Thursday, April 25, 2013

Lake Erie birds



  Headed for the Lake Erie Shoreline after work this morning and here is what I saw.....

Pied-billed Grebe


Ruddy Duck


Black-crowned Night Heron

Double-crested Cormorant

Wood Duck

Northern Pintails

Tree Swallow

Hermit Thrush

Bluegray Gnatcatcher

Not a dead duck laying in debris pile

Rather a duck laying on eggs
    Went home and had a pair of Broad-winged Hawks fly over


3 comments:

  1. Unless I am really missing something here, your duck is a Black DuckxMallard Duck hybrid. The clean line on the neck separating the pale head and dark body are consistent with Black Duck. However, the green streaking on the crown and eye-line are consistent with Mallard.

    Biologists have concerns here. The Black Duck genes, while represented here, are compromised. In the end, Mallard genes will trump them. There are concerns with the extinction of the Black Duck as a result of this mating. It happens that much!

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  2. But something else is amiss here....

    The bird is incubating and shows a dark bill. It is a girl. (Duh.)

    So why does it have green flecks on the noggin like a male?

    Hmmmm.....

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  3. Notice that I didn't ID it in the caption. I ran the photo past Allen Chartier and he mentioned a possibility of some domestic genes being involved.

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