ML541997851

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

The first eBird record of Tufted Duck for West Virginia and Preston County. An adult male, the bird was slightly larger than nearby Ring-necked Ducks and both species of scaup, with a longer neck and a distinctive tuft, or crest, that hung down from the back of the bird’s head and blew wildly in the wind. The upperparts, tail, undertail coverts, and breast were black, the flanks were bright white, the eyes were yellow, and the head was blackish. (In good light, the head of the adult male Tufted Duck has a purple iridescence, but I was not able to observe that due to snow flurries.) The bill was bluish-gray with a black tip, lacking the white subterminal band that is present on the bill of Ring-necked Duck. This European species has a pattern of regular vagrancy to the Canadian Maritime provinces, the northeastern Atlantic states down to Virginia, the Great Lakes region, as well as scattered records across the interior of the continent. Tufted Ducks have been recorded from each of the states surrounding West Virginia.

Technical information

Model

Canon PowerShot SX620 HS

ISO

80

Focal length

112.5 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/6.6

Shutter speed

1/200 sec

Dimensions

640 pixels x 480 pixels

Original file size

100.28 KB