Subject: Re: Merganser Staging?
Date: Feb 20 12:58:56 1996
From: Eugene Hunn - hunn at u.washington.edu


That's been a tradition of theirs for at least the past 20 years.
100-200+ is typical between late November and early February.

Gene Hunn.

On Sun, 18 Feb 1996, Irene Wanner wrote:

> In Seattle, there have been about 100 common mergs--many more males than
> females--hanging out at Greenlake. They've been there this winter, but I
> am not sure when they arrived. Before the end of '95, I think. Any
> Greenlake regular walkers notice? - Irene
>
> On Sun, 18 Feb 1996, Michael Price wrote:
>
> > On Feb 14, Karen Irving and Duncan McLellan saw a tight flock of 60 Common
> > Mergansers, all alternate-plumaged males except for four females, on the
> > Fraser River at Deas Island Regional Park in South Delta. As it's awfully
> > early for the herring and oolichan runs, each several weeks away, and
> > usually waterfowl and seabirds that pile in here for those runs don't
> > usually migrate until they're over, has anyone any guesses for a) such a
> > large concentration and b) such a heavy male presence (obligatory bonding
> > joke here)? Inland bodies of water were ice-free at the time.
> >
> >
> >
>