For the past few weeks an Aythya Duck had been present on Sunken Meadow Creek that has drawn my interest. The bird's soft parts plumage suggest a male Ring-necked Duck, but the head shape seems too round, and the bill is longer and wider than a typical Ring-necked Duck, giving the head a Scaup-like appearance. The bird sometimes associates with Hooded Mergansers, otherwise staying by itself. I have posted a photo of the duck on my flickr site with a male Ring-necked Duck to its left for comparison. Feel free to weigh in on what you think this bird might be. Pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kfeustel/
Ken Feustel -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
