The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Looks like a female to me,i thought adult males had pink in the bill,and obvious long-tails,this individual must be an aberrant one?


Regards


Steve

I'm sure I can see a pink patch in the bill and perhaps the tail's hidden by the waves?

John

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Lincolnshire Birds https://www.flickr.com/photos/120340949 ... 8078912016
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Contact: recorder_north@lincsbirdclub.co.uk

You've got better eyes than me John,almost as if your seeing something that isn't there.


Regards



Steve

[quote="Stephen Routledge"]You've got better eyes than me John.

Thanks Steve. I accept your great compliment

John

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Lincolnshire Birds https://www.flickr.com/photos/120340949 ... 8078912016
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Contact: recorder_north@lincsbirdclub.co.uk

It has got a little pink in its bill, but would its head not be whiter than that in winter. I thought it was a female until i was told its a male???

It's very similar to the one also photographed by Russell Hayes at Huttoft on 11/11/06 ! also in rare bird album. I'm pretty sure that was an imm. male as that had pink in the bill.
Geoff

This years and last year's bird for comparison.

There has recently been a 1st winter male Long-tailed Duck at Rutland water,if you check out there web-site,there are a couple of photo's,this bird shows no pink in the bill,but does have white scapulars like the Huttoft bird,so it looks like the Huttoft bird could be a 1st winter male,as suggested previously,not an adult male,as reported last weekend.


Regards

Steve

That would make sense with the pink in the bill, i only saw it on my pictures when i down loaded them

In the field it looked like a female but spent long periods under water making choice of age/sex tricky, especially while trying to digiscope it at the same time. On checking the photos it became clear that the bird had some white feathers on it's back and the dark central back streak pointed towards a male. The bird's head shape appears more masculin than the other bird present last year which I believe was an adult female. The lack of adult winter plumage would suggest a 1st Winter bird. It is interesting to see that the Rultand bird has also changed sex from the first report to the last on Birdguides.
The question remains, was the bird Simon Spavin saw a different bird?

Out of interest I looked up Long-tailed Duck in Baker's "Identification Guide to European Non-Passerines". Quote "Juveniles and immatures through autumn difficult if not impossible to sex on plumage, but variably time acquisition by male of broad pale band on bill best guide." Judging by this thread it seems about right!