[birding] Re: Odd Duck on Airlie-Albany CBC
Phyllis Bailey
pbgrebe2004 at yahoo.com
Mon Jan 5 20:22:32 PST 2009
Sorry this is so late. . .I had some computer problems earlier in the day that delayed my sending any messages anywhere. At any rate, I wanted to add my two cents to the discussion of the duck Cheryl Whelchel and I saw. The thing that made me really look at the bird hard was what I perceived as a tuft that came to an end halfway down the back of the duck's head. The head was roundish in shape, rather than sort of plumped up like a RNDU can look. She had a whitish patch on the side of her face near the base of the bill, not as prominent as on a scaup, but noticeable. The bill appeared to be mostly darkish, without the outstanding white marking of a ring-necked. But she did have a distinct eyering and a short line behind the eye. And the eye appeared to be dark. I would say that the most distinquishing features were the tuft and the head shape. I'm not going to be able to get back out to the site anytime soon, but perhaps someone with more experience
could, and if the bird is still around, we could get an answer.
Phyllis Bailey, Corvallis
--- On Mon, 1/5/09, list-request at midvalleybirding.org <list-request at midvalleybirding.org> wrote:
From: list-request at midvalleybirding.org <list-request at midvalleybirding.org>
Subject: list Digest, Vol 34, Issue 3
To: list at midvalleybirding.org
Date: Monday, January 5, 2009, 12:32 PM
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Today's Topics:
1. Vesper Sparrow location (Cheryl Whelchel)
2. Re: Vesper Sparrow location, SE Polk Co. (Joel Geier)
3. In Kansas - albino red-tail pics (Steve Seibel)
4. Sharpy takes chicken! (bouchdon at peak.org)
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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2009 11:29:58 -0800
From: "Cheryl Whelchel" <dirtgirl16cr125 at MSN.COM>
Subject: [birding] Vesper Sparrow location
To: "obol" <obol at oregonbirdwatch.org>, "midvally
birding"
<list at midvalleybirding.org>
Message-ID: <COL107-DS108C89D06AB071998E4F7AFEE00 at phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I don't know the name of the road it was on but if you are going north on
Wells Landing RD and turn right where it dead ends into Hopville, then turn left
on the unpaved road that has hops growing to the left of it. At the end of the
hops the road turns right and there is a blackberry thicket in the corner. The
bird responded quickly to pishing.
Cheryl Whelchel
----- Original Message -----
From: Jamie S.<mailto:woodpecker97330 at yahoo.com>
To: Cheryl Whelchel<mailto:dirtgirl16cr125 at MSN.COM>
Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2009 11:10 AM
Subject: Re: [birding] Airlie CBC Possible hybrid duck and Vesper Sparrow
Can you post a description of where you found the Vesper sparrow so
anyone who would like to try and relocate it can do so? Thanks!
Jamie Simmons
Corvallis
--- On Sun, 1/4/09, Cheryl Whelchel
<dirtgirl16cr125 at MSN.COM<mailto:dirtgirl16cr125 at MSN.COM>> wrote:
From: Cheryl Whelchel
<dirtgirl16cr125 at MSN.COM<mailto:dirtgirl16cr125 at MSN.COM>>
Subject: [birding] Airlie CBC Possible hybrid duck and Vesper Sparrow
To: "obol" <obol at oregonbirdwatch.org>, "midvally
birding" <list at midvalleybirding.org>
Date: Sunday, January 4, 2009, 9:19 AM
Probably this will be one that got away, but for what its worth I have
posted some poor pictures of what appears to possibly be a hybird of some sort.
The pictures really don't help much. Perhaps my birding partner Phyllis
will post a description as well. In addition to what I stated below, the tuft
was visible with only binoculars, and was quite plain with the scope.
If someone much more knowlegeable wants to chase this I can work on
getting access to the pond. It was in the Bueana Vista area south on
Independence.
Cheryl Whelchel
----- Original Message -----
From: Cheryl
Whelchel<http://us.mc01g.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=dirtgirl16cr125@MSN.COM>
To: David
Irons<http://us.mc01g.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=llsdirons@msn.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2009 8:57 AM
Subject: Re: need help with 2 id's
Thanks for the response. There were 2 other observers, one person had
been birding for over 30 years. She is the one that first noticed the tuft and
we studied it at 60 power for 20 minutes. So yes I think that it definitely had
a tuft. Unfortuneatly it was on private property well away from the road, and
access will be problematic.
Again thanks for the great help.
Cheryl Whelchel
----- Original Message -----
From: David
Irons<http://us.mc01g.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=llsdirons@msn.com>
To: Cheryl
Whelchel<http://us.mc01g.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=dirtgirl16cr125@msn.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2009 11:05 PM
Subject: RE: need help with 2 id's
Hi Cheryl,
Sorry for the late response. I just got back from doing the Coquille
Valley CBC and I am scheduled to meet a couple people for pre-dawn owling at 5AM
for tomorrow's Eugene CBC. If I got to bed this very instant I will get
five hours of sleep.
The sparrow is definitely a Vesper. The very neat complete eyering,
relatively plain face (not as patterned as a Savannah) and the fine streaking on
the breast and flanks make this a pretty straight forward ID.
The duck is more of a challenge. I can't see what I would call a
tuft in any of these images. Based on head shape along and the generally
paleness in the face and your description, I would say the bird is likely a
Ring-necked Duck. Though Tufteds resemble RNDU a bit, they have a very rounded
crown and hindcrown. It is not squared off like a Ring-necked. There is the
slight possibility of it being a hybrid Tufted X Lesser Scaup or even Tufted X
Ring-necked, but with out a closer more clear image that would be tough to tell.
If you have the opportunity, you might try to get out and see it again. If you
are sure you saw even a little tuft, I would post this to OBOL and the
Mid-Valley Birders site in hopes that someone can go out and refind it.
Dave
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: dirtgirl16cr125 at MSN.COM
To: llsdirons at msn.com
Subject: need help with 2 id's
Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 19:36:44 -0800
Hi Dave,
I did the Airlie CBC today and found 2 unusual birds. The first is a
sparrow and it is probably a Vesper Sparrow, but I wanted to run it by someone
else.
The second is a duck that is a bit more difficult, especially since
it was a little too far away for decent pictures. It was a brown duck with a
hint of white around its bill. The bill was a sort of gray with a black tip.
The head had a rounded profile with what I would call a dark chocolate cap, and
a tuft. It's back was a slightly darker brown than flanks. It held
it's tail stiffly up sort of like a ruddy. It dove. I would love to call
this a Tufted Duck, the problem is the eyes. It appeared to have a white eye
ring and white line going postierior from the middle of the eye. To far away to
really discern eye color, but seemed dark, not yellow. There were no other
birds present so judging relative size was difficult.
The amount of white around the bill on face was very slight. The
remainder of face was chocolatly brown like the back.
I can't rule out either Ring-necked or Tufted. The eyes are
inconsistent with Tufted, and the shape of head and tuft are inconsistent with
Ring-neck.
I put pictures of both birds on my website. I will need to let Paul
Adamus know asap, especially about the sparrow since the photo documentation is
good.
Thanks
Cheryl Whelchel
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vgswallow16/<http://www.flickr.com/photos/vgswallow16/>
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Message: 2
Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:05:01 -0800
From: Joel Geier <clearwater at peak.org>
Subject: Re: [birding] Vesper Sparrow location, SE Polk Co.
To: Cheryl Whelchel <dirtgirl16cr125 at MSN.COM>
Cc: midvally birding <list at midvalleybirding.org>, obol
<obol at oregonbirdwatch.org>
Message-ID: <1231110301.3627.18.camel at localhost.localdomain>
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Hi folks,
The right turn off Wells Landing Road which Cheryl describes is Wigrich
Rd., see DeLorme p. 53, B7. I don't know the name of the smaller gravel
road that goes off to the left. There are a couple such roads but from
the description and some dim recollections of having been out there in
daylight years ago, I think it's the longer one labelled as Haener Rd.
If you go too far on Wigrich Rd., you'll be testing the amphibious
capabilities of whatever vehicle you're operating. As of 8 PM last
evening (when I was out there in the dark again, unsuccessfully trying
to reach a reliable spot for Western Screech-Owl), the east end of
Wigrich Rd. was under flood waters.
Happy birding,
Joel
P.S. The hazelnut orchards in this area have been a good spot for
wintering Chipping Sparrows in years past. I've never found them myself,
but according to Roy Gerig, Don Albright et al. they are normally found
with junco flocks in the older orchards.
On Sun, 2009-01-04 at 11:29 -0800, Cheryl Whelchel wrote:
> I don't know the name of the road it was on but if you are going north
> on Wells Landing RD and turn right where it dead ends into Hopville,
> then turn left on the unpaved road that has hops growing to the left
> of it. At the end of the hops the road turns right and there is a
> blackberry thicket in the corner. The bird responded quickly to
> pishing.
>
> Cheryl Whelchel
--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 11:34:09 -0800
From: "Steve Seibel" <sseibel999 at gmail.com>
Subject: [birding] In Kansas - albino red-tail pics
To: list at midvalleybirding.org
Message-ID:
<dd4d24e50901051134y2351309aoabc4924190156089 at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
**
*http://www.aeroexperiments.org/AlbinoRedTailedHawk1*
Hi all-- I'll be near Wichita KS for a few more days, thought some might
enjoy this link to some snapshots I took of a partial albino / leucistic
Red-tailed hawk I spotted near here.
Steve
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Message: 4
Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 12:32:06 -0800 (PST)
From: bouchdon at peak.org
Subject: [birding] Sharpy takes chicken!
To: mid-valley-nature at googlegroups.com
Cc: list at midvalleybirding.org
Message-ID:
<35822.192.104.231.235.1231187526.squirrel at webmail.peak.org>
Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1
Hello Birders,
My coworker, Scobel Wiggins, has had a Sharp-shinned Hawk attack her
Bantam Chickens recently. The other day, the little rooster was killed. He
was probably bravely defending his hens, may he rest in peace :-(
The description of the bird fits that of Sharp-shinned Hawk. Ambitious! My
guess is that it was a female hawk.
Don Boucher
www.neighborhood-naturalist.com
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