Re: [SBB] Conventional Wisdom, 8/4/07

["Garrett Lau" <[[email protected]]>]

This discussion reminded me that I had not posted my photos of scaup
from the Palo Alto Duck Pond in June. I've just uploaded them now.
They are the first five photos here:
http://www.pbase.com/garrettlau/scaup

Garrett

On 8/4/07, Bill Bousman <[[email protected]]> wrote:
> Folks:
>
> Lesser Scaup have bred irregularly in the Bay area for at least one
> hundred years.  The first time they were found in the South Bay was
> the early 1980s and they have nested regularly for the last 20
> years.  Probably the greatest concentrations in the last decade has
> been at the Sunnyvale WPCP ponds.  They are late nesters and young
> birds are seldom seen before August.  Along the south channel last
> week, although I saw two pairs, there were no young yet.  The female
> Lesser Scaup in summer looks quite different from a winter bird.  To
> me, her coloration seems a warm brown or rufous, much richer than a
> winter bird.  Few females show white around the bill, but instead
> they often have a white or pale ear patch.  Conventional wisdom holds
> that with modern field guides, the identification of a female Lesser
> Scaup is no longer a problem.  This reminds me of Mammy Yokum's
> frequent statement "As any fool can plainly see. . . ." which was
> always answered by L'il Abner, "Ah, sees."  Female Lesser Scaup have,
> in the past, caused much confusion and consternation in the South Bay
> in summer, particularly when they were accompanied by young
> ducklings.  Most of us are unwilling to admit that WE were ever
> confused, and sometimes comment on the failings of
> others.  Conventional wisdom in this situation has been a fairly long
> and painful learning process.  Welcome, Jim.
>
> Bill
>
> At 05:43 PM 8/4/2007, you wrote:
> >After a good look at the well reported FRANKLIN'S GULL which was feeding
> >on the east side of West Pond, around noon today, I hiked out the levee
> >along the channel going NE from the radar tower. In the NE corner of
> >East Pond were about 20 female PINTAILS and about 50 NORTHERN SHOVELER'S.
> >
> >Help appreciated on the following. Walking back, about 100 yards from
> >the tower, I had a good look at a lone duck in the channel. It had the
> >shape of a Lesser Scaup. The head was bright brown. There was no white
> >around the bill or anywhere else on the head. No tuft was visible.
> >Feathers on the top of the head seemed to crest up slightly, giving off
> >golden highlights. The bill was solid glossy black. The eyes were bright
> >yellow. The body was also brown like the head, though a not so richly
> >colored, with some light spots. It showed white on the backs of the
> >wings as it flew across East Pond and out of sight over West Pond.
> >
> >-Jim Thomas
> >
> >
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