Canada Goose Watching on Vancouver Island

Did you know there are many types of Canada Goose? Having a black head and a black neck, white cheek patches, light tan to cream breast, and brown back, the Canada Goose is a well-known and widely distributed goose on Vancouver Island. You may ask what is the Canada goose name origin? These geese are named after the country of Canada, but depending on the season, they can be found all over North America. eBirds claims that these geese move around in flocks or family groups. The species is affectionately known as Cobra Chickens because of its long black neck and aggressive behaviour of certain geese. It breeds in solitary couples or small groups across North America, from arctic tundra to northern and temperate woodlands and grasslands, and in western Greenland. It spends the winter in Southeast Alaska, southern Canada, north of Mexico, and the Caribbean. In the summer, they prefer swampy Arctic tundra with small lakes, generally close to the sea.
According to the BC Breeding Bird Atlas, the Dusky Canada Goose is distinctive in that it has a considerably deeper brown colour than the other subspecies. The Dusky Canada Goose is only found in the Pacific Northwest (including British Columbia) and may be clearly differentiated from other Canada Geese flocks. Another common goose species in North America, including Vancouver Island, is the Cackling goose. Cackling Geese resemble Canada Geese in appearance, and some sources say they are a subspecies of Canada Geese, while others argue that they are a distinct species. Later on we will discuss the differences so that you could distinguish them during your Vancouver Island birding trip.

This race is said to be a frequent resident, reproducing practically anywhere in the province and wintering on the shore. There is just one nest record from Campbell Lakes on Vancouver Island. By the early 1940s, the term "BC Canadensis" had become synonymous with pale-breasted Atlantic coast birds. Some people still think of this subspecies as a summer visitor to the interior of British Columbia.

The Aleutian Canada Goose, sometimes known as the Hutchins Goose, was a prolific migratory, with large numbers lingering on the southwestern coast during the winter. The race was known as the Lesser Canada Goose and was only seen on the coast as a temporary; it was not known to breed in the province. Although not substantiated, a statement claims that these birds spent the winter on the southern part of the coast.

The Dusky Goose is also known as the White-cheeked Goose. The Canada Goose is only found along the coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and it only breeds in the northern part of its range. Records from Vancouver Island aren't listed. Some ornithologists might describe these geese as residents of the province's coastal strip north of latitude 50° 30', with a potential abundance center on the Queen Charlotte Islands. They travel around Vancouver Island's east and west shores, where birds were sighted from October to January.

From Southeast Alaska to northwest British Columbia, including the Queen Charlotte Islands and northern Vancouver Island, the Vancouver Canada Goose is considered a breeding species. These geese are primarily non-migratory, and it also adds that 17% of the geese were found south of Vancouver Island, which might explain the island's sparse winter population. Small groups of geese wintered at Pacific Rim National Park in the late 1960s and early 1970s, "typically less than 50."

Cackling, which is the smallest Canada goose is a relatively common migratory along the coast, with one record from Parksville in December. According to some, Cackling Goose is a unique species, transitory along the coast with a few wintering birds. According to Parksville, Qualicum Beach, and Victoria reports, the Cackling goose is a common spring and fall migrant in the province and on Vancouver Island, although generally in small numbers. Cackling Geese are distinguished from Canada Geese by their voice, appearance, and DNA. The Cackling Goose was separated from the Canada Goose in 2004.

For bird watching lovers it is always a question that “Where do Canada geese nest?” well, due to the Canada goose migration and its seasonal presence on Vancouver Island they prefer to nest in locations that are near or surrounded by water. The beaches of cattail and bulrush marshes, the bases of trees, the tops of muskrat lodges and haystacks, and vacant nests of eagles, herons, and ospreys are just a few of the places where they build their nests.

But where can we see Canada geese on Vancouver Island? Although they adapt well to various habitats, Canadian Geese prefer to reside in low-lying locations with plenty of open water. When they're breeding, they'll frequently build their nest on an island to provide themselves more safety from predators.

Cackling is little, around the size of a Mallard duckling. On the other hand, the biggest Canada Goose can be twice as huge as a Cackling Goose. However, some smaller Canada Geese (particularly females and juvenile birds) can remain almost as compact as their larger counterparts. In terms of appearance, the two are nearly identical, but Cackling Geese are more delicate, with stubbier bills, steeper foreheads, shorter necks (this is especially noticeable in flying birds), and often more rounder heads. Their cries are louder than Canada Geese's.

The bill of the Cackling Goose is different. It's small and stubby, but it also has a greater inclination angle. The Cackling Goose would have a right or equilateral triangle, whereas the Canada Goose would have an isosceles triangle if we made a triangle out of these two bill kinds. The tweener in the photo was taken from a Canada Goose that was a little bigger than the Cackling Geese it was flocking with. Its bill, however, continues to tilt toward the isosceles triangle. Furthermore, the Cackling Goose's nares are more consistently elliptical, but the Canada Goose's nares are more asymmetrical, with a "kink" around the midline.

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The heads aren't to scale, but the Cackling Goose's small, stubby beak and face are plainly seen. This gives the bird the "cuter" look mentioned before. Due to the short forehead, the head is also more "boxy." The white check patch does not reach above the eye, and the bill is right triangle-ish with symmetrical nares. The Cackling Goose's cheek patch has an "indent" under the eye. While the Canada Goose can do the same thing, it's another tool in your Cackling Goose identification toolbox. Finally, examine the exposed culmen's proximal portion (the part of the bill closest to the eye). This characteristic is more prevalent in the Canada Goose in a restricted test, giving it a "peaked" look.