The Graylag X Swan Goose (Gandalf) domestic hybrid was spotted on Nov. 2, in Duck Lake at City Park in Denver.

Close-up photo of the Graylag X Swan Goose known as Gandalf.

On March 24, 2024, birder Todd Nicotra asked on the Denver Field Ornithologist Facebook page, “I am pretty new to birding. I saw this bird at City Park in Denver this morning, and I’m not sure what it is. Any thoughts?”

Patrick O’Driscoll, the editor of The Lark Bunting, the official newsletter of the Denver Field Ornithologists, replied, “For the record, it was identified by an eBird reviewer as a Graylag X Swan Goose domestic hybrid, but the Aurora woman who released  two geese into the park about 15 years ago did call them Toulouse Geese. It has lived in Denver City Park since 2009, when the woman, who had incubated two eggs given to her by an Eastern Plains farmer, had no room for (raising) young birds in her yard. She named the brothers Randolph and Gandalf. This one is Gandalf. Randolph disappeared in the spring of 2022.”

More information about Gandalf can be found in The Lark Bunting Volume 59, Issue 02–03, February–March 2023 pp20–23.

Bird Walks: Dec. 6 and Jan. 3, 8–10:30am. Walks are free, but you must RSVP at blufflake.org/birdwatching. All are welcome. Bring your own binoculars or borrow a pair from your guide. 11255 MLK Jr. Blvd. Search FrontPorchNE.com for “Bird Sightings” to see past bird stories and photos from George Ho.