Subject: Duck nesting (highlight Goldeneyes)
Date: Aug 7 20:53:57 1996
From: Kelly McAllister - alleyes at mail.tss.net


>Burt Guttman wrote:

>Peggi, what region does that refer to? Just Oregon? The Pacific
>Northwest? North America generally? Where is this additional habitat
>begin recreated?

At a Department of Fish and Wildlife Program meeting last week, Jim Tabor
provided an overview of some of the projects made possible by state duck
stamp funds. These projects include bulldozing ponds where natural
succession has produced meadows as well as building dikes to create ponds
isolated from sources of carp. Rotenone is then applied to kill the carp
and provide improved habitat for duck broods. Most of these projects are
being carried out on Department of Fish and Wildlife lands near Moses Lake
(Potholes and Frenchman Hills areas). Perhaps Oregon is creating or
improving habitat using similar techniques.

Also of interest to me was a conversation I had with Steve Zender, the Area
Wildlife Biologist in Chewelah. Steve has conducted waterfowl surveys in
the northeast corner of the state for many years. He has noted goldeneyes
on many northeastern Washington lakes and, based primarily on observations
of the males present on the early season survey, he indicated that Common
Goldeneyes nest on many lakes from Curlew Lake (near Republic) eastward.
Barrows goldeneye is the species which he sees west of Curlew lake. I
briefly reviewed the Breeding Bird Atlas maps last night (one of Michael
Smith's extremely useful accomplishments) and saw that confirmed Common
Goldeneye nesting in the northeast corner is limited to one location while
Barrows Goldeneye nesting locations are shown at locations that Steve Zender
indicated to be the domain of Common Goldeneyes. I am not sure what to
think about this discrepancy. Any thoughts?

Kelly McAllister
alleyes at mail.tss.net