Tweeters,

The male FALCATED DUCK apparently turned up at the Colusa NWR on December 8,
2011, and has been seen by birders nearly every day since then. I had great
looks at the bird when I was there on Sunday, January 22nd. (Sounds like I
was there the same day as Steve!) The duck is usually seen in the first pond
on the right after one enters the refuge, which has a viewing platform that
will accommodate up to 10 people or so. The day I was there, it was seen
within 100 yards or so of the viewing platform-- not quite close enough for
me to get photos, but close enough for anyone with a big lens.

The Colusa NWR is only about 15 miles off Interstate 5, east of Williams, CA
in the Sacramento Valley. It is a convenient place to visit for anyone on
their way to or from southern California or points south who has 2 or 3
hours to spare. There is a 3-mile auto tour route, which is guaranteed to
produce a good list of birds any day that you visit. (I found 56 species
there on my recent visit, and 60 species on a visit in late March of 2011).
Other birds of interest there include such species as Common Gallinule,
White-faced Ibis, Black-necked Stilt, Tricolored Blackbird, and several
species of herons.

It seems likely that the Falcated Duck will remain there at least till
sometime in March, so I would advise any WA birders travelling south in the
next few weeks to check out the attractive Asian visitor if they have a
chance!

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net



-----Original Message-----
From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of steve adam
Sent: January-25-12 7:34 PM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Tweeters] falcated duck

While traveling with my son last Sunday north of Sacramento, we
decided to check out the Colusa NWR. It was cold, windy, and pouring
rain but when we saw a lady looking out over one of the ponds with her
scope, we stopped and asked her what was up. She informed us we were
about to lay our eyes on the bird of a lifetime: The beautiful male
Falcated Duck. He was only about 50 feet away and was easily seen and
watched for about 30 minutes by the rapt viewers, which numbered 3
due to the weather I'm sure. What an amazing and serendipitous moment
for the two of us who had no idea that this rare and beautiful duck
would cross our paths on that stormy day off a dirt road about 60
miles North of Sacramento.
Steve Adam
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