"Ross's Goose" update

Well, it appears this bird is not passing muster. I received the opinions of several experts and about half were of the opinion the the bird's bill base/facial junction would not be good enough to pass a records committee vote. Specifically, they judged that the rearward incursion at the gape (the corner of the "lips") makes the feathering above it to bulge forward into the bill base, such that it appears to have a slight influence of Snow Goose genes. It is possible that the bird is transitioning from a curved bill/facial interface as a juvenile into a flat one as an adult, and that the incursion is a vestige of this changeover, but this is anecdotal and not enough to rule out the hybrid/intergrade explanation. So, it looks like we'll have to wait for the next potential Ross's before we add it to the Kent Co. list. Helluva find regardless, Randy!