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FORWARDED FROM: Gates, Bryan
FROM: Gates, Bryan
DATE: 21/11/94 14:59
TO: Katie Sauter

CC:
SUBJECT: American Black Duck; Flickers
PRIORITY:
ATTACHMENTS:
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It would be interesting if we could trace the origin of your Black Duck.
There is a small "flock" near Chemainus on Vancouver Island that has been
breeding at an open private lake for a dozen years or more. Occasionally one
or two will move out and appear in other parts of S. Vancouver Island. Some
birders count them as an entry on their lists since they have been breeding
unrestrained for 10 or more years. They may be "wild", but I assume they are
supplemented to some extent with food at this private lake/lodge. But who
knows, yours could be an eastern vagrant.

Oct. and Nov. are good months for a movement of Northern Flickers onto and
through S. Vancouver Island and the BC/Washington mainland coast.
This movement often results in sightings of pure red-shafts, pure yellow-
shafts and every degree of intergradation between the two races (i.e. birds
showing degrees of reddish-orange, and quite a few with "red" shafts but
with red whisker AND red nape..I saw one yesterday). I've even seen one with
whisker stripes that were half red and half black. Godfrey (Birds of Canada,
1986) recognizes 4 subspecies in Canada, 3 of which breed in BC, including
Colaptes auratus borealis (yellow-shafted), which breeds in Alaska, Yukon,
NE British Columbia and across n. Canada. I assume it is this subspecies
that overlaps with C. a. cafer (the coastal red-shafted race), produces
the intergrades and migrates to SW BC and NW Wash. Watch for them and
please let me know if you find some interesting combinations.

Bryan R. Gates
3085 Uplands Rd.
Victoria, BC
(604) 598-7789 or at Victoria Rare Bird Alert (604) 592-3381
bgates at assessment.env.gov.bc.ca