Tag: Eurasian Wigeon

Sunny Day at Westmoreland Park

by John Rakestraw, posted in identification challenges, OR Birding Sites, Uncategorized


Best known as a local gull hotspot, Portland’s Westmoreland Park also hosts good numbers of Cackling Geese in winter. This December has been unusually dry and sunny, so instead of my photos being grainy and dark, they are now overexposed.


Ridgeway’s Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii minima) is the smallest race of Cackler, only slightly larger than a Mallard. Their stubby bills and purplish breasts are good field marks. Many individuals also display a prominent white collar.


cuteness


Of course, you can’t visit Westmoreland in winter without appreciating a Thayer’s Gull. This is such a hard bird to find throughout much of the country, I always stop to enjoy them, despite their local abundance. You can’t see this bird’s eye or bill, but the white underside of the far wing and the amount of white visible on the outermost primary (p10) on the near wing are both good clues to the bird’s ID. (yeah, I’m a bird nerd, and I’m proud.)


Eurasian Wigeon is another species that Portlanders enjoy on a regular basis, while birders elsewhere can only dream.

Eurasian and American Wigeons

by John Rakestraw, posted in identification challenges


It’s always nice when similar species pose side by side for direct comparison. These two wigeons, Eurasian on the left, American on the right, were engaged in some synchronized grazing. The female Eurasian Wigeon is a warm brown color, compared to the colder gray/brown tones of the American.


Male wigeons are easier. The Eurasian has a rusty head with just a hint of green behind the eye, and a clear demarcation between the pinkish breast and the gray vermiculated sides.

Random Waterfowl

by John Rakestraw, posted in behavior, identification challenges

Here are some random shots of some of the many waterfowl species that winter in the Willamette Valley


This Common Merganser was swimming with her face submerged, looking for fish. I have also seen loons hunt in this way.


the same bird preening


Here she finally shows her face. The clearly demarcated white chin helps to differentiate this species from the similar Red-breasted Merganser.


This female Eurasian Wigeon is recognized by her brown head. Notice the female American Wigeon on the right with her gray head.


Here is a distant shot of a mixed flock of waterfowl (click to enlarge). From left to right, you can see Ring-necked Duck, Canvasback, Cackling Goose, American Coot, and American Wigeon.

Wigeon ID

by John Rakestraw, posted in identification challenges

I combed the wigeon flocks at Portland’s Westmoreland Park and found examples of both species.

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The bird in front is a male Eurasian Wigeon; the two in back are male American Wigeons. On the Eurasian, note the rusty head with the blond crown and the clear demarcation between the rose breast and gray sides.
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another shot of the male Eurasian

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The female Eurasian Wigeon has a warm brown head that blends in with the breast. The markings on the head are diminshed in the throat area.

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Here’s the female Eurasian Wigeon with the male in the background.

american-wigeon-female
On a female American Wigeon, the gray head contrasts with the brown breast. The head markings remain bold in the throat area.

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On some male American Wigeons, the cream color of the crown extends over much of the face.

american-wigeonhybrid-wigeon
The bird in back is a typical male American Wigeon. The bird in front is a hybrid American X Eurasian Wigeon. The hybrid shows the rusty head coloring of a Eurasian with the green eye-stripe of an American. The bird’s sides show both rose and gray.

americanxeurasian-wigeon
The same hybrid, showing an even blending of characteristics from both species.

Winter is setting in.

by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

With the onset of cooler temperatures and short days, a birder’s attentions are drawn to the avian stars of the Willamette Valley in winter, waterfowl and gulls. Yes, there are sparrows about, and the American Goldfinches are emptying my feeders on a daily basis. But I really enjoy the cacophony of a few thousand Cackling Geese and the challenging genetic soup that makes up the gulls of the West Coast.

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American and Eurasian Wigeons

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Cackling Geese

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Thayer’s Gull