Subject: American Black Duck
Date: Jan 7 17:17:50 1998
From: Raymond Korpi - rkorpi at clark.edu


I'm not sure how much this has gotten around Tweeters, but an AMERICAN
BLACK DUCK was found in a group of wild mallards on the Hood River, OR,
Xmas Count, on January 4. The bird was found by Dave Bailey, Jim Johnson,
and Skip Russell among others and much of the Portland-based birding
community drove up the river on Sunday afternoon to view the bird.

The bird was still with its group of Mallards from 1340 to 1410 today.
The bird is in the area of the Hood River Marina known as the Hook. From
I-84, take Exit 63, turn towards the Columbia, and head as far west as you
can (you can go either
left or right at the first stop sign and end up in the same place, makes a
somewhat convoluted loop) . The Hook is a wide
area at the far west end of the marina that you can drive out on. It is a
very good looking bird without bands and with intact toes and claws (seen
by others Sunday). The speculum also matches a wild bird. The size and
proportion of the bird were also right for a bird of wild origin (as
opposed to some bizarre Mallard types).

Well worth the trip. Also, the Hood River mouth and Marina have turned up
some other interesting birds so some dawdling is in order if you can
manage it.
RK
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ray Korpi "Television doesn't allow much depth."
Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA --Dan Rather, interviewed by
rkorpi at clark.edu Don Imus, 11/6/97
Compiler, Portland, OR CBC, January 3, 1998
President, Oregon Field Ornithologists
--New members always welcome--