ML473039181

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

RUDDY SHELDUCK Tadorna ferruginea August 2, 2004 Santa Maria Waste Treatment Plant 601 Black Road Santa Maria, CA 93454 In 2017 the AOU added Ruddy Shelduck to the North American checklist based on specimens from Greenland in 1892. They said reports from California and eastern North America probably mostly or entirely pertain to escapes from captivity. The proposal 2017-C-13 said: “Vinicombe and Harrop (1999) detailed records of vagrancy in Europe; apparently this species moves well out of its usual range (as far north as southeastern Europe) in years of European drought, having reached the United Kingdom, Iceland, and Greenland. Howell et al. (2014) also discussed this issue and accepted the Southampton Island birds as naturally occurring vagrants.” In addition Howell came to some guidelines to discern probably from mostly. Boiled down : late summer and a small group. In my experience most vagrants are young and dumb solo males. From sbcobirding “Yesterday, August 2, 2004 I was at the Santa Maria Sewage plant looking for migrant shorebirds, when Kathleen, the non-birder said: "What's that!” I turned and saw a cross between a goose and a 50/50 bar. It was an escaped exotic, a Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea). I took a digital picture of it and it appears to be a non-breeding male. Right after I got my picture the bird flew and that was an impressive sight.” From the exif data it was taken 8/2/2004 at 3:51 p.m. Finepix S5000. This is not an African (Cape) Shelduck. There is a record from August 8, 1992 at Tule Lake NWR which was not accepted by the California committee. There was a photo. In both birds identity is not the issue. One other thing Howell in Rare Birds of N.A. said was “…we consider that natural vagrancy is plausible and suggest that observers make an effort to document records of Ruddy Shelduck so that any patterns may be elucidated.” (Echoing P. A. Buckley’s similar request published in the August-September 2001 Birders Journal) You’re welcome. Two records of solo birds in early August is a pattern. The bird was not coming up to me looking for food like the ducks at Waller Park. It was skittish. It was with other wild ducks. The setting is rural. Allard et al mentioned their site as having good vagrants besides the shelduck. SM WTP has had Spotted Redshank, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, many Ruff and a Little Curlew was a short ride down Black Road. The shelduck acted wild and I believe it was a natural vagrant. Mark Brown

Technical information

Model

FinePix S5000

ISO

160

Focal length

57 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/6.3

Shutter speed

1/750 sec

Dimensions

1280 pixels x 960 pixels

Original file size

474.89 KB