[texbirds] Cameron Co: Ruddy Duck with downy chicks - 15 Nov 2013

From: Michael Marsden <valleybirders@xxxxxxxxx>
To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 17:29:28 -0600
This morning there was a female Ruddy Duck with 10 downy chicks on the
Jimenez Road pond at Las Palomas WMA (Ebony Unit) in Rangerville, San
Benito.  This seems to be the latest date on which breeding has been
recorded in the LRGV.
I first saw the chicks last Sunday (November 10) on the final stop of an
RGV Birding Festival field trip that Stephanie Galla and I were leading.
 It was one of our group, Max (and I do apologize, Max, but I didn't note
your last name - please contact me if you read this), who called attention
to them.  I knew the sighting was significant but it wasn't one of
particular interest to the visiting birders and time was pressing so, after
quickly checking that the parent was not a Masked Duck, we headed back to
Harlingen.

It wasn't until a couple of days ago that I was doing notes on the trip and
thought again about the date.  The first book I tend to look at is Tim
Brush's *Nesting Birds of a Tropical Frontier* and, as I expected, Ruddy
Ducks are there described, on the authority of the *The Texas Breeding Bird
Atlas*, as 'confirmed but rare nesters in the Valley'.  The Atlas itself
(dealing of course just with the years 1987-1992) shows a couple of
confirmed breeding records in Hidalgo County and a probable in Cameron.
 What really caught my attention, though, was the statement that ducklings
had only been recorded in Texas in the period June 4 to August 19.

The data in the Atlas are now over 20 years old and Ruddy Ducks are a
generally increasing species, so I thought the dates might no longer be
applicable.  I therefore checked *The Birds of* *North America* online,
which I suppose is reasonably up-to-date.  The entry on Ruddy Ducks is by
Richard Brua.  He doesn't have any data directly relevant to the LRGV but,
in discussing hatching dates in different states, mentions nothing later
than early September in California.

All that caused me some consternation because, as I well remember from the
late 90s when we were trying to find breeding pairs in the Coastal Bend,
Masked Ducks do nest (when they nest at all) in the fall, and I began to
wonder whether I'd made a colossal misidentification (not for the first
time that morning!).  Hence the lateness of this report.  I did manage to
see the family group again this morning, however, and there is no doubt
that the parent is a Ruddy Duck.

They're still worth seeing, though.  And, if you've never been there, the
Ebony Unit is a great place for birding generally.  Detailed directions are
on eBird.

I'd be interested to hear, by the way, if anyone has any other information
on fall nesting of Ruddy Ducks in the LRGV.


Michael Marsden
956-276-4409
San Benito, TX


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[texbirds] Cameron Co: Ruddy Duck with downy chicks - 15 Nov 2013

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