BRANT, BAYFRONT PARK, HAMILTON, ON

   This Brant was the lone Brant among a flock of Canada Geese and Ring-billed Gulls.  It really stood out.  The first four photos are closeups of the Brant and the last two show it among the other birds.  We can ID this goose as an adult Brant as follows:

• The incomplete white necklace.  The juvenile does not have this.
• Small dark bill.
• Black head, neck and breast.
• Gray belly with whitish streaks on the flanks.
• Size: The Brant is considerably smaller than the Canada Geese and considerably larger than the Ring-billed Gulls; you can see this clearly in the fifth photo and also in the last photo ( it is the smaller dark bird on the right).  This puts the Brant at about the right size for its species.

   The Brant is a new species to our Life List, which now stands at 314.