The Flamboyant Spoonie and our indigenous duck

[Al Hansen]

Over the course of a few years, I have recently taken some keen interest in the North American Shoveler. I guess back on the last week of February, on the 24th, when I took a few pictures of a juvenile drake, is when I really got locked into the transformation that takes place with this male. When I zeroed in on the 1st two pictures, I thought perhaps it was a hybrid of some sort, not really paying attention to it in all the years I have been looking at it. Boy, this young male really does change in a big way.

Two days ago, March 7th, Bev and I decided to get out of the house. It was so windy outside that it prevented us from working in the yard or on our kennel. So with camera in hand we headed for the main entrance to Bosque del Apache NWR, which is only 13 miles from our garage door! Once there I took the 3rd picture of the adult male spoonbill.

Every once in a while I will take a spoonbill or two during our duck season down here. Since our season closes towards the end of January we sometimes are able to take this flashy looking duck. That just made me think of the first time I heard the name, Hollywood, which was given to this duck in the spring time. I guess the only thing missing would be a pair of sun glasses!

The last two shots were of 2 drakes, with one being a mallard/Mexican duck hybrid and the other a pretty good looking drake Mexican duck. I have no idea if that Mexican duck has green feathers on its head since I am colorblind red, green, and brown. The Mexican duck is indigenous to New Mexico and I enjoy seeing them all year long.

That just made me think of a pair of Mexican ducks that landed outside of my decoys around Thanksgiving time maybe a decade ago. As I observed them swimming about in the Rio Grande I began thinking that the drake was beginning to put a few moves on his mate that seemed quite suggestive to me. All of this time I had thought that the only time ducks would mate would be during the breeding season in the spring. It wasn't much longer for me to wait when I watched the two of them go through the mating ritual.

I was so interested in what I saw, that when I picked up and left to go home, I headed for Bosque del Apache first to talk with the head waterfowl biologist, John V. Just prior to his moving to Oregon, I do know that he was working on a project that involved the Mexican duck. I showed John the pictures that I took back then of them mating and he found that uniquely interesting. He concluded that the one thing he had noticed about this particular sub-specie of the mallard, was that a pair of Mexican ducks had the same tendencies of bonding that maybe a pair of Canada geese had. I have observed other pairs of Mexican ducks being together and not with a flock, which seems abnormal during the fall when most ducks will be in a flock if given the chance.

There is no doubt about Mother Nature and how she can get your attention on one thing or another. I happen to enjoy what I have seen and learned during my lifetime, thus far.
Al





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[Phil Nowack]

I love those shots. Just wish we had full plummed birds here during season.

 

[Al Hansen]

Hi Phil. I know what you are referring to having grown up hunting ducks in Minnesota. From there I hunted ducks in Alaska and all ducks were known as brown ducks. Then when I left there to live and hunt ducks in north-central Wisconsin, it seemed like more of the same.

As for down here the only way I can say something about duck hunting appropriately would be along this line---"I thought I died and went to Heaven." For the past 16 years I have been retired and that makes duck hunting much more fun AND each successive year seems to be fun but challenging. That is after body replacement parts are in place!
A

PS
How is your pup doing, Phil?

 

[Carl]

Beautiful photos and nice observations as well.
We are fortunate enough to get some nice spoonies here now & then.
And we have our own version of the mallard, the mottled duck. Sorta in between a Mexican Duck and a Black Duck. They seem to stick by themselves, in pairs or maybe small family groups, as well.

Hope all is well!

 

[Al Hansen]

Carl, the mottled duck that you have sounds as if it is a close relative of the Mexican duck. I appreciated reading about it. Thanks so much.
Al

When we saw the ducks I also took a shot of 3 of the small flock of 10 light geese that were still at the refuge. They were hunkered down with the 30+mph winds we had. They shouldn't have long to wait to fly back to the Arctic. Who knows, maybe they know what day the season ends on.



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[MLBob Furia]

[size 4]Al,
Just watched a video the other day ( Can't remember where now), showing a group of 5 or 6 spoonies swimming in the shallows in a tight circle so they could seine what they were churning up from the bottom through those "spoon" bills.
Pretty clever adaptive behavior!

 

[Al Hansen]

Bob, I have seen them do that down here. They can really work an area. Thanks for telling me about that video. I have also watched them work in areas loaded with invertebrates. If I see shovelers there I can also tell you that the spot will have a lot of teal. Warm days work perfectly for that food recipe.
Al