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Posted by Larry Manfredi on 07:45:08 01/07/07
No matter how you look at the duck from Eco Pond it comes out as Greater Scaup. In none of the photos or seeing the duck in person, does this bird have any kind of peak in the back of the head. The eye color was mentioned as a I.D. feature between the two species. From what I have read the eye color is fine for Greater Scaup, although photos don't always show subtle colors very well. The bill on this bird also looks large and wide like a Greater Scaup.
As I mentioned before, I don't have a problem calling this a Greater Scaup. I believe it was about 1998 that there was an adult male with a nice green gloss all over the head, that bird was also at Eco Pond. There was no doubt about the I.D. of that bird.
Today Alex, Andy Bankert and friends came by my house to look for Shiny Cowbirds. They failed to find any but did find a new yard bird for me, Western Kingbird! After leaving the Audubon walk I waited until late afternoon to scope the tree where they saw the Western Kingbirds and had four birds! Of course later in the day I did see and adult male Shiny Cowbird.
I have a digiscoped photo from about a quarter mile away attached.
Not a bad yard bird!!
Larry Manfredi
Homestead, FL
E-mail: birderlm@bellsouth.net
http://www.southfloridabirding.com
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