Snow Goose

Status Rare to uncommon transient. There are several nineteenth-century records, and it has been occasional since in nearly all parts of the province, perhaps more regularly in recent years. Nearly all reports are for spring (5 March to 23 May) or autumn (26 September to 25 November), generally one to a few birds, often with Canada Geese.

Exceptional numbers occurred on 2 May 1978 at St. Esprit, Richmond County, where more than 300 were seen. St. Esprit was also the site of two out-of season visitations of 40 Snow Geese on 20 June 1975, and 30 on 28 June 1976 (R. and S. Meyerowitz). These birds should normally have reached even the most northerly nesting areas by early June.

Two (one in "Blue" phase) shot at Cole Harbour, Halifax County, in early January 1974, and two more shot at Lingan Bay, Cape Breton County, on 2 January 1979, may have been attempting to winter, and one near Yarmouth between 27 February and 16 March 1984 may have wintered in the region. (For occurrences of the two subspecies of this goose and also of the "Blue Goose" colour phase, see Remarks.)

Description Length: 60-93 cm. Adult white phase: Pure white, sometimes with rusty stains on head, with black primaries (thus distinct from various white domestic geese); pink bill. Immature: In first autumn, dusky brown head and neck, pinkish gray legs and dark gray bill. Adult blue phase: Head and neck mostly white, otherwise largely grayish brown; grayer on back, with dark gray wing coverts; black flight feathers. Intermediates: Regular, like the "blue" phase with white bellies and wing coverts.

Range Breeds from northeastern Siberia across arctic Canada to northwestern Greenland, south along both coasts of Hudson Bay. Winters from British Columbia and New York State south to Mexico.

Remarks Birds nesting in the southern and western Canadian Arctic and migrating largely through the continent's interior belong to the smaller subspecies Chen caerulescens caerulescens. The "Blue Goose," a phase interbreeding with white birds, occurs extensively (and apparently exclusively) in this smaller subspecies. The larger Chen caerulescens atlantica nests in the high Arctic and winters largely in the middle Atlantic states.

Most Nova Scotian birds are presumably "greater" Snow Geese, C. c. atlantica. A specimen of this subspecies, shot near Yarmouth on 11 March 1932 (Smith 1938), is in the Nova Scotia Museum. A bird taken about 11 November 1911 at Comeau's Hill, Yarmouth County, was recorded by Allen (1916) as a "greater" Snow Goose, but measurements taken later clearly establish it as C. c. caerulescens.

The "blue" phase of C. c. caerulescens was first recorded in October 1950 near Barrington, Shelburne County (M. Rawding; motion pictures of two "Blue Geese" and one Snow Goose confirmed by W.E. Godfrey). Since then there have been four reports of this phase in fall and four in spring, in addition to the aforementioned bird shot at Cole Harbour in early January 1974.