Thank you Doug,

That explains some of the excitement I thought I detected about the
"Europeans" on the east side. If you dropped the "European" and changed the
name to "Rusty-faced Widgeon" and took away the "American" Widgeons, the
"Rusty-faced" would be just another moderately common duck that might not
seem worth posting in the Seattle area. Maybe the AOU would change the name
to give it more meaning and take away the implication that it is not also an
American bird. We might call the "American" a "Green-faced Widgeon" or we
could make a silly name for it, referring to the white top of its head, and
call it a "Baldpate".

I assume the American Widgeons are common in your area.

Stewart

-----Original Message-----
From: TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu
[mailto:TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu]On Behalf Of Doug Schonewald
Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 6:23 AM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: RE: Eurasian Wigeon/American Wigeon Ratios


Stewart & Tweets,

Going through my records indicates that the ratio varies depending upon the
body of water and the year. Some years it is higher, some much lower.
That being said, the average for Migraine Lake appears to be around 120
(give or take a few points) to 1 American to Eurasian. The overall county
looks nearer to 200 to 1. This is not totally accurate as I often do not
count all the Americans observed so this data is somewhat tainted. Perhaps a
census counter out there has more accurate numbers.
I think that it is normal in the interior for these ratios to be higher.
The further away from the coast that you go the fewer Eurasians are found.
A good example is Northern Idaho where there are large numbers of American
Wigeon in certain locations (sometimes numbering in the tens of thousands),
but very few Eurasians are found. Round Lake in Kootenai county and the Pend
Oreille River between Sandpoint and the Washington border are good examples
of this. Perhaps someone in Idaho could elaborate on the ratios there.

Doug Schonewald
Moses Lake, WA
dschone8 at donobi.net


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