Re: [SBB] Lesser vs Greater Scaup

[Barry Langdon-Lassagne <[[email protected]]>]

Thanks to all for the excellent advice and detailed information about  
Scaup field marks. I've added some descriptive information to the  
photo's web page. Now that I have a better idea of how to tell them  
apart in the field I'm eager to go out again and get a picture of a  
Greater Scaup.

- Barry -

On Feb 21, 2006, at 9:33 AM, Barry Langdon-Lassagne wrote:

> I know I should have this figured out by now, but I still have a lot
> of trouble with Lesser vs. Greater Scaup. For instance, I took this
> picture at the Sunnyvale Water Treatment Plant Sunday:
>
> 	http://www.pbase.com/wilmot/image/56292582
>
> I want to call it a Lesser Scaup, but the text and paintings in
> Sibley leave me confused. Which part of the head is the "peak" and
> can you tell how far forward it is in this picture (I always thought
> the peak was that tufty thing above and behind the eye, but Sibley
> says that the peak is farther forward on a Greater, so that makes no
> sense)? Is this bill longer and broader (Greater) or smaller and
> straighter (Lesser...it looks straighter to me)? Is the barring on
> the back heavier and coarser, or not? The tip of the bill doesn't
> have much black, but Sibley says there's a lot of overlap there. I
> know Lesser Scaup are more common here, and some of the other Scaup I
> saw (flying, for instance) were almost certainly Lesser, but just
> from this image I cannot tell which Scaup I have photographed.
>
> If there's anything obvious I should be checking for, I'd appreciate
> the pointers. If it's all subtleties, any tips on additional things
> to look for would also be appreciated.
>
> - Barry -
>
>
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