Ernst Mutchnick found what he suspected as a Mottled Duck at Ketcham's Creek, southwest Suffolk County, on the evening of Tuesday, 5 April. This is a tricky identification, given hybridization between Mallards and Black Ducks, and between Mallards and Mottled Ducks, among the varied contenders among Big Brown Ducks.
Efforts to re-find it throughout the day on Wed and Thu were unsuccessful, but this male bird was present (with a female Mallard) this morning, and it has been visible off and on throughout the morning. The bird appears quite typical of the nominate, Florida subspecies, showing the characteristic black gape mark, a pale face with very fine streaking on the upper cheek and a clear throat; a very narrow white rear border to the speculum (and no visible white at the front edge), and no signs of whiteness or curliness in the tail feathers. Photos are available here: https://flic.kr/p/2nd8cNZ This is a sensitive site with limited streetside parking in a residential neighborhood. Please be careful and courteous. Shai Mitra Bay Shore -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
