Subject: Mann Lake, ID, Nov. 12, 1998
Date: Nov 13 18:59:47 1998
From: "Deb Beutler" - dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu


I made my weekly trip to Mann Lake, Nez Perce Co., Idaho, from 1130 to
1330 PST. The weather was overcast and cool, approximately 40 degrees F,
with a stiff breeze. No rain. They are still repairing the dam so the
water is pretty low. But the bird number were high.
When I first arrived, there were several hundred ducks on the lake and
only a few CANADA GEESE. Then I scanned the surrounding fields and found
hundreds of geese. Suddenly, they all took off at once and flew back to the
lake; the ducks did the opposite flying in large groups to the field. I
couldn't understand why the ducks would go out while the geese were coming
in.
The waterfowl was pretty diverse for this small, inland reservoir. The
only goose species was CANADA GEESE, and there were hundreds of those. The
number of TUNDRA SWANS was 19 including 2 juveniles (Charles Swift has
reported the number is up to 36 today, Nov. 13). Most of the ducks were
MALLARDS with a large number of AMERICAN WIGEONS and NORTHERN PINTAILS mixed
in. I found six GREEN-WINGED TEALS and about twenty NORTHERN SHOVELERS.
The Green-wings were all in female-type plumage (possibly still in
eclipse?). Several of the Northern Shovelers were in a mixed plumage with
brown feathers still mixed in with the green head and white and red body.
The diversity of diving ducks was also high. I found four HOODED MERGANSERS
(three diving synchronously), about fifteen COMMON MERGANSERS, two male
REDHEADS, several LESSER SCAUPS, about twenty CANVASBACKS, about twenty
COMMON GOLDENEYES, and about sixty BUFFLEHEADS.
Non-duck waterbirds were a single AMERICAN COOT, two GREAT BLUE HERONS,
five RING-BILLED GULLS, two BONAPARTE'S GULLS, and five WESTERN GREBES.
There was an interesting interaction between two raptorial species. As
I drove past the first green gate, a male AMERICAN KESTREL was perched on
the pole. It flew down the road as I drove behind it then flew off into the
field. About fifteen minutes later, I noticed it flying back towards my
car. It was moving very fast and then I noticed the NORTHERN HARRIER fast
on its tail. They flew over the lake and suddenly, the harrier veered off
and began to hover just over the water. I put my scope on it just in time
to see it snag something that was floating on the top of the water. A
RING-BILLED GULL was watching this closely and was trying to steal the
floater but didn't want to get too close to the talons of the harrier.
Finally, the harrier snagged the floater and flew off past my car. The
floater appeared to some type of small rodent. The harrier disappeared into
the willows, closely followed by the Ring-billed Gull.
I also observed how jumpy birds can be at this time of year. When I
visit the lake, I stay in my car, using it as a blind, and scope the lake
with my spotting scope. They only trips I make out of the car are the ones
to the outhouses. Generally, I can sit there and the birds fly right past
the car or forage on the mud flats just below the car. While I was parked
near the old green outhouse, a large, black truck drove past me and parked
at the RC plane airfield. The two occupants got out of the car and walked
to the airfield. For some reason, this bothered the birds. The swans had
been "sleeping" with their bills tucked under a wing. Suddenly they woke up
and began swimming away from the shore. A bunch of ducks had been foraging
right below my car for almost twenty minutes; they suddenly took off. All
of the ducks on this side of the lake either swam or flew to the opposite
side of the lake (where they were running bull dozers and dump trucks all
along the dam). The men wandered around the willows for fifteen minutes
then got in the truck and drove off. The swans and many of the other ducks
swam back over to my side of the lake and went back to what they were doing
before the men got there. I had never seen such an adverse reaction to
people at this lake; these guys weren't particularly noisy and they weren't
very close to the water. Maybe it is just that time of year.
The only other birds I saw at the lake was a two female and one male
RING-NECKED PHEASANTS. No American Tree Sparrows this time.

On the way to Lewiston, I found a dead BARN OWL on the side of S.R. 195
about 2 miles north of Colton. The owl appeared to be a recent road kill
and was beautiful. I've seen five Barn Owls (not counting museum or zoo
specimens) in my life; three of them were dead! One of the live ones was
thanks to Kas Dumroese on the Moscow/Pullman CBC.

Deborah K. Beutler
Dept. Zoology
Washington State University
Pullman, Whitman Co., WA

dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu