Are these Cackling Geese?
I think they are Cackling Geese and not Canada Geese, but I am not positive. According to allaboutbirds.org, Cackling Geese do migrate through Illinois, but they are ‘Scarce’. National Audubon maps are in agreement that these geese migrate through Illinois, but uses the word ‘Uncommon’. For the past about 5 years, I believe we have had a flock each year on our small lake – often in late October. They only stay a few days to a week before moving on, and they do stay together.
If you have been following my blog, you know that we have had a resident flock of Canada Geese on our lake ever since we moved here about 20 years ago. The flock can vary in number from about 20 or so to as many as 50. When Cackling Geese came into the lake in previous years, they would often be close to the Canada Geese and this is when they are easiest to identify*.
Why do I think these are Cackling Geese instead of Canada Geese?
1. They came in as a flock, remained a flock, and were gone the next morning. At this time of year, that is a good indication of birds migrating through.
2. These were smaller geese – Cackling Geese are smaller geese. There are subspecies of Canada Geese that are also smaller and these geese could have been one of these subspecies.
3. In my opinion, the geese in this flock had shorter, more muscular necks than the smaller subspecies of Canada Geese. But without nearby Canada Geese with which to compare, I am comparing the geese I see to geese in my memory – this almost always makes for uncertain comparisons and identification.
4. The bills were harder for me to determine. Cackling Geese have shorter, stubbier bills. The bills on these geese seemed shorter and stubbier. But again, no Canada Geese were present, so no comparison. And this could also have been be wishful thinking on my part?
5. I saw this flock come in and they were honking. Cackling Geese honks are supposedly higher pitched than the honks of Canada Geese – the terms often used are alto voices for the Cackling and tenor voices for the Canada. I did think these honks were higher pitched. If you read about this in other sources, it is often stated that this difference is fairly obvious. Not for me. However, there were several geese in this flock – I am guessing females – who did have a fairly high-pitched ‘honk’. And in my opinion, these honks were higher pitched than anything I hear from Canada Geese.
So for me, the fact it is late August and these birds came in as a flock, remained as a flock, and left the next day, plus those few higher pitched honks – leads me to believe these were Cackling Geese. I do think their overall size was smaller, they had shorter necks, and also stubbier bills. But I am not positive. Birding can be challenging when species have so many similarities and only subtle differences!
So with these geese gone, we are back to our 2 Canada Geese that have been here for about the past month. You will see them under our feeders most every day. And just where were they when I so needed Canada Geese to compare to the geese in this flock? Off gallivanting who knows where! The resident flock that lived here with us every day – all year round – has yet to come back.
Cackling Goose is a relatively new species. There is still so much for even experts to learn about their behaviors and their migration patterns. What is your experience with them?
*For more information on how to determine if the geese you are observing are Cackling or Canada, click on: Canada Geese and Cackling Geese – How to Tell These Species Apart