In response to request for information about the history of domestic/feral/wild
waterfowl at the White Rock Lake/Sunset Bay location, I wanted to provide these
notes:
1) Specifically, the Chiloe Wigeon has been present at that location since at
least June of 2016, possibly earlier.
2) In the past this area has also hosted a Mandarin Duck for at least a few
weeks
3) This area also hosts an assortment of domestic Mallards and Barnyard-type
Geese
4) From late fall through spring most wild species of regularly occurring
waterfowl can be found off and on at this site.     A) Two years prior, a
female-type Common Merganser spent several weeks hanging out at this locationÂ
    B) This area is within our CBC Zone and this small bay is where we
often find many of our duck species for the count, with Northern Pintail,  Â
        Northern Shoveler, Wood Duck, Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup, and
Ruddy Ducks being found consistently in with the wild Mallards.       Â
 Other species are occasionally found here as well. For example, we had
Red-breasted Merganser here on the latest CBC. With respect to the American
Black Duck (ABDU)Â now occurring, I am confident that this bird has not been
present for long. This area is checked regularly by local birders and many
photographers utilize this location because of the excellent afternoon/evening
light. If it had been present prior, I feel that it would have been discovered
sooner.
As a note regarding the feeding of the waterfowl here, locals often feed bread
to some waterfowl from the small pier here. When we were viewing the ABDU
Friday, I observed the bird as if moved from the south end of Winfrey Point
around the point and into Sunset Bay, where many of the ducks roost. I noted
the following pertinent information for this record:
1) The ABDU and the other wild Mallards kept their distance and often shifted
their direction in response to human activity.2) When a family arrived to
"feed the ducks", the domestic mallards and geese, along with coots, came
directly into the pier to accept the offering    while the wild Mallards,
ABDU, and other wild species did not respond to the feeding.
In summary, while we can never be 100% certain of provenance, it is not unusual
for wild, naturally occurring species to associate with domestic waterfowl in
this bay. The occurrence of the Chiloe Wigeon certainly does not correlate
chronologically to the arrival of the ABDU.
Greg CookArlington, Texas
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