[All photographs copyright, Gary Nunn 2014] – I spotted this male “Brewer’s Duck” (Mallard X Gadwall hybrid) at Lindo Lake on 08 March 2014. It was associating with mixed dabbling ducks on the shallow east lake. It is certainly an interesting looking interspecific hybrid. This type of hybrid duck is most famous for being painted by John James Audubon who named it in honor of his friend and fellow ornithologist Thomas Brewer. Audubon clearly suspected there might be something awry here and noted in his description the similarity of the male bird he painted to the Mallard but added “It may possibly be an accidental variety, or a hybrid between that bird and some other species, perhaps the Gadwall, to which also it bears a great resemblance”. I couldn’t agree more!

This individual appears to be a different one from another male “Brewer’s Duck” found by Bruno Struck at Santee Lakes on 29 Nov 2013. The Santee Lakes bird had larger yellow cheeks. The extent of the yellow face marking does seem to vary in this hybrid although both these examples match closely those documented elsewhere on the internet.

“Brewer’s Duck” (hybrid Mallard X Gadwall) – Lindo Lake, Lakeside, San Diego County, California 08 March 2014

“Brewer’s Duck” (hybrid Mallard X Gadwall) – Lindo Lake, Lakeside, San Diego County, California 08 March 2014

“Brewer’s Duck” (hybrid Mallard X Gadwall) – Lindo Lake, Lakeside, San Diego County, California 08 March 2014

[All photographs copyright, Gary Nunn 2013] – In the last couple of years of looking at wintering ducks on Mission Bay I do not recall seeing a Canvasback Aythya valisineria before so this was quite a nice local patch find! There are many ritzy looking Redhead on the bay right now but the shape and deep chestnut head of the Canvasback is just so classy looking in my opinion. The negative tide, about minus 1.4 feet, had drawn down the water in Rose Creek substantially, and many diving and dabbling ducks had collected there milling around feeding in the shallows. I spotted this splendid male Canvasback paddling toward the bikepath bridge over Rose Creek (west terminus of North Mission Bay Drive). It looked quite edgy by itself and suddenly took off flying strongly toward the bay, but then veered directly around and flew back right over me on the bridge! I last saw it cupping its wings as it settled in to Rose Creek, just north of Grand Avenue in Pacific Beach. A tiny area of open water so it should not be difficult to relocate!

Canvasback – Rose Creek, Mission Bay 09 Jan 2013

Canvasback – Rose Creek, Mission Bay 09 Jan 2013

Canvasback – Rose Creek, Mission Bay 09 Jan 2013

Canvasback – Rose Creek, Mission Bay 09 Jan 2013

Canvasback – Rose Creek, Mission Bay 09 Jan 2013

[All photographs copyright, Gary Nunn 2012] – Amid the excitement of finding and photographing San Diego County’s first Great-winged Petrel I had forgotten about this nice adult female Black Scoter Melanitta americana that was spotted by local birder Jay Keller. Jay arrived just twenty minutes after the petrel came by the point and he immediately picked out the Black Scoter among a pack of fast-moving Surf Scoter while waiting patiently to see if the petrel would return. The buffy cheek, throat and neck, clearly demarcated from the completely dark brown upper and underparts indicates this is an adult female Black Scoter. This bird shows off some interesting paler edges to the primaries as well as whitish “dots” on the tips of the secondaries, the latter particularly visible from beneath. Adults undergo definitive prebasic molt by November so perhaps this is a feature of the new plumage.

Black Scoter adult female – Point La Jolla, La Jolla, California 18 Dec 2012

Black Scoter adult female – Point La Jolla, La Jolla, California 18 Dec 2012

Black Scoter adult female – Point La Jolla, La Jolla, California 18 Dec 2012

[All photographs copyright, Gary Nunn 2012] – I was driving out of Robb Field, Ocean Beach when I noticed two suspiciously small white birds feeding on the short turf of the main baseball pitch. Dwarfed by nearby Western Gulls there was no mistaking two white morph Ross’s Goose Chen rossii feeding happily on the tender green grass shoots. Occasional batted balls went flying by and a dog flushed them but they kept on coming back for the good grazing! In one of the flight shots you can see the dark marked secondaries of the hatch year bird in the background and the white secondaries of the adult in the foreground. The hatch year bird also has greyish legs while the adult has pink legs and shows a more wrinkled look to the bill.

Ross’s Geese – Robb Field, Ocean Beach, San Diego 08 Dec 2012

Ross’s Goose – Robb Field, Ocean Beach, San Diego 08 Dec 2012

Ross’s Goose – Robb Field, Ocean Beach, San Diego 08 Dec 2012

Ross’s Goose – Robb Field, Ocean Beach, San Diego 08 Dec 2012

Ross’s Goose – Robb Field, Ocean Beach, San Diego 08 Dec 2012

Ross’s Geese – Robb Field, Ocean Beach, San Diego 08 Dec 2012

Ross’s Geese – Robb Field, Ocean Beach, San Diego 08 Dec 2012

Ross’s Geese – Robb Field, Ocean Beach, San Diego 08 Dec 2012

[All photographs copyright, Gary Nunn 2012] – This morning I spotted a lone pale looking Brant making a wide circle into La Jolla Cove. Lucky for me it came back directly over the assembled birders and I obtained these flyover shots as it passed closely overhead. The pale belly contrasting with the dark chest and very small separated white markings only on the neck sides, not forming a collar, indicated this was an adult “Atlantic Brant” Branta bernicla hrota. Not a bad find here in Southern California as it turns out!

Our regular migrant and winter resident form “Black Brant” Branta bernicla nigricans have been arriving into San Diego Bay and Mission Bay where I have lately seen small groups assembling. This is the first “Atlantic Brant” that I have seen in San Diego County and this eastern form of Brant appears to be very rare here in Southern California. In a post to SDBIRDS about this morning’s “Atlantic Brant”, which Paul Lehman also observed, he mentions that there were previous San Diego County records of this subspecies back in the 1970s in the large wintering Brant flocks on SD Bay. Paul only recalls several reports since that time from southern CA, “those coming from spring seawatches in the Santa Barbara area–though worn “Black” Brant at that season are always a possible confusion factor”.

[All photographs copyright, Gary Nunn 2012] – The stormy weather brought a big movement of birds on the ocean close to shore this morning at La Jolla Cove, San Diego. Just after dawn, in among a large flock of Surf Scoters, the call came out for two White-winged Scoter Melanitta fusca deglandi approaching from the north. Tucked in among Surf Scoters, they skimmed by in the early morning light. These photographs are the best I could obtain at high camera ISO and fast shutter speed in the low light! The two birds appear to be an adult male on the right, the left hand bird could be an adult female in fresh plumage or an immature male, the face is poorly lighted to discern whether it has any pale markings.

This magnified view of the male White-winged Scoter shows off its size, the largest of the scoters. The white patch beneath the eye can just be made out in the photograph and of course the white secondaries are prominent.

Not long after the White-winged Scoters went by I was looking north when a line of Surf Scoters came flying straight towards us with a smaller greyish-white duck in the center – Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis! It passed by at fast speed allowing just a few photographs but luckily it can be seen clearly among the larger scoters. The nice white face with a darker rear cheek patch seems to indicate this is an adult female in winter plumage.