Hi, Just a quick note to mention that late in the day on the Olympia Christmas Count, I found what appeared to be a hybrid scaup x Tufted Duck. This was a male bird, with a blue bill, the occasional flash of green to the head, an all dark back and some darkish smudging on its white flanks. The "tuft" was quite small and often appeared as a clump of feathering off the back of the head, though at times, especially when feeding, it took on a bit more spikey texture. Jason Paulios soon arrived to view the bird with me.

Light was fading and I hope someone may re-find this bird and obtain the photographs that I could not.

Look for it in the north pool of Capitol Lake in Olympia, about 2/3 of the way down the west shore. It was rather close and accompanied by myriad other waterfowl... Trumpeter Swans and 18 other species were about... a sight worth seeing on its own.

Keith Brady

Olympia, WA