Brant

Description:

An abundant small goose of the ocean shores, the Brant breeds in the high Arctic tundra and winters along both coasts. The Brant along the Atlantic have light gray bellies, while those off the Pacific Coast have black bellies and were at one time considered a separate species

Habitat:

Spotted inside Pillar Point Harbor feeding in the shallow water over the mudflats.

Notes:

I see these geese regularly in small numbers during migration, but this is the earliest I have ever seen them here.