The group of birds called “waterfowl” consist of ducks, geese & swans. Right now,
in California 's Central Valley, thousands of waterfowl are arriving everyday. They are coming here to spend their winter where they will live amongst the refuges & farm lands and forage in the fields & waterways. The Greater White Fronted Goose is one of these wintering waterfowl. Birds are often named for their most obscure field marks and that was the case with this bird. It is often much easier to identify them by their "speckled bellies", but they are named after the white feathers found on the front of their "face". In fact, they are a chatty and beautiful bird with bright orange feet. They can be viewed vocalizing in formation as they arrive from their breeding grounds in the far north. They nest on the Arctic tundra and travel the Pacific Flyway south to spend their winter. They will remain here through February when they will migrate back to breed in the northern tundra. White Fronted Goose image by Ron Wolf