Brant

Erika and I made at least two unsuccessful trips to the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in search of a flock of Brant reported by other eBirders. Finally on 3 February 2020 we found them as they fed in the base of the estuary about a half-mile from the end of the boardwalk. Fitbit in hand, Erika generally arrives at a destination before I do. “I think I found your birds!” she announced. The first photo is taken at about 350 mm, the second greatly enlarged from a 550 mm image. We counted 30 Brant. They are smaller than Canada Geese. Note the lovely white stripes on their necks. Brant breed in the Arctic and winter along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America. Lewis et al. (2013) write, “this species provides biparental care, accompanies its young through their first migration, and usually mates for life.”