https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-VuGEVhFSo

Update on Wednesday, Aug. 26: the video had disappeared from this post. For now anyway, it’s back.)

Birds and bird songs are often misrepresented in movies, TV shows and commercials. An eagle may fly overhead and the sound of a hawk will be played. Often you’ll hear the call of the loon, but the scene in the movie is taking place in an area hundreds (or even thousands) of miles from where the nearest loon would be. That one happens a lot. Of course, we all remember the golf tournament when the TV producers played birdsongs over the golf “action” of birds that weren’t actually there.

I noticed another bird faux pas in a commercial that is out now. The Verizon commercial with the “magnificent geese” that states “Come home for a better network,” features a flock of geese flying and feeding. At one point the commercial zooms in for a closeup on one of the geese.

The implication is that they are following a single flock of geese. At least that’s how I interpret the commercial. The problem is that they show two different species of goose. The vast majority of the commercial features a handsome goose species that I honestly can not identify. It is not a goose that is found in the U.S. _ at least not regularly.  But two briefs clips, including the close up, feature a Canada Goose. If the intention was to show multiple flocks, then the commercial is fine. If it was intended to follow one “suffering” flock, which I think it was, they tried to pull one over on us.

I know, no big deal in the grand scheme of life, but figured I’d point it out anyway. Thanks for checking out http://www.birdsofnewengland.com