Hi Nancy,

The duck you saw is indeed a hybrid Mallard, as Martin suggested. She?s
been around the Park for 2-3 years, and has been affectionately dubbed the
?Khaki Duck.? And as you noted, she is very prolific.

Glad you had a chance to see the Cinnamon Teals
they?re rare visitors during
spring migration.

MaryFrances Mathis
Kirkland
mf.mathis at verizon.net



-----Original Message-----
From: TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu
[mailto:TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu]On Behalf Of Nancy
Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 6:42 PM
To: Tweets
Subject: Help identifying a female duck with chicks

Hi Tweeters:
Here is what we saw today in Juanita Bay- early afternoon 4/20/04
Bald Eagle- 1 mature, 1 immature
Cinnamon Teal- pair- GLORIOUS
Gadwall- pair
2 male Mallards
1 pair of Pied- Billed Grebe
Coots
24-Double-Crested Coromorants
GBH- flying and being chased by a couple of red-wing males
Song Sparrows
Red Wing Blackbirds- many
Marsh Wrens- many calling- saw 1 building a nest
American Crows, Robins
Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads, Lesser Scaup
Black Capped Chickadees
I saw a female duck that I could not identify. She had a clutch of 13
sleeping chicks. She was a large duck with very few markings. No mottled
feathers on her back like the female Gadwall or Mallard. Her coloring was a
pale taupish tan. She had a dark edge on her wing. Her face was a bit darker
than her lighter body that gradually became ligher from her head to her
legs. She had bright orange feet. No top-notch and much larger than the wood
duck female. There was a white patch just above her tail and a stripe in
her eye. But most of the female ducks have that same stripe.
I heard from a photographer there that the birding group had been there
earlier and sighted the cinnamon teals and some wood ducks. Did you happen
to see the mother and her chicks?
Nancy
Renton, WA.