Snow Goose

The Snow Goose is a medium sized white and black goose that is most well known for its massive breeding populations up North. They migrate south for the winter, and can often be found in huge congregations. They're casual visitors to Arizona, which is largely out of their normal range, but there's always a chance you'll see a couple mingling wherever else geese are found. There was a vagrant pair out in the middle of the Gilbert Water Ranch ponds this last Saturday.

These are the first Snow Geese I've seen in the state, and the first I've had an opportunity to photograph. With the noon-time sun beating down on these alabaster birds, I decided to try a new route in photography. I don't normally use any sort of image manipulation, other than cropping, when I process photos. But since I couldn't get rid of the sun's white-washing effect, which almost makes the Geese glow purple in pictures, I just went black and white.

Black and white photography is most often used to make classy portrait shots. It is also used by artsy kids in tight jeans who take pictures of dilapidated lawn chairs and rusty bathtubs to make themselves look brooding and contemplative. I'm not crazy about the result here (and not just because it's blurry), but at least the species is discernible, and not engulfed in a purple hue, which is even less natural.

*I found and photographed these Snow Geese and Ross's Geese (2 and 2) several weeks later in Glendale.

Embden Goose

The Embden is a breed of Domestic Goose thought to have originated in Holland or Germany, though other theories abound that it is in fact the product of English and German White Goose interbreeding. dating back to the 13th century.
They're nice, sturdy-looking geese with pure white feathers, light orange beaks, and blue eyes that resemble those of a human. They have a curious glide through the water in that they let their legs drag idly behind them when they can. I don't know if other geese indulge in such laziness, but it does add to the overall calmer demeanor of these pretty birds.