Weekend birding!

This weekend I was in Mattapoisett visiting my dad, and we ended up going to the finish line of the Rochester Memorial Day Boat Race at the M'sett herring weir. It was great to see all the people out for the race, and it's pretty impressive that these folks made these boats to race down the M'sett River. One interesting thing I saw were geese that looked like this:

I'm by no means an avid birder, but I do love cool looking birds, and if I'd seen these before I would have realized it. When I went to check out what they were in my dad's bird book, I found that they were Greater White-Fronted Geese, which are usually found in midwestern and western U.S., and rarely in Atlantic states. Score! They were hanging out in the cove at the finish line, probably bewildered by the approaching boaters. When they ventured out into path of the race, one of them (the male, I presume?) let out a ferocious "squawk!", and then they went about their merry way. It was fun to see such a different kind of goose in the area. I'm glad that the marshy river cove provides them with a suitable habitat - it's great to see non-native birds making New England their home!

Later on in the backyard at the house I saw a Common Grackle:

And a walk to Ned's Point was a great treat! Truly one of the most beautiful oceanside locations in New England that I have been to.

Addendum! Upon further investigation, what I saw may have been Greylag Geese! I will look into this further. Developing...

Further Addendum! Apparently there are two greater white-fronted geese that make the Buzzards Bay area their home. And according to this article, the Buzzards Bay region is sort of an anomaly as Massachusetts bird dwellings go. So I'm sticking with my initial interpretation of the birds, and maybe I'll see them again to confirm this without a doubt.

One more thing! I would like to add that I'm fairly certain that these geese (which traveled alone as a pair) did have the whiteness above their orange bills, which the greylags do not have.

6/13 update - I was totally mistaken! The geese in question are greylag geese, and I have the photos to prove it. They're a fun sight, anyway, since you don't see them every day. Damn greater white-fronted goose doppelgangers!!