Brant at Clover Point

I was down at Clover Point earlier in the week and was happy to see some Brant grazing along the shoreline. These are birds of passage that we only see here in the spring and fall as they move north and south. Like our ubiquitous Canada Geese, these geese are grazers. Here they are grazing on Sea Lettuce. Eel Grass is another favorite food.

Brant Goose

Here's another common bird species that I don't remember ever seeing before I took up birdwatching. This is a Brant goose (also known as Black Brant), Branta bernicla nigricans. I saw this one and a half-dozen others grazing in the sea lettuce near the shore at Clover Point. I've seen Brant there before but never so close to shore. While I was mentioning the differences in appearance between male and female birds the other day, I didn't mention another fairly common phenomenon - cases such as the Brant where there is little or no difference in appearance between the genders.