Waterfowl Identification question

[Fisher Dave]

Today when I was running errands, just outside of Grand Rapids something on the water caught my eye that made me U-turn and pull off into the wayside rest.

I have what I would consider to be a good knowlegdge of waterfowl, but these got me. There were 2 pairs of these birds swimming up river at a good pace. The bodies were the size of a huge mallard. The drake bodies were ghostly white, no shading on the back at all. The heads were very dark (black?), but in the sunlight had an irridescent dark green tint to them. The bill was dark, looked black. The hens were a light brown, with some white mixed in. The heads on the hens had a rusty red tint to them. I'll post a better definition of the hens when my fiance wakes up if neccesary. I was so intrigued by the drakes trying to figure out what they were that good detail escaped me for the hens.

They definately were not:

Bluebills (Scaup)
Golden eyes (Common or Barrows)
Mergansers
Canvasbacks or Redheads
Buffleheads
Loons

[canvasback kid]

sounds like some ider's (sea ducks)

[BLACKJACK]

Canvasbacks (white back) or shovelers (the green head).

[Ol'MarbleEyes]

Sounds like Common Mergansers to me??? Did they have broad bills or sawbills(slender and pointy)??

[Guest]

Yep, kinda sounds like the big Mergansers I shoot on Winni in the very late season.

The only question is what did their bill look like? Color, shape? If the drake had a longer reddish bill the may be the Merganser. Hens are light brown in color I believe.

[Fisher Dave]

We werent close enough to get a good look at the shape of the bill ... I thought of Shovelers, but it wasnt them either after looking at a photo at DU.

Cross referring to photos at DU, they are definately not mergansers (common or hooded).

I wish I had a camera along to get a picture.. these were unlike anything I have seen before. They were swimming in direct sunlight so the colors showed perfectly. The bodies were all white, back and all.

My fiance is awake .. she was saying the hen had no visual white to it, but it was a lighter brown, with an irredescent rusty redish brown head in the bright sunlight.

[Guest]

My second guess is a White Winged Scoter. I have had these birds within 10 yards of me on Winni and I couldn't figure out what they were, so I did not shoot them If I can't ID, I don't pull the trigger! Boy, did I regret that decision that day

Look up that pic. They are large birds as you describe with white.

[Fisher Dave]

I finally found a picture of a white wing scoter .. they are mostly black .. no way that was it.

I have harvested a couple surf scoters in time hunting minnesota .. they do show up once in a while ... they are to say the least *different*. That funky bill they have is a dead give-away.

Although I couldnt tell the exact shape, these birds had a standard duck bill ... the beak didnt seem narrow, or elongated like a merganser.

I would have thought they were canvasbacks for sure if they didnt have that dark head with a green tint. They look very similar.

[loc9fisher]

maybe you found a brand new species of duck. a new 2003 model.
good work dave

[This message has been edited by loc9fisher (edited 04-08-2003).]

[loc9fisher]

try looking up these birds, name specific - common merganser, common goldeneye, and for giggles common eider, couldn't hurt to look at a picture of a hen and drake canvasback either.
i have a book of n. american waterfowl in front of me and the first 3 best fit your discription, and the common merganser fits it best.

[deadeye]

It sounds to me like they were common mergansers, if not them then maybe a canvasback. Here is a link that might show a picture of it, scroll down, click on the species and then find where it says flashcard and click on that. http://www.birdperch.com/litbyfam.asp
good luck
deadeye

[RuKiddingMe]

I seen a simliar bird in the cities here, only these seemed a bit smaller then a mallard. I called my little brother whom has the best knowledge of waterfowl idtentification of anyone I know, he's a Wildlife artist (brilliant work for a 22 year old) and has studied them extensively. He told me they were common merganssers, and were pretty common around this area this time of year. First I have ever seen and I keep my eyes open in the spring.

Matt

[Ely Lake Expert]

Fisherdave,

I believe your wierd looking duck story and don't think that they are mergansers. I saw a 1 in front of my house swimming with mallards. It fits your description. I have never seen anything like it either.

Ely lake expert

[honker23]

I would say they are common mergansers, I see many around my house and they fit the description. Most pictures don't show what they look like this time of year.

[loc9fisher]

hey honker, i thought that all pictures show'd what the birds looked like this time of year. they should be at full plume right now shouldn't they?
not trying to pick a fight, but i thought that waterfowl's plumage was near perfect in the spring for mating season, and most pictures of waterfowl are taken when they look like what their supposed to look like. just a thought.

[Fisher Dave]

They definately were not common mergansers... have been seeing plenty of them (common mergansers) recently in the area I live. 110% sure its not them.

These were not mergansers.

[This message has been edited by Fisher Dave (edited 05-08-2003).]

[honker23]

I guess I should've referred to the plumage as the alternate adult male plumage. The bird is almost entirely white with the dark head that will change color in the sun. I'm pretty sure they were common mergansers, not trying to start a fight here, just don't think this was a new wierd species.

[bucktail]

common merganser. They love rivers,all mergansers do, especially in the spring, they are big and they have a lot of white. The males have a irridescent green, dark head. They look out of place somtimes. Scoters are too black, and there is now way an eider would ever make it to MN. Even if they did they would be easy to distinguish from other birds.