Chequamegon Bay near Ashland's Xcel power plant, Ashland County, 17 October 2006

This bird shows various features that are intermediate between Snow and Ross's Goose. The whiteness of the plumage suggest Ross's Goose as a juvenile Snow Goose should be darker overall, especially on the back and wing coverts. The bill is not quite as large as it should be for a Snow but it's clearly not triangular and stubby like a Ross's would show. Only a slight grinning patch is present and the cheek feathering at the base of the bill isn't exactly straight like a Ross's but it's not curved outward nearly as much as a Snow typically shows. The head shape is somewhat rounded like Ross's but the forehead gradually slopes like a Snow. Body size is tough to determine among the unidentified dark geese (I thought Cackling at the time of observation), but the bird just doesn't seem small and petite like a Ross's would be. Although we'll never know for sure, in my opinion, this bird appears to be a hybrid Ross's x Snow Goose, at least to some degree.