ML576306271

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

I'd seen this duck first as people were filtering in to look at the, until now, pretty rare Stilt Sandpiper. I called it a black duck because...what were the odds. Light head, two-toned against a darker body. However, after a call last night and a long discussion with Matt Juskowich, he introduced the idea that this was a Mottled Duck. Looking at photos by other friends who were there, compared with All About Birds and other sites, I got convinced that Matt was almost definitely correct. I sent the best photo off to my longtime best friend birder who not only has lived around Mottleds in Florida for over a decade, but who also has a nice history with the Aviary, ABA, and other bird/conservation organizations that give him a lot of insight into the birds, and he confirmed the photo was a Mottled Duck. While the head features all look good enough, I was struck by the body plumage being mottled rather than scalloped as with a black duck. The feather edging and central line are dark, and overall the feather composition matches Mottled Duck to a tee to me. Thanks to Matt for pointing this out to me!

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 60D

Lens

EF75-300mm f/4-5.6

ISO

800

Focal length

300 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/8.0

Shutter speed

1/320 sec

Dimensions

784 pixels x 522 pixels

Original file size

397.82 KB