Hi Tweets

I observed this duck in a lake while birding in Okanogan County on Sunday.
Ducks are usually pretty obvious, but this one confused me (Gene Revelas
figured it out pretty quickly, but I saw him scratching his head too):

A lone diving duck, in relatively deep water, with about 5-8 second dive
time.
About 1.3 times the size of a nearby Ruddy Duck.
Round head
Medium long bill all black with no markings (not Shoveler or teal type)
Overall warm brown with back slightly darker than sides
Overall same brown tones on face, but lighter around the eye and cheek
Cap from top of bill to nape is a bit darker than cheek
Fairly long-necked
Lighter on neck and chin, down to where darker brown breast starts abruptly
Light belly
Upper wing is brown; lacks speculum
Under wing lining is lighter than upper wing

Remember, you're in Okanogan County in mid-summer.

Incidentally, there were no mountain beavers to be seen :-)

Rick Romea
Seattle, WA
rromea at stioptronics.com

206-523-5831 (Home)
425-827-0460 X 316 (Work)
___________________________________

Flying isn't the hard part; Landing in the net is.
- Mario Zacchini, sensational human cannonball.