BIRDS OF NANTUCKET
THE WAVIES
by Kenneth Turner Blackshaw
When we finally get a bird that is NOT a little brown job (LBJ) its presence attracts lots of attention and much is written about it.

Snow Geese

Often we get a report that goes like this. "There are some albino geese with the Canada Geese at Slosek's or Bartlett's Farms." Of course it is possible for an albino or leucistic Canada to appear but usually the culprit in these cases is this week's bird - the Snow Goose, Chen caerulescens. The genus, Chen, was named by Heinrich Boie, a German naturalist in the early 1800s. Chen is a Greek word meaning 'goose.' Heinrich died at the early age of 42 on a scientific collecting trip to Java, suffering from 'gall fever.'

Snow Geese are smaller than Canada Geese. They have shorter and chunkier necks. In that aspect they are more similar to domestic barnyard geese that are also white. In 390 B.C. a barbarian invasion of Rome was thwarted by "Juno's sacred flock of geese." Supposedly they created such a ruckus that the defenders woke up and drove away the attackers. Actually this 'sacred flock' was mainly used in the practice of haruspicy - a way of telling the future by examining what is inside an animal. Many think that the flock was made up of Snow Geese, but that is doubtful since this New World species doesn't stray that way very often.

Paul Gallico's short story, "The Snow Goose," is a sad tale of a Snow Goose that found its way to England only to be wounded by a gunner. A young maiden brought the goose to a disabled man who guarded a lighthouse. He nursed the bird back to health and thereafter both the maiden and the Snow Goose visited every year. At the close of the book the man was killed helping the Dunkirk evacuation, the Snow Goose flying over as he died.

Snow Geese nest in northern Greenland so it is not all that unusual for one to head down the east coast of the Atlantic instead of the west, providing the idea for Mr. Gallico. But most of the eastern race of the Snow Goose streams past 150 miles west of us. At Vergennes, near Vermont's Lake Champlain, thousands can be seen every October. Like so many long-distance migrants, they need staging areas along the way to rest and fill their fuel tanks. Almost all of them continue straight south to Chesapeake Bay where the majority of the eastern race winter. Sometimes the flock is over 100,000 birds.

Some people think their 'Wavy' nickname is based on their flight patterns. Seldom flying in Vees as their cousins the Canada Geese do, more often they are in long wavy lines. They fly so high they are almost out of sight and look like a pencil trace up in the sky. I've seen them arriving in Vermont. From several thousand feet up, they circle and plunge straight down. Reminds me of the antics required to land an aircraft at Baghdad, and the technique is based on the same logic, avoiding gunfire.

In actuality 'Wavy' is derived from the Chippewa name for these lovely white birds - 'Wewe.'

Snow Geese differ from the barnyard variety by the black in their outer wings. In addition their bills are pink, not orange. Surprisingly, some Snow Geese are not white, but slatey blue. They used to be considered a separate species, but for now they are lumped in with their white relatives.

Snow Geese populations have mushroomed over the past decades. When Griscom and Folger penned "The Birds of Nantucket" in 1948, Snow Goose was not mentioned at all. They didn't show up on our Christmas Bird Counts until 1978. Now we find them on about half of them with a high of six birds in 1997. Their population on their wintering ground in Chesapeake Bay has also increased. With over 300,000 Canada Geese there as well, they are starting to become a problem.

On Nantucket they are still a treat. Recently

we had five of them show up with the Canada Geese at Slosek's Farm. Another bird was near the end of runway 24 at the airport. If there's one around, people notice it and let us know. "Birding Nantucket" calls them rare from mid- September until the end of March.

If you see a white goose mixed in with the long-necked Canadas, chances are you have found a Snow Goose. If you put binoculars on it, you'll see how different they are, not just the color but their shape and demeanor. A goose by any other name may be a very different goose

indeed. I

George C. West creates illustrations for these articles. If you enjoy 'social' birding, join the Nantucket Bird Club at 8 a.m. Sundays in front of Nantucket High School for a two to three hour birding trip. Call 228-1693 for more information.

To hear about rare birds, or to leave a bird report call the Massachusetts Audubon hot line at 1-781-259-8805. Ask Ken a question at: kenandcindy1@comcast.net.