Greetings All

As many of you are aware, I reported a GADW x FADU from the Kent Ponds. This
was based on the bird closely resembling the bird at
http://www.delhibird.org/images/GadwallxFalcatedDuck_2.jpg
which was photographed in India.

This bird (the Indian duck on the web) does not clearly fit what I'd have
guessed for FADUxGADW but seemed reasonable for this combo, and the ID was not
questioned by several well-known birders/waterfowl experts with whom I discussed
it. The Seattle (actually Kent) bird showed the same long downcurved
tertials, the bronzy iridescent cap (though more coppery on the Kent bird than the
India bird), the black and white neck collar, the bit of white about the eye and
bill base.

Today, in Snohomish County, I saw a bird which is clearly the same thing. It
was essentially a dead ringer for the web-site bird, except the white coming
up from the collar along the side of the face was a bit more evident, the
tertials weren't as long as the India bird (but as long as the Gadwalls that were
about, and all seemed to show tertials that were not as long as during winter--
wear?), the black neck ring was absent and the tail wasn't pure white.

Nonetheless, it was clearly the same type of bird. The question is, what is
it? Is this just some sort of aberrancy in Gadwall. I can't pick a hybrid combo
better than GADW x FADU to match this bird, yet I find it extremely unlikely
that I'd find two FADU x GADW in 6 months in w. WA, with one in June! It also
doesn't match the description given by Gilham and Gilham in their hybrid duck
series.

In any case, I've posted this on Frontiers of ID and to a few selected
individual birders for their insight, and I'll pass anything of note along. However,
I am certainly at this time retracting my previous claim to a FADU x GADW,
though I'd love to know what thhe heck these birds are.

Best Wishes
Steven Mlodinow
Everett WA