Pink-footed Goose, lifer, and my 2024 Bird of the Year! 12/24/2024.

While Jose and I were watching TV and waiting for Devin to come for Christmas Eve, a fellow birder alerted us that two Pink-footed Geese were seen in Sharon which is only ten minutes away! What a find, and one I have been waiting for ever since seeing the movie, "The Big Year", starring Jack Black and Steve Martin. It is a real favorite and is all about bird nerds with the Pink-footed Goose being the coveted bird. We grabbed our bins and camera and quickly headed to the fields where the two were in amongst about 300 Canada Geese. They were quite a distance away, but easy to spot as they were gray, smaller, and with those crazy "bubble gum pink feet". These geese breed in Greenland and Iceland and winter in the UK. They are only occasionally seen in the US so this was a real treat and, sadly for so many other birders that wanted to see them, they only stuck around for the day. I saw so many wonderful birds in 2024, especially since I also went to Costa Rica, but this experience was one of the best. Close were an Upland Sandpiper seen with Taylor, a Brown Booby in Boston, and the Burrowing Owls in Cape Coral. Trying for 600 species for 2025!