Greetings All

There are about 15 records of Falcated Duck from AK, and previous records
from BC and WA have been accepted as likely wild origin. CA has chosen a more
conservative route for its two records, listing them as origin unknown, but
including Falcated Duck on its supplemental list.

It is virtually impossible to know origins of these birds. Falcated Ducks
migrate and have clearly made it to North America on their own, so why not
show up here? From what I remember Greg Toffic telling me (and Greg, chime in
when you can), Falcated Ducks are somewhat prized and not particularly
numerous in captivity. Baikal Teal from CA and CO have been accepted by their
state committees. Baikal Teal is endangered in the wild and, given that their
are so few birds to wander astray, therefore this species seems much less
likely to be a genuine stray.

I think that it is also interesting that the Falcated Duck showed up at the
best place in w WA for Eur Wigeon and Eur GW Teal. As to the disappearance of
this individual, I think it is headed north and was not gobbled up by some
hungry eagle looking for an exotic meal. A couple weeks prior, Dennis Duffy,
David Campbell and I scoured that flock carefully counting Euro Wigeons. If
their was a Falcated Duck in there, I'd bet we'd have seen it. Ducks are on
the move.

Cheers
Steve Mlodinow
Everett WA