Emperor Goose (Chen canagica) Spotted in Anchorage

Observation: During each spring around the HCB (Healthy Communities Building)/COB (Consortium Office Building) lake on the AK Native Tribal Health Consortium campus the geese began arriving, this year brought a rather unusual sighting of an emperor goose (Chen canagica) mingling amongst the Canadian geese (Branta canadensis). Sure seems out of the ordinary to be viewing a beach goose so far inland. Shared observation by Holly Reimer and James Harris.

Resources:

Alaska Department of Fish & Game – "Nearly all emperors winter under harsh conditions in the Aleutian Islands, on the western and south side of the Alaska Peninsula, and on Kodiak Island. However, stragglers have occurred as far south as California and even Hawaii! Emperor geese are sometimes called “beach geese.” As the name implies, they are rarely found far from marine waters. Although emperors rely on marsh plants and berries for food during the summer and early fall, in late fall and winter they feed heavily on seaweeds and animal matter, such as clams and snails." Source: ADF&G Wildlife Notebook Series

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology – "A dark goose of coastal Alaska and Siberia, the Emperor Goose occasionally strays southward to the Pacific Coast of Canada and the United States." Source: All About Birds - Bird Guide, Emperor Goose

Audubon – Emperor Goose Chen canagica, "In summer, tundra; in winter, rocky shores, mudflats. Closely tied to salt water at all seasons. Most nesting areas on low marshy tundra within 10 miles of coast, near sloughs and rivers affected by tides. Flocks in migration stop over on large coastal estuaries. In winter, found along shorelines. Autumn strays south to Oregon and California may appear well inland." Source: Audubon Guide to North Amercian Birds

Media:

Alaska Dispatch News (ADN) – (2017-03-05) Alaska could see its first emperor goose hunt in decades, "The emperor goose, also called beach goose, primarily nests in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region, but is also found farther north, and in other western coastal areas including Bristol Bay, the Aleutian Islands and Kodiak. Most spend their entire life migrating exclusively within Alaska." Author: Molly Dischner, Bristol Bay Times

Alaska Public Media – (2017-04-17) As first hunt on emperor geese begins, officials ask for conservative hunting, "80 percent of the world’s Emperor Goose population breeds on a 10-mile-wide strip that runs from Kongiganak, up the coast of the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta, to Hooper Bay. This year, for the first time in 30 years, federal managers have opened a subsistence hunt for the birds." By Anna Rose MacArthur, KYUK - Bethel