ML21422711

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Media notes

Two female-plumaged White-winged Scoters initially found on 25 October 2015 by Julie Szabo and Charity Hagen were photographed today by Curtis A. Marantz on the Salton Sea off the Whitewater River delta.

Observation details

Howard spotted in the bay to the west of the river mouth two continuing scoters that we concluded were female-plumaged White-winged Scoters based on a variety of characters. We were initially able to see these birds in reasonably good light but at quite a distance. Shortly later, after the others arrived, we again saw these two birds at much closer range, but they were now rather strongly backlit. Although these birds were initially seen together but away from other ducks we eventually saw them in close proximity to the two Long-tailed Ducks and not too far from the Surf Scoters. These birds were much larger and stockier overall than the Long-tailed Ducks, but they even stood out as larger than the Surf Scoters. They also had large heads, short and relatively stout necks, and conspicuously large and plump bodies. Unlike the Surf Scoters these birds appeared to have the base of the upper mandible largely covered by feathers, which resulted in a more sloping forehead and maybe a more domed appearance to the crown, yet both birds also had the bill appearing somewhat larger than I typically associate with the species. I saw the wings only briefly when these birds flapped their wings a few times and was able to note little in the way of the shape. More obvious was a short tail that was held cocked strongly upward at maybe a 60° angle above the water. Both birds appeared blackish overall, at least in the somewhat backlit conditions under which we made our observations. Contrasting with the blackish color of the face on each bird was a rounded (or oval) spot of white on the auriculars, and at least one bird seemed to have some paler coloration just above or behind the base of the bill in a place that should not have been feathered in a Surf Scoter. What I did not see on either bird was a contrasting black cap or a bleeding from the pale region at the base of the bill into the auricular spot, both of these being obvious on the Surf Scoters. I noted little or no contrast, at least under the backlit conditions, between the rest of the head, neck, upperparts, flanks, or tail. The wings also typically appeared blackish, but at times we noted a narrow wedge of white near the middle of the closed wing that when one bird flapped its wings was clearly obvious as a rectangle of white on the secondaries. I further thought the unfeathered part of the bill was blackish and that the eyes were dark, or at least not obviously pale, under less than ideal light conditions.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF400mm f/5.6L USM

ISO

500

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/8.0

Shutter speed

1/1600 sec

Dimensions

1439 pixels x 1023 pixels

Original file size

835.71 KB