By Sally Siko

Nice to catch another look at a Ross’s Goose today in Raleigh NC!
I hadn’t seen this species in three years and weirdly enough, this bird showed up on the same property where I found one back in 2021.
When I arrived at its reported location near Yates Mill Park late this afternoon, I’d expected that it would be feeding in the fields near the small pond where it had first been reported swimming.
From what I can tell about ducks and swans found in agricultural areas (like this one) they tend to feed in the fields during the day, returning to the water at night to sleep.
Since I was getting a late start at seeing the bird, I was really hoping that it would still be on dry land instead of on the pond because close access to the water is restricted.
As luck would have it, I found the goose in a field behind a church happily feeding with a flock of Canada Geese.
So cool!

Ross’s Geese are an unusual sight in central NC as they typically migrate further to the east to spend the winter in our coastal waterfowl impoundment and marshes. Normally your best bet in seeing them is at Pea Island, Lake Mattamuskeet, or the Pungo Unit where they will hang out amidst flocks of Snow Geese.
Thus, seeing them in the Raleigh area is pretty special, earning them a rare status.
That being said, there have been growing numbers of sightings of Ross’s Geese further inland over the past 20 years so maybe this sighting is right on trend.

Since the Ross’s Goose and Snow Goose look so similar, it can make for a tough ID in the field.
The best way to tell them apart is that Ross’s Geese are smaller and lack the broad black edges of the bill (known as a “grinning patch”) that Snow Geese show.
They’ll stick around the Tarheel state until late February so if your winter birding plans lead you to our coast this winter, you should have a good opportunity to enjoy them for a few more months.

If you’d like to go see this goose here in the Raleigh area, I’ve included a link to the birds location (near Yates Mill Park/ Mid Pines Rd) below.

Park in the lot behind the Antioch Church and look for it in the fields south between the two ponds. Just be sure not to walk or drive past the No-Trespassing sign beyond the first pond.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5