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Please help ID this duck at Sanibel
Yesterday (12/12/12) I saw some black duck-like birds bobbing in the waves in front of our condominium on Sanibel. The weather was horrible. Windy with dark clouds. Very had to take a picture. I can't seem to make out what they are. Ideas?
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I think those are Black Scoters Henry.
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Post a Thank You. - 1 Thanks
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Thanks. I have to admit I've never even heard of a Black Scoter. Wonderful!
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Interesting sighting. If you look at the range map on BirdFellow, it appears that Sanibel is at the edge at best. Cool stuff!
http://www.birdfellow.com/birds/blac...elanitta-nigra
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Originally Posted by
Paul Guris
Thanks! Thanks too for letting me know about BirdFellow. Is it a good site? How is it different than other birding websites?
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Hi Henry

Originally Posted by
Paul Guris
Interesting sighting. If you look at the range map on BirdFellow, it appears that Sanibel is at the edge at best.
Paul is quite correct with his ID & his assessment of the duck's scarcity in that particular area. 'A Birders Guide to Florida' (Bill Pranty) states that Black Scoter are 'rare to locally common mostly along the Panhandle & North Florida (Atlantic) coasts. It appears that any outside those areas are noteworthy!!
Sightings along the Gulf Coast recently include 2 at Fort De Soto (Nov 21) & another at Honeymoon Island on Dec 4. However, what is even more interesting in relation to your post is the report of 6 Black Scoter in Mantazas Pass at Bunche Beach on Nov 28. I would surmise that your image is of the same 6 birds given the proximity of the 2 locations.
Cheers: Wayne
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Originally Posted by
Henry Domke
Thanks! Thanks too for letting me know about BirdFellow. Is it a good site? How is it different than other birding websites?
I like the site quite a bit. It has excellent info that's well presented, and it has good photos for ID purposes. If you are a member, you can also see photos taken of a species by other members. Questions can be posted and their moderator, Dave Irons, is an excellent birder and incredibly knowledgeable.