For the last few days there has been a female duck at the upper end of
Veterans Pond, mixed in with an A. Coot, a C. Goldeneye, and various other
ducks. Because the greenbelt is closed at that point, it is not possible to
get very close. I have been noting it in my day lists as a Lesser Scaup. But
today, Jason Talbot happened by while I was looking at the duck, and he
wondered if it might not be a Greater Scaup. As he reminded me, there were 3
greater Scaup on the same pond at one point last year, but they didn’t stick
around very long. We both equivocated as to the identification, and it
hadn’t been a problem for me since I regularly see (male) Lesser Scaup in
the infield at Les Bois track (but not today). Since I don’t keep track of
the # of individuals, just the # of species, it hasn’t been an issue. But at
the same time, I don’t like mis-identifying birds (much like I didn’t like
witnesses mis-identifying my clients).
Anyway, long story short, when I found 2 females at Laguna Pointe, it became
obvious to me that the one at Veterans is a Greater Scaup. The white around
the bill is more extensive, and the head shape, while difficult to see at a
distance, is quite different than the 2 at Laguna Pointe. Plus, the
coloration is duller on the Lessers and brighter on the Greater. Hopefully
someone with more experience with these birds will get down there and prove
or disprove my identification.
Directions: follow the greenbelt to the Veterans Park end of Esther Simplot.
There is a lot of construction/destruction going on in the vicinity and
backup alarms are a constant noise. There’s a large chain link fence erected
to keep people from going into Veterans from Esther, but you can stand at
the fence and look at the quiet little bay at the upstream end of Veterans
Pond. The duck is usually in company with the Coot and the Goldeneye, but
there are other ducks there as well.
Tom McCabe, Boise
P.S. I took a longer ride today, down past the Garden City West Bridge.
There were 2 adult Bald Eagles sitting side by side on a tall power pole
across the river and upstream from the heron and cormorant rookery. I also
encountered 3 different Merlins, one very dark, almost black, one with
reddish streaking, and the 3rd intermediate between the others. I also found
my FOY GW Teal, and, thanks to Danette, I found my FOY Pacific Wren. Final
tally was 43 birds in over 22 miles.