Tonight’s Agenda

1. Tonight’s Agenda 6:30-6:35 Welcome & Announcements • Fun with Homework assignment? • Contact sheet • Web site update • May 22 field trip: Josh Haas • Saturday field trips • Dress warmly • Leave from Sanctuary @ 8 am 6:35-7:35Bird Song w/ Bob Pettit 7:35-7:45Break (Birds & Beans Coffee) 7:45-8:25Waterfowl ID w/ Kara Haas 8:25-8:30 Closing • New resources • Week 2: “Homework” assignment

2. Bird ID: Week 2 Female and Male Bufflehead What is it?

3. Family Anatidae • Ducks, geese, & Swans • Distribution • All continents but Antarctica • Defining Characteristics • Adapted for swimming, floating and diving • Swans and Geese are longer necked; tip up while feeding • Ducks divided into dabblers (tip up) and divers (deeper water; normally dive for food) What is it? Canvasback

4. American Black Duck • Found year round in Michigan • Dabbling duck; diet plants and aquatic invertebrates • Overall, much darker than female Mallard • Males and females look similar, but • males have yellow to yellowish bills • females have olive/greenish bills • Speculum may show thin white trailing edge

5. Black Duck vs. Mallard

6. Black Duck vs. Mallard in Flight

7. Redhead • Migrant; breeds in Western US and Canada & Alaska, with some occurrence in Great Lakes region • Marshy lakes and ponds • Diving duck; diet largely plants • Sexually dimorphic (male and female different) • Males have red head, yellow iris, blue bill with white and black tip, and rounded, grayish back • Females relatively non-descript © Larry Burdick

8. Canvasback • Migrant; breeds in Western US and Canada & Alaska, • Marshy lakes and ponds • Diving duck; diet largely plants • Similar in coloring to Redhead, but • Long, black bill and flat forehead • Back and sides are whiter than in Redhead • Red iris

9. Which is Which? Canvasback Redhead

10. Greater Scaup • Migrant, breeds in upper north and northwest Canada and Alaska • In winter, most often found more open water; salt water • Diving duck; diet aquatic invertebrates and plants • Species has a blue bill with a black tip • Males have rounded, dark head (with green iridescence); belly and flanks white, back has black barring • Females have white patch at base of bill

11. Lesser Scaup • Migrant, breeds in upper western US, western Canada, and Alaska • In winter, prefers fresh water and smaller ponds • Diving ducks • Similar in appearance to Greater Scaup, but • Smaller in size • Thinner and straighter bill • Head tends to have a purplish iridescence • Head is smaller, narrower, and a peaked crown

12. Which is Which? Lesser Scaup Greater Scaup

13. Which is Which? © Carolyn Fields Greater Scaup - male Lesser Scaup - male Greater Scaup - female

14. Ring-necked Duck • Migrant; wooded lakes or ponds in northern US and Canada • Diving duck; aquatic plants & invertebrates • Males and females are different • Males have black back, peaked head, gray sides, white “spur”, and white outline on bill. • Females gray cheeks, dark cap and white eye ring.

15. Bufflehead • Migrant; breeds in Canada and Alaska; in woodlands near small lakes or ponds • Diving duck; aquatic invertebrates • Smallest duck, compact; with relatively large head; short bill • Males and females are different • Males have large white patch on back of head, black back. • Females have oval patch on cheek

16. Common Goldeneye • Migrant; breeds in Canada and Alaska; nest in tree cavities in coniferous forests • Winters on forested lakes and rivers across U.S. • Diving duck; aquatic invertebrates • Small duck, large round white spot before eye; • Males and females are different • Males are white on neck and breast with a dark green head • Females white around neck, dark rusty brown head

17. Hooded Merganser • Breeds in northern US and southern Canada; woodland ponds and rivers • Smallest Merganser • Thin bill (eat small fish, aquatic invertebrates) • Crest on head • Males and females are different • Males with white fan-like patch on head; white breast framed by black “spurs” • Female has brown crest

18. Common Merganser • Breeds in northern US and Canada • Deep water; forested, clear lakes and rivers • Diving duck; diet mostly fish and aquatic invertebrates • Largest of the mergansers • Thin, hooked red bill • Males and females look different • Males head have green heads, all white bodies with dark back • Females have rust-colored crested heads, white chin, and gray bodies

19. Questions? • Homework for next time: use new resources • Get outside! Visit a body of water to see what is visiting. • Open windows on the next warm day and listen. • Field trips Saturday; • Leave at 8am, dress warm! • It will be cold by the lakes. • May 22 Field Trip – be prepared to sign up on April 14 if you want to participate.