One of these (or its close relative, the Black-throated Magpie-Jay) was seen a couple of times in my local patch a year or so ago. I didn’t see it, but it made quite a stir among the local birders.
The prevailing opinion was that it was an escapee (or release-ee; a local exotic bird fancier may have released their birds as the Thomas Fire was bearing down on them 16 months ago). So it would have been officially uncountable. (Countable vagrants must have arrived without human assistance.)
I still would have loved to see it. The Black-throated is on the cover of Howell and Webb’s Birds of Mexico for a reason.
This is such a Tumblrism. Look at the notes and count how many times people have taken the time to correct the original misidentification. Fairly sure the OP knew full well it wasn’t a goose, but also knew the post would have way more memetic reach this way.
Welcome Back
I found my favorite falcon right where I left her last year. She was a bit tentative but eventually welcomed me back for a visit. We are not the only creatures of habit. We tend to think of birds as constantly moving. For migratory species this is probably true. Non-migratory birds, however, frequently establish a home territory and defend it vigorously. This American Kestrel took to the air to chase away a loggerhead shrike. Despite completely different appearances, the two birds have similar diets and are in direct competition. #AmericanKestrel
The Intrepid is preparing a special exhibit for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission this summer. In anticipation of that, a docent gave a very moving 20-minute presentation on the Apollo program:
