Location, Location, Location

It is going to be close, but I think we are just barely going to get in under the wire to meet our self-imposed monthly post quota. Our streak is well over a decade and not willing to just throw all that effort away because of something trivial like lack of sleep ha. That and I don’t want to add “another” blemish to my performance this year with annual reviews just around the corner. Due to the short spacing between this and the last post, not really much to highlight as far as activities go with the exception I hit the 18 mile mark on my trail training today. I am feeling (a LOT) better about my conditioning now as that only puts me 7 miles short of the max training distance target – already at the 50+ mile mark for weekly mileage. Should be able to cover that remaining training distance in the next month assuming I can break away from the haunted trail for some good hard runs. The rest of the race distance is just a matter of grinding/gutting it out and that is exactly how I feel about today’s featured feathered friend.

Quick, take your first guess at this species and we will check it after the jump.

If I had to put money down on a Polymarket line my bet is you went with Canada Goose. An excellent choice with the fuller body, black head, white choke prints and brown wash. Now some of you out there might have a keen bird eye and/or was expecting some sleight of hand – those individuals just took the pot as this is not a Canada Goose, rather a new species making its debut here at Intrigued.

First time being featured, but not really a recent “new” bird as I have been checking off my annual list for several years now thanks to one of our golden birding rules – location, location, location. Just as in real estate, the adage holds when it comes to field work. The more you educate yourself on species behavior and the more you learn about their habitats the greater chance of success you will have in the field….then if you can use that knowledge to discover a consistent location to observe a given species you possess the Golden Goose (you knew that was coming ha).

To dismiss with the suspense, this is a Cackling Goose. At a macro level it is very similar to the more ubiquitous Canada Goose and can easily be overlooked in large flocks. More often than not, Cacklings tend to hang out with the Canadas, but their numbers are typically dwarfed by the abundance of their larger kin. I spent years and years scanning huge flocks of Geese in the hopes of being able to pick out the one or two Cacklings in their midst. Very similar to the Ross’s Goose which will intermingle with huge flocks of Snow Geese. In fact, so similar that the method to separate them out both involves bill shapes…among a few other attributes.

This series was taken back in March of 2025 and I am absolutely kicking myself for not getting a shot with both the Cackling and the Canada side by side. This has been a point of improvement with my more recent trips into the field, for now I will have to resort to providing a link to a previous Canada Goose post (link here).

There are three real indicators I use when trying to differentiate the two species and unfortunately, two of them are relative and you know how I hate to go that route. In the case of Cacklings, it is the neck and the bill size. Both of those will be smaller/shorter/stumpier than the Canada’s. That also lends itself to overlap with younger/developing Canada Geese so that can be even trickier. The third method is a more definitive approach in my opinion and that is to look at the profile of the head through to the bill. Canada’s have a smooth slope from the head into the bill compared to the step down look of the Cacklings. The 4th image in this post is a good look at that drop to the bill. I guess there is a 4th method and that is through their call. I struggle to distinguish between the two even though Cornell describes it as higher and noticeably different – that owes to their naming. The Merlin app does do a pretty good job at picking them out. Again, hearing it and spotting it in the masses is a completely different story.

The ranges for Cackling Geese are more restricted than Canada – before you ask, Canada Geese are NOT restricted to our northern neighbors although that is where they can head to breed before coming back into essentially the entirety of the US. The Cacklings pretty much cut a swath through the heart of the US along with a sparse showing along the east and west coast. Cornell lists them as a medium migrant as they will traverse all the way to the northern edge of Canada and Alaska for their frisky months. Not surprising to me, the Cackling and Canada used to be considered the same species until they were broken out in 2004.

Okay, time to double back on the location aspect and the reason I went with the specific title for this post. I have found 2 locations in the US that I can practically guarantee finding a Cackling Goose and each year we try to make our way to those spots so I can get that check without tearing my hair out (I can’t afford to lose any more hair up there!!!). Both leverage their non-breeding regions. The first location is up in Rochester, MN. We had annual visits at Mayo up there for Linda’s valve and we would make a quick stop at nearby lakes before we headed home. The other location is even easier and that is Amarillo, TX – specifically, Medi Park which has now been renamed the John Ward Memorial Park (link here). This is a great little urban park with a walkway around a linear pond which is absolutely full of birds (link here). The number of Canada Geese is relatively low and the ratio of Cacklings is surprisingly high. If you are in the area and need this species checked off or more importantly, still need it on your life list – drop in and get that taken care of.

I gotta get back to the haunt labs, just got word a deranged clown has broken containment and is tearing the place apart – reminds me I need to look into getting some of those electric shock gloves to have on hand when this happens.

Take care everyone, hope you enjoyed this first look at the Cackling Goose.