CAMBRIDGE, MD - The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge had a very unique visitor this week with a first-time bird sighting of a pink-footed goose.
The Refuge says the rare bird was spotted yesterday, January 23rd on Wildlife Drive and is the first record of the species visiting Blackwater. Pink-footed geese are normally found wintering in western Europe, according to the Refuge, and are rarely spotted in the northeastern United States.
The National Audubon Society describes the geese as dark gray-brown with a darker head, stubby dark bill, and bright pink legs. The birds nest in Greenland and Iceland, then migrate across the North Atlantic in the winter. Those found in North America have gone the wrong direction during migration, the Audubon Society says.
“Considering waterfowl on the refuge have been carefully observed since our establishment in 1933, a new species recorded on the refuge is a rare event indeed!” The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge said in a social media post Wednesday.