An unusual Christmas gift - Snowy sighting and a Ross's goose

It's almost a good month later but I wanted to share the most precious Christmas gift I got for my mom, and myself, this past holiday season. See, Christmas Eve day we decided to try to find a Snowy Owl so my mom could finally tally one on eBird in York County. She also needed to test out her new Canon 70D (we are matchers again now!) and this was the perfect opportunity. We set out for Biddeford Pool on that unseasonably warm and foggy day without much hope - we had tried before in the past and failed miserably; it's always a crap shoot when you go in search of the ellusive Snowy.

We started out by driving towards Fortunes Rocks first, I figured there had to be something in Etherington Pond that we could count and well - Snowy's love to park on rooftops when the tide is high as it was that morning. Not to be disappointed there were loads of Buffleheads and my mom had a blast trying to figure out the settings on the new gear. We turned around and headed back towards the 'Pool and before we could get half way down Mile Stretch Road I spotted a beautiful specimin on top of the last house on the left at Fletcher Neck. My mom's eyes popped and we laughed out loud. It's like hunting cows in a pasture some days. Yes - I was naughty and parked on the side of the road but she was like a little kid and I wasn't going to deny her an opportunity to photograph this handsome creature with that brand new lens. We then made the loop and came back out, grinning from ear to ear. I told her I would bring her to the Portland Jetport so we could maybe see the one hanging out there too.

We went up through Camp Ellis and Old Orchard, into Scarborough and then South Portland via Route 1. On a whim I took Westbrook Street to slide into the parking area across from the Jetport and as we passed the soccer fields for the Longcreeek Correctional center, there were a bunch of Canadian Geese out on the field. I didn't pay much attention, but my mom mentioned a whitish colored goose in the mix so I turned around (thinking she might be off her rocker) and low and behold, in the middle of the flock was a Ross's Goose (which we didn't know what it was until we got home so it was VERY exciting).

Some might think that it wasn't that big of a deal at all, but to mom and I it was another tick for Snowy's in York County and a lifer bird for both of us. Best (and cheapest) present you could ever get - or give.