Mystery Bird: Barnacle Goose, Branta leucopsis

Hmm, I have this urge to sing "Sittin' on the rock of the bay, watching the tide roll away."

I wonder how these guys got their common name?

Bardiac, It is called after it's crustacean namesake because it was thought that the young attached themselves to wood and hung upside down under water until they grew their feathers when they then dropped off and flew away. The resemblance of the bird's head to the crustacean led to the crustacean being called "Goose --------".

Bardiac, I'd tell you how it got its common name. "Bill the Sailor" but I think Grrl would ban me for life :-)

(of course, it may just be my filthy folk-singing mind... After all, I know more than a couple of verses to "The Ballard of Eskimo Nell" as well)

Beautiful shot, Grrl Scientist! I know about Bill the Sailor, but Eskimo Nell?

adrian's answer is more poetic than mine -- i am not very poetic in the middle of the night, even if the sun is still peeking above the horizon.

thanks for the compliment on the photo, pete! the more i looked at this bird and her mate, the more i realized how absolutely gorgeous they are. i hope i managed to capture that.

You did, in spades, Grrl Scientist. Someday I'll have to travel to Europe, so I can see, and maybe photograph, some Barnacle Geese too.