoomed in on the screen on the back of the camera and realized this was no Barn Swallow – it was a bat! At 12 noon on a sunny day no less. I since have learned that a winter daytime appearance by a bat here is not a good thing as it should be “hibernating” for the winter and it may be out because it might be diseased. This encounter was very brief, and it flew far into the distance.
Undaunted, I tried Sterne Park the next day and this time I once again saw a white speck in the water, sound asleep. Well, as sound as you can get with one eye still open. This afforded me a lot of close-up, isolated photos until it finally joined the flock to fly away, likely for good from at least that park. It was the Snow Goose I had seen a couple days before at the other park!
Above - Like the Ross’s Goose a few days before, this Snow Goose was also found when it was swimming in the lake at Sterne Park.
Above - One minute video of Snow Goose in the water at Sterne Park
Above - As the light began to dim, the Snow Goose and either a Canada or Cackling Goose took off at the same time in a vertical formation. It was the last time I’d see the Snow Goose.
By now the sunlight was rapidly fading and the Snow Goose was taking off with his buddies to roost elsewhere for the night. I snapped off a few more pics and then sat back and just took it all in, realizing what a lucky couple of days I had just experienced. Sometimes, old age and luck beat youth and planning, and this was one day I was glad to be in the company of the former.
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