Great weather for ducks

Island Wild for Fri. January 29, 2010

The male Green-winged Teal sports a cinnamon-coloured head with a shimmering emerald ear patch. Photo Jim Dubois.
It’s been a long, wet winter, and a common greeting on the streets these days is: “Great weather for ducks, eh?” In truth, it’s an accurate assessment. This time of year, the waterfront is flooded with about 40 different species of waterfowl and shorebirds ... just waiting to be discovered.
So many birds make our local offshore waters their winter home that it’s a virtual smorgasbord of wet feathered delights. February’s increase in daylight makes any rainless day a great time to grab binoculars and head down to the shore.
Gulls are challenging, with at least eight different species, leaving ducks as the easiest waterfowl to learn. Mallards win the trophy as the area’s most common dabbling duck, easily seen on any river, pond or shore. The male’s iridescent green head and chestnut breast are unique, while females are a drab brown – like most female ducks.
Three species of teal may be found locally on occasion, but normally, only the Green-winged is common here in winter. These smallest of the puddle ducks, 38-41 cm (15-16 in.) bring stunning colour to our grey winter waters. The male Green-winged Teal sports a cinnamon-coloured head with a shimmering emerald ear patch, along with a green ‘speculum’ (trailing edge of secondary feathers). A grand total of 48 Green-winged Teal were counted during Campbell River’s 2009 Christmas Bird Count.
Another duck worth knowing is the elegant, long-necked Northern Pintail. Almost twice as large as a teal, the pintail grows to about 66 cm (26 in). A winter visitor, the Northern Pintail features a pointed, pin-like tail (thus the name). The male’s chestnut-coloured head features a bold white line extending up from the white neck.
Day after day, rain or shine, cormorants stand their ground on offshore boulders, dive for small fish, or hitch a ride on floating logs. Identification is challenging, as slight size and colour variations exist between three West Coast cormorant species (Pelagic, Brandt’s and Double-crested). These large, dark seabirds often stand upright, holding their wings out to dry; cormorants lack the waterproofing found in most seabirds.
Other common waterfowl in local waters include shoveler, gadwall, wigeon, the colourful harlequin, little bufflehead and merganser. Scaup and scoters usually swim a bit further offshore. Oystercatchers can occasionally be seen at Rotary Park.