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Torrent Ducks are the thrill-seekers of the avian world. But Torrent Ducks are fearless and to witness some of their daredevil feats ranks pretty high in the book “1000 Avian Spectacles to See Before You Die” A book that I have not yet written. We initially only found a male Torrent Duck and later on, only a female.
This has resulted in a reduction of the number of duck stamps sold. Sales of duck stamps have funded the preservation of wetlands and other wildlife habitat, which in turn has supported an increase in waterfowl populations. This has benefited both the waterfowl hunters and everyone else who likes ducks and their kin.
I wasn’t having any luck at all though I was enjoying the typical assortment of wetland species that make we New York birders a bit jealous of our southern compatriots. I knew that I could count the introduced Muscovy Ducks in front of me but did I want to? feral Muscovy Duck at Blue Heron Wetlands, Titusville, Florida.
It is also known for the 500 exotic species of animals and plants that now call the Sunshine State home. Exotic species are animals that did not historically occur in Florida. One such species is the familiar mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). Mottled Ducks apparently genetically intact.
RE: Operation Duck Drop. Operation Duck Drop was a success. RE: Operation Duck Drop. RE: Operation Duck Drop. Sparrow has successfully completed Operation Duck Drop. Sparrow has successfully completed Operation Duck Drop. I knew we should have used a bigger species! RE: Duck Found. To: Sparrow.
Instead of going on about zip lines and other modern, adventure tourism attractions, the birding crowd talks about taking photos of Resplendent Quetzals , seeing dozens of hummingbird species, and the seemingly odd absence of raptors in Costa Rica but nope, we don’t really talk about extinction. Resplendence.
About four years ago I first wrote about the Pink-headed Duck , a charming species related to the pochards (although how, exactly, is up for grabs, like so much duck taxonomy.) Now Global Wildlife Conservation is out to get some fresh evidence and hopefully re-discover the species, which was officially last seen in the 1949.
We have observed huge flocks of Galahs there on previous visits and other times there are more bird species, but only one or two of each species. Walking out onto the bridge we soon observed a good mixture of other bird species. Brolga had come into drink and there were all three species of Ibis present.
One of the old jokes I always hear at Christmas Bird Count dinners pops up we get to the ducks, which is now pretty early in the compilation thanks to the current taxonomic order. “Summer or Wood Duck” from The Birds of America by John James Audubon (1785-1851).
Ducks and divers The bottom of the city is, naturally, the lowest point or course of the Danube (around 74 m / 240 ft above sea level), the best area being the confluence of the Sava and the Danube, around the War Islands Reserve. Although many of them can be found in city parks, too, at the top of Avala your chances are higher.
On a sandbar in the center of the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, hundreds of ducks swirled around each other or lay down to take cover against the punishing wind. The waterfowl flock was made up of two very unique looking species: the Fulvous and Black-belled Whistling Ducks. What made my eyes widen?
Would it still be deep enough for the ducks that prefer that half? Would there be enough deep water to see Ruddy Ducks and Clark’s Grebes ? The western half still has enough water for some shorebirds, but the thousands of ducks I would usually see now number in the dozens. But, as always, new sites bring new species.
In the book, one picture stood out in particular: the White-headed Duck. There were only a few dozen of these ducks left and the photographer – using old-fashioned analog film – took just one, very fuzzy shot. Even so, the idea of one day going out to find this rare duck appealed to me. Time to look for that UFO myself.
But for birders, the name bluenose might more easily be applied to ducks of the genus Oxyura. The six species in this genus are all… Source I imagine that this is due to the cold winters up there, rather than suggesting that all Nova Scotians are prudes.
I’m posting this video I shot at Delevan NWR in case you haven’t seen these elegant ducks in action. Birds dabbling ducks Delevan National Wildlife Refuge ducks Gaadwall National Wildlife Refuges' Our National Wildlife Refuges are special places where we can observe wildlife in their natural habitats. v=HcgOFQtcyAo.
For mankind to snatch away a species’ very existence is wrong on so many levels that I can’t begin to explain them. However, despite our best efforts to wipe them off the face of the earth, some of the more vulnerable species have managed to hang on. this species breeds. Here are some U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
January is the month where I allow myself to go only to my very best sites, and rejoice in even the most commonplace species. I correctly suspected that Lake Cuitzeo would be too dry this year to give me its usual 75+ species in the deep of winter. (It But Las Mesas did indeed come through, with 79 species.
I already have a history of searches for this species. Actually, when I started to bird, my second ever duck, after the Mallard , was a Ruddy Shelduck! I was in a kayak, the duck was some 4-5 metres from me, easily tolerating my interest for some 5 minutes or more, implying that it was almost certainly an escapee.
While the P-a-P Wildfowl Trust’s main thrust is the breeding and release of five duckspecies, the habitat encourages a number of native wetland birds to inhabit and proliferate the area. Due to the plethora of bird species around, invariably we were to experience something breathtaking.
First there was the Lesser Ground-Cuckoo, a species I had long wanted to see. The following week, I finally got some great photos of a male Ruddy Duck with its fantastic reproductive blue bill. A pattern seems to be developing this summer, of birds with really striking faces. I wrote about this encounter a month ago.
A strange duck, let’s see… an eclipse male Red-crested Pochard ! This was the last of the local ducks that I managed to find (it took me years of birding), and ever since I have seen it only once in every 2-3 years. Nearby are four very dark brown ducks… Tufted Duck females!
That green grass is not a meadow; it is growing in water deep enough for swimming ducks. The dot in the center of the second photo is a lone Mexican Duck flying just over the water. Most of these are migratory species, for which Lake Cuitzeo is a vital wintering ground. Still life with Avocet and Shoveler.
It happens to every birder and it may take a while but eventually, every person who strives to see different species of birds comes across that one warbler, that particular shorebird or bunting or crossbill that they really, honestly, should have seen. My former nemesis was the Masked Duck. It also shows there every year!
and I would like to take good photos of this species. The waterbirds were fun to watch, as they often are at this park, and all the standard species were there particularly Mallard , Common Pochard and Tufted Duck (you might have noticed I mention Tufted Ducks a lot in my posts – I’m not sure why but I really like this species!)
The Veliko Ratno Island birdlist is about 170 species long, of which more than 90 were observed from the Dorcol Promenade. Highlight species: Ferruginous Duck , Goosander , Red-breasted Merganser , Red-crested Pochard , Greater Scaup , Velvet Scoter , Black-throated Diver. In March and November, Common Cranes are a possibility.
I’ll be the first to admit the selection of ducks so far at Booze and Birds has been rather paltry. Stumpy Duck is an American pale ale by Trillium Brewing Company of Boston, Massachusetts, one of the most popular breweries in New England for the past few years. Trillium Brewing Company: Stumpy Duck American Pale Ale.
Now that this bird has seemingly moved on, I had to find other species to distract me, but fortunately that was not too hard. Fortunately, I did not only see the standard species, but was also rewarded with less regular species. Perhaps the scaups are bad luck for me, but I’m sure I’ll get my bittern one day.
Later in the day, several difficult species decided to be less difficult. There were six species of wild ducks, along with the usual few released domestic ducks. There were six species of wild ducks, along with the usual few released domestic ducks. ” And so do I.)
As it turned out, the remaining water was too shallow for ducks, except a few Northern Shovelers. Admittedly, early May is too late to find most duckspecies in Michoacán, even in a good year.) But I did find a wonderful surprise on that trip , a species to which I will return below.
In late July, I travelled a half hour north of Morelia to Lake Cuitzeo (kweet-SAY-oh) to see if our two inevitable first migratory species from up north, Baird’s Sandpiper and Wilson’s Phalarope, had begun arriving. At that point, neither species was yet present, and there wasn’t much of a lake, either.
And when I got home, photos I had taken of a flock flying overhead revealed Northern Pintails , another previously missing-in-action species. I had not expected to determine the whereabouts of a a remaining duckspecies, the adorable Ruddy Duck. But it was two more species that made my day complete.
Scores of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks circled overhead, these vocal ducks are often hunted illegally here so it was refreshing to see so many. Two species of icterids populated the area, the presence of either was a direct indicator of the degree of water present. We had no idea if the nighthawks would hunker down or flee.
Nisqually NWR is a major staging area for migratory birds , a wintering area for many ducks and geese, and a breeding area for numerous songbirds. According to eBird , 278 bird species have been observed and approximately 14,000 checklists have been submitted. There’s a $3 day-use fee, but it is free if you have a Duck Stamp.
But how birds use these different senses, like the diversity in bill size and shape, varies almost as much from species to species. Chickens come in at around 24, pigeons have around 40-50 and some duckspecies may have a whopping 400. And again, there is great variation amongst different species.
Over the course of the following hour or so we observed many different species *coincidentally* alight on the wall near to the body of the fallen yellowlegs. This Black-bellied Whistling Duck was on its way to visit its mate and young brood further afield in the same pond but made a detour. Spotted Sandpiper. Paying respects?
The usual ducks were also present – Black-bellied Whistling Duck and White-cheeked Pintail. Both of these are dabbling ducks while the scaups are divers. Checking some of the other ponds revealed more ducks, namely a group of ten Blue-winged Teal and a staggering number of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks.
I was very happy about this lifer as I had been hoping to see this species in autumn during my stay on Heligoland. Greater Scaup The female was rather shy, but I was happy to compare it to the many Tufted Ducks that were around as well. A Water Rail was hidden, calling from the reeds. Something special can always turn up!
The Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching offers two types of information: Species Accounts–descriptions of 112 birds within 15 families as they appear over and on the water, and Where to Watch, brief descriptions of 47 sites on the North American eastern coast and interior recommended for seawatching. No rails or gallinules.
If you are like me, it is likely that you usually have a target species or two for each of your outings. So does this Mexican Duck (NOT a Mallard sub-race, according to the 2020 AOS decision): Note the (lack of) depth of this water. But the Fulvous Whistling-Ducks were the ones that really won my hearts. Of course they did!
The drake of this extremely common, sexually dimorphic species ( Anas platyrhynchos ) cuts a fine form with his iridescent emerald dome and chestnut breast. Answers will be forthcoming, but for now, I can tell you that they are all members of the mallard complex , a roster of about 20 closely-related Anas -speciesducks around the world.
Green Cay Wetlands at sunrise for the specials – Limpkin, Purple Gallinule, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and of course the ever-reliable (at this time of year) male Painted Buntings. Nearly every species of heron and egret in North America forage only feet away, some of them in their dazzling breeding displays.
There was a large raft of hundreds of American Coot , an American White Pelican and lots of duckspecies. I will not name all ducks, but Bufflehead and Canvasback were lifers so they deserve a call-out. Sandpipers up in the air and a general panic among the coots and ducks. The birds warmed us too.
With about 110 recorded species, the Kozara becomes truly magical place when the Danube swells and reclaims what is rightfully his. On the other side of the river, underneath the very buttresses of the Belgrade Fortress, with its 170 recorded bird species lies the Veliko Ratno Island (44°49’53.20″N, 20°26’4.98″E).
For, in birder lingo, a split occurs when subspecies are determined to be, in fact, entirely separate species. If you happen to have seen both species, your life list can increase without you even leaving the house. Two former species can also be joined into one, the same way. These are a male and a female Mexican Ducks.
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