Tim's statement about scaup abundance is more true in the north valley and less
true in Lane County, perhaps owing to the draw of Fern Ridge Reservoir. Greater
Scaup is regular on Kirk Pond below Fern Ridge Dam and also on the Willamette
River at Eugene. Lesser is more common but small flocks of Greater do occur.
Greaters seem to need "larger water" than do Lesser.
What's the scaup situation at Hagg Lake?
Alan Contreras
Eugene, Oregon
acontrer56@xxxxxxxxx
Sent from my iPhone
On Mar 13, 2016, at 7:25 PM, Tim Janzen <tjanzen@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:POST: Send your post to obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dear Lars,
You are absolutely correct that the default scaup in shallow fresh water in
western Oregon in winter is the Lesser Scaup. I would say that in Clackamas
County, I probably have seen 1000 Lesser Scaups for every Greater Scaup I
have seen. ID can sometimes be a little challenging if the scaups are a
long ways away or if the scaups are actively diving, but in any case a
Greater Scaup is definitely a rare bird in the Willamette Valley. They are
much less common in the Willamette Valley than Eurasian Wigeons are.
Sincerely,
Tim Janzen
-----Original Message-----
From: obol-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:obol-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Lars Per Norgren
Sent: Sunday, March 13, 2016 5:28 PM
To: obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [obol] Hillsboro scaup
Nagi, your picture shows a classic Lesser Scaup, no ambiguity about it. When
my dad hunted scaup on Long Island Sound the Connecticut Fish and Game
employee used the measure of nail width on bills to distinguish the two
species, but he was using calipers. This scaup is alive and well, so its
head profile affords a good ID: somewhat flattish top to head, decided
crested look at the nape. Greater Scaup typically have a smooth curve there
at the nape, with possibly a slight angular break in that curve of the
profile nearer the top of the head.
Please correct me if I'm wrong folks, but isn't the default scaup in
shallow fresh water in western Oregon in winter the Lesser? And winter scaup
on salt water in winter are typically Greaters in Oregon. I think the Coos
Bay CBC got one Lesser this year and it was in a pond in a city park.
Visitors to the Philomath Sewage Ponds this winter have occasionally
scrounged up one or two Greaters among the scores of Lesser Scaup. The head
shape works to ID female scaup as well. It is fraught with challenges, as
shown in Sibley. Ducks just before or after diving, when preening, what have
you, do all kinds of things with their head feathers that can change the
profile in amazing ways. Scaup go through a highly uncoordinated molt. I've
seen birds throughout the winter that are way ahead or behind their fellows
in the succession from eclipse to full breeding plumage.
That's why I say your picture shows a classic individual. A soft field
mark for sure, but the others that come to mind are less useful. LarsPOST:
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