Hi everyone- Linda Orkin just emailed me to let me know that these are domestic ducks which someone dumped at Beebe Lake about a month ago. Mystery solved. Thanks, Liisa
Liisa Mobley Electronic Resources Specialist Cornell University Library B60 Mann Library Ithaca, NY 14853 phone (607) 255-3241 fax (607) 255-3760 From: Liisa Mobley Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 10:24 AM To: '[email protected]' Subject: maybe a bunch of black ducks (or hybrid) behind mann library Hi- I was walking up from Beebe Lake a few minutes ago, and, just as I came up to edge of the Centennial Garden (which is a little wedge-shaped garden between Mann and Warren Hall), I saw a group of 7 or 8 ducks foraging in the soft soil and mulch under some plantings. Very dark all over, including their heads. Of course, this is the day I left my cell phone at home, so I didn't have a camera. The heads were dark in color, more like a mallard; they were somewhat iridescent. Bills varied somewhat in color from a greenish color to a more gray color (the lighting was a bit dim, so hard to describe exactly). Feet not bright orange - most looked more gray, some appeared to be gray with a more orangey or red color showing through (maybe mud? - but didn't look that way). Purple speculum, I didn't see any white. Mallard x black duck hybrids? Took me by surprise, as I haven't encountered ducks this far up the hill. Of course, we've had the owls living on the wall, and the red tails flying across the ag quad, so I guess we are expanding our menagerie. -Liisa Liisa Mobley Electronic Resources Specialist Cornell University Library B60 Mann Library Ithaca, NY 14853 phone (607) 255-3241 fax (607) 255-3760 -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
