Subject: Hybrid Wigeons and Barn Swallows
Date: Feb 2 21:16:53 2003
From: Nigel Ball - nigelball at bainbridge.net


Hi,
There's an interesting article on the status and identification of American Wigeon in this month's British Birds. The plate of upperwing patterns is very helpful, as is the statement:
"Male Eurasians regularly have a small area of green feathering behind the eye, occasionally have extensive green behind the eye, and (rarely) have an extensive green post-ocular stripe resembling that of male American."

The conclusion is that several cross-over (?) features are a better indication of a hybrid. For example, the male at the big lake in Port Townsend (Saturday), which has nice speckled cheeks and pinkish on the sides of the belly in addition to both a eurasian/american head pattern.

Now barn swallows, of which there were 31 at Neah Bay today. They were difficult to see clearly (being somewhat frantically occupied with foraging), but none were in the advanced state of new plumage that would be expected for early Feb. Infact, some were a little startling, with old brown primaries, white underparts, short tails, and blotches of faded feathers. Have the other swallows over this winter been similarly unmolted?

Nigel Ball
Bainbridge Island
nigelball at bainbridge.net