Hi Tweets,

A couple of posts from UKBirds that has some interesting points on waterfowl
vagrants/escapes ID. Last paragraph of the second post is perhaps
premonitory for this region. Any ideas on how to preclude the European
situation from happening here?

Michael Price We aren't flying...we're falling with style!
Vancouver BC Canada -Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story
mprice at mindlink.net


>In article <000430A3.4094 at hitachi-eu.com>, Simon Nichols <snich at hitachi-
>eu.com> writes
>>
>>"come on all you plastic duck supporters start mocking this record as
>>well............."
>>
>>Nice to see such an early reply - cheers Malcom.
>>
>>what are the general views of the Net on this issue - 1 for and 1
>>against so far.
>>
>>Is there a correlation on wether or not you saw the bird involved
>>( Bias !).
>I didn't see it and don't want to see it. I've seen the species, in
>large numbers, in its rightful range. Anyway, this has no bearing on my
>views. I didn't say Richard was necessarily wrong, merely that there are
>other possibilities.
>>
>>with the increase of birds on the other side of the atlantic
>Agreed for many species but NOT, as it happens, Canvasback, which has
>seriously declined in some areas (see HOBW for some figures, e.g.
>250,000 in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, and therefore on east coast of NA,
>in 1950s to only 50,000 recently).
>
>> and the
>>advances made in the Identification of neartic wildfowl
>Agreed.
>
>> I think the
>>chances of it being wild probably outweigh the chances of an
>>Unringed,
>Only a minority of waterfowl keepers ring all their birds.
>
>>fully winged,
>Some waterfowl keepers are leaving certain species full-winged because
>they breed better that way - see my earlier remarks about Barrow's
>Goldeneye.
>
>> wary,
>This, to my mind, is NEVER a guide to origin. I see no reason whatsoever
>why a captive bird should be tame, or, for that matter, why a wild bird
>can't be confiding. Some captive birds, in my lengthy experience, are
>extremely wild all their lives. An escapee would, I feel, also be likely
>to adopt the behaviour of whatever it is with.
>
>> immaculate plumage condition
>So are 99% of waterfowl in captivity, especially at this time of year
>when the post-breeding moult is more or less complete. You might find
>tatty plumage in a bird kept in a closed aviary, e.g. raptors, but a
>duck kept on a pond normally keeps its plumage in very good order - it
>needs to in order to stay waterproof.
>
>> and mixing
>>with its common congeners
>But that is exactly what you would expect. Single escaped geese
>regularly spend time in goose flocks.
>
>> escapee - it would have some of these
>>chars. but not all.
>As you can see, I would dispute that.
>
>>Lets have some lively debate for a change
>Well, here's another contribution from me!
>
>Malcolm
>--
>Malcolm Ogilvie, Isle of Islay, Scotland, U.K.


> Malcolm Ogilvie writes on UKBN:
>
> "A large collection in Norfolk has full-winged Barrow's Goldeneye and
> Long-tailed Ducks, among others, and that's about 30 miles from Welney
> and 70 miles from Abberton, just 1 or 2 hours flying for a Canvasback.
>
> Incidentally, while I agree with the general premise that once over
> this side of the Atlantic there is a tendency to stay, I was not a
> little pleased to be responsible for an exception. I ringed a
> Ring-necked Duck in March several years ago at Slimbridge and it was
> shot in Greenland two months later".
>
>
> After all, I believe the pleasure is entirely on the side of the
> birders of NW Europe, being left with waterfowl faunistics in total
> chaos and a hopeless discussion on whether a Canvasback is able to fly
> or not. The renovation of the Anatidae lists of Europe is today beyond
> the capabilities of modern science, - it is in fact a total guesswork,
> when you even can't trust a Long-tailed Duck to have originated from a
> wild stock.
>
> What a mess.
>
> Tor B.
> tor.bollingmo at adm.ntnu.no
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