Liberty, thy name is...Brant

Took the kids out to see the Statue of Liberty yesterday. Lots of fun riding the ferry out from NJ to Ellis Island and then to Liberty Island. Had a couple nice Red-throated Loons in the harbor, but the stars were the flocks of Brant everywhere. There were small groups of 40-75 birds all over Liberty Island and at the boat landing at Ellis Island. Kids were chasing them around like pigeons. Very attractive geese, at one point I watched a pair nibble on an algae-covered rock as they floated past us.