English and Scientific names:	Canada Goose Branta canadensis
Number of individuals:	1, age/sex unknown
Locality: LOUISIANA:	Vermilion Parish
Specific Locality:	Ca. 1.2 miles NNE of Wright, in the section bounded by the roads Maree Michel (S), Meridian Line (E), Wright (W), and Tom (N).
Date(s) when observed:	02/06/2010
Time(s) of day when observed:	4:00-4:30 PM
Reporting observer and address:	Paul Conover Lafayette, LA
Other observers accompanying reporter who also identified the bird(s):	Dave Patton
Other observers who independently identified the bird(s)	None
Light conditions (position of bird in relation to shade and to direction and amount of light):	Sunny. The bird was to our north, the late afternoon sun to our southwest. Good position, good angle. Basically, perfect light.
Optical equipment:	Nikon Fieldscope III with 20-60X zoom, also Nikon D50 with fieldscope adapter for telephoto photography, and Sony camcorder for primitive videoscoping.
Distance to bird(s):	My estimate is about 100 yards. Dave is better at estimating distance; I’d go with whatever he says. Through the scope the image was beautiful, so the distance wasn’t a big factor.
Duration of observation:	About ½ hour, although the bird wasn’t always visible.
Habitat:	Rice stubble field in an area of many square miles of such fields.
Behavior of bird:	Bird was in a major flock of geese, perhaps 20,000 birds. Birds were by turn feeding, watching, milling around. This bird was by itself, and as we watched, it wandered slowly to the W until it was the outermost bird in that area of the flock.
Description:	A “Canada” goose, i.e., a black-necked, white chin-strapped goose of the Canada/Cackling Goose complex. The bird was initially noted in the flock because it was one of the few non-Snow Geese. It was also noteworthy because, with its neck outstretched, its head lifted a few inches taller than the Snows around it. It was obvious at first glance that its head shape was different from the more commonly found Cackling Goose. The black, somewhat glossy bill was longer and shaped differently than the more Ross’s Goose-like bill of most Cacklings, and was slightly concave over its length. The culmen was fairly straight on the basal 2/3, with a slight curve that gave the bill its concave shape beyond that point. The bill base was broad and thick; the outer third of the bill seemed to narrow slightly dorsally and laterally. The forehead sloped evenly to the bill in most postures. The head and neck were all black except for the chinstrap. The anterior edge of the chinstrap was fairly straight, without the forward bulge many Richardson’s Cacklings show. There did not appear to be a break in the chinstrap ventrally. The breast was medium gray-brown, not dusky. There was no whitish neck collar. Otherwise, the goose conformed to the basic color pattern of “Canada” geese. In terms of overall size, this goose was similar to the Snow Geese. Its mantle was at about the same height of the Snows, although its neck as slightly longer. The body of the bird seemed slightly longer than the Snows, but as can be seen in the tail-on view of this bird next to a Snow Goose, the body size seems fairly even. At one point this bird was next to the lone Cackling Goose noted, and this bird was decidedly larger, perhaps by ¼, and was clearly longer necked and longer billed with a different head and bill shape.
Voice:	Not heard.
Similar species:	Similar species would be Cackling Goose. Cackling Goose is variable, but not even an extreme bird should show this bill and head shape, or appear so consistently similar to Snow Goose in mass. The real question here, if this bird is judged to be a Canada Goose, is whether it is a Giant Canada Goose, of which a feral population exists about 15 miles away in Lake Arthur. I believe that a Giant Canada would appear noticeably larger than the surrounding Snow Geese in all aspects.
Photographs or tape recordings obtained?	Video and photos attached.
Previous experience with this species:	I’ve seen many more Cacklings than Canadas, and the majority of Canadas I’ve seen have been Giant Canadas.
Identification aids:	Before the sighting, I was aware of the separation points for Cackling and Canada, and to a lesser extent, between subspecies of each. Afterwards I revisited some sources including Steve Mlodinow’s NAB article on Cacklings +parvipes Canada, and Sibley’s website on Canada vs. Cackling.
This description is written from:	Memory and study of images.
Are you positive of your identification? If not, explain:	Yes. I believe that Cackling and Giant Canada can be ruled out.
Reporter:	Paul Conover
Date and time:	Feb. 14, 2010