With the cluster of rare waterfowl being seen in this location, and the indication that at least the Pochard is an escapee it would be good to know what other birds, if any, the owner of the Pochard might have lost. In my mind, the cluster of rare and attractive waterfowl with a known escapee calls into question the provenance of all the rare species at the site. Has anyone taken close looks at the legs of any of the other rare birds here?
Michael R. Wasilco Regional Wildlife Manager NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Region 8 Bureau of Wildlife 6274 East Avon-Lima Road Avon, NY 14414 (585)226-5460 >>> Christopher Wood <chris.w...@cornell.edu> 1/7/2013 11:34 AM >>> Good morning, Tom, Jessie and I received some secondhand communications from Connecticut that someone in New York did lose a Common Pochard that fits this description. We also solicited some feedback from the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) on the band given the organizations expertise and involvement in Euring. Lee Barber who is the recoveries officer for BTO pointed out was that the ring is quite thin and you can't see the split on the ring (which may just be on the other side). The consensus at BTO is that it is probably hard to tell for certain, but the narrowness of the ring is disturbing. BTO maintains an excellent website of banding (ringing) recoveries, which is certainly worth examining. Here is a link to that of Common Pochard. http://blx1.bto.org/ring/countyrec/resultsall/rec1980all.htm Hopefully this won't discourage people from going to see the birds in this area. The concentration of birds that is among the best that I've seen anywhere in the Northeast and I can't imagine anyone being disappointed in the spectacle. While the presumed origin of this bird is disappointing, the diversity of other waterfowl in the area is great including Tufted Duck and multiple Barrow's Goldeneye and hybrid Barrow's x Common Goldeneye. I can say that this was easily one of the most enjoyable trips we've had in the last few years and hopefully others will think about going birding there -- with enough coverage, perhaps we can find a Smew. Good birding in 2013 to everyone. Chris Wood eBird & Neotropical Birds Project Leader Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York http://ebird.org http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu On Sun, Jan 6, 2013 at 6:38 PM, Tom Johnson <t...@cornell.edu> wrote: NYSbirders, I appreciate Andy Guthrie for posting our observations of the pochard's leg band earlier today. While watching the duck through my scope in Port Henry, several of us thought that the band on the bird's right leg appeared to be a white plastic-type band; however, analysis of photos shows that it is apparently a metal ring of some kind. I don't know what this means with regards to this individual's origin story, but hopefully some further investigation of ringing practices of wild pochards as well as aviculture-type bands will shed some light on the matter. While the provenance of this bird is unknown at this point, what is certain is that this is a fantastic looking duck and one surely worthy of study. Additionally, the dynamic waterfowl scene around Port Henry/ Champlain Bridge is awe-inspiring right now. Chris Wood will add some photos of the pochard from Port Henry today (including some that show the leg band) here: flickr.com/pinicola Cheers, Tom -- Tom Johnson Hummelstown, PA t...@cornell.edu -- NYSbirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics ( http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME ) Rules and Information ( http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ) Subscribe, Configuration and Leave ( http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ) Archives: The Mail Archive ( http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html ) Surfbirds ( http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L ) BirdingOnThe.Net ( http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html ) Please submit your observations to eBird ( http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ )! -- -- NYSbirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics ( http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME ) Rules and Information ( http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ) Subscribe, Configuration and Leave ( http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ) Archives: The Mail Archive ( http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html ) Surfbirds ( http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L ) BirdingOnThe.Net ( http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html ) Please submit your observations to eBird ( http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ )! -- -- 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/ --
