Yesterday I was at Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach, California. I got this photo(my first) of a Ruddy Duck. It appears to be a female in winter feather. It was a lone bird for the approx 2 hours I was there. According to the Bolsa Chica bird list, this bird is seldom seen in summer but is abundant the other three seasons of the year. Keeping in mind this is not even close to our colder weather which will start usually in Oct or Nov, is it out of character for this bird to appear here like this?Thanks
Bill
Bill- Can't specifically answer your question with respect to the location. I agree with the ID though but think this could be a young bird. Certainly the description in the Birds of North America matches this. Females tend to be grayer than these young ones. The Ruddy Duck is a breeder in California almost all the way up the coast so this individual is not out of range, despite what the bird list says. Perhaps locally they are rare in the summer at Bolsa Chica and this bird moved in from an adjacent breeding area. Another bit of relevant info is that Ruddys migrate in the fall earlier than other diving ducks. Birds get around as you know!
Last edited by John Chardine; 08-23-2010 at 01:05 PM.
Reason: added detail
Thanks for the info but I also should have added that Bonelli Park which is about 50 miles away also shows the same on their bird list. Also San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary which a just a few miles from Bolsa says the same thing although I can't find there list at this time.
Time of Year
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