Article posted: 2/6/2013 12:33 PM

One bird in a flock may not be like the others

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Cackling geese often go undetected when mingling with hundreds of Canada geese. They are a separate species and much smaller than Canadas.

Courtesy of Nathan Goldberg

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This rare barnacle goose visited Will County in late 2012, but picking it out from the many Canada geese required a careful eye.

Courtesy of Mark Bowman

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When our Jeff Reiter started counting a flock of mallards, he discovered an impostor - a black duck - among the fowl. Experienced birders know to expect the unexpected, and Reiter says that's a smart approach if you want to see new birds. "There might be an uncommon species, or even a mega-rarity in our midst, but it takes a careful and patient observer to detect it."
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    • Cackling geese often go undetected when mingling with hundreds of Canada geese. They are a separate species and much smaller than Canadas.
    • This rare barnacle goose visited Will County in late 2012, but picking it out from the many Canada geese required a careful eye.
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