Sunday, February 21, 2021

Hybrid Ducks

This winter, I decided that I would put some extra effort into seeing and photographing hybrid ducks. The west end of Lake Ontario, including Hamilton Harbour, is a haven for winter ducks, so there are normally a few hybrids hanging around. I'm not sure if this was a particularly good year for hybrids showing themselves in common birding spots, but I managed to see a few, and some that are less common than others.

Redhead x Ring-necked Duck (02-Jan-2021)

My favourite of this winter's hybrids was a Redhead x Ring-necked Duck. One had been spotted by a couple of good birders at LaSalle Marina, so I went looking for it. After striking out a couple of times to find this bird, I had some extraordinarily good luck on the third time trying to find it. It was a very calm morning and a small raft of Redheads was sleeping quite close to shore right in front of one of my favourite spots for photographing ducks. After looking closely at each sleeping Redhead, I eventually came across one whose head was closer to purple-brown than the usual bold cinnamon-red of a Redhead. 

Hybrid REDH x RNDU sleeping with Redheads.
Note the difference in head colour and plumage.

REDH x RNDU keeping an eye on me while it tries to sleep.

It slept for almost the entire hour and a half I watched it, expect for about 30 seconds when I raised its head. As you can imagine, I snapped away like a madman when this happened!
Redhead x Ring-necked Duck hybrid: That is one gorgeous duck!

Redhead x Ring-necked Duck hybrid: That is one gorgeous duck!

Redhead x Ring-necked Duck hybrid: That is one gorgeous duck!

Redhead x Ring-necked Duck hybrid: That is one gorgeous duck!

Redhead x Canvasback (31-Dec-2020)
Scoring a close second in terms of my favourite looking hybrids this winter is this Redhead x Canvasback hybrid. Joanne Redwood has been reporting this duck for a couple of weeks by the time I actually found it. After many failed trips to LaSalle looking for it, I was walking along the shoreline path when I spotted a small group of 6 Canvasback ducks up ahead. I didn't have a great view of them through bushes and branches, but something made we look closely at them. I quietly walked out onto the rocks and positioned myself for when the ducks might swim right in front of me. As I waited, I was able to confirm that the REDHxCANV was indeed in the group that was swimming my way.

A lot of the markings on this duck make it look like a Redhead, until you notice the slope and size of the bill and that deep orange eye.

Redhead x Canvasback Hybird

Redhead x Canvasback Hybird with female Canvasback in front for comparison.

Redhead x Canvasback Hybird


Brewer's Duck: Mallard x Gadwall Hybrid (10-Jan-2021)

I've been waiting to see a Brewer's Duck! I thought I had one last winter, but it turned into a Mallard x American Black Duck hybrid. We didn't have the closest view of this hybrid duck, but I was happy to see it and get some record shots.

Brewer's Duck (Mallard x Gadwall hybrid)

Brewer's Duck (Mallard x Gadwall hybrid) with Canada Goose

Mallard x American Black Duck Hybrid (02-Jan-2021)
Mallard's seem to be very indiscriminate in their mating habits! Mallard x Black Duck hybrids are not exactly rare, but they're still interesting to see.
Mallard x American Black Duck hybrid

Common Goldeneye x Hooded Merganser Hybrid (20-Dec-2020)
Perhaps the most interesting hybrid I've seen this winter was this Common Goldeneye x Hooded Merganser. I didn't get particularly close views if this bird, but I dd manage a couple of record shots. I'll be on the look-out for better photos of this kind of hybrid in the future.
Common Goldeneye x Hooded Merganser hybrid




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