- Jan 17 11:17 am
#73192
Hi everyone, I haven't posted here in a long time.
Last week I was doing a monthly survey at Kits beach for Bird Studies Canada's coastal waterbird surveys, when a Bufflehead x goldeneye hybrid male appeared from around Kits point.
He has been present at least as long as I have been doing the surveys since 2011, and there are also reports from 2010. He is at least in his 6th calendar year then, and he has a while to go to beat the Bufflehead record of 18 years, but he is well past the average lifespan of 2.5.
I think it is interesting that after he migrates every year for the summer, he always returns to the exact same wintering spot, at the tip of Kits point. I was a little concerned when he hadn't shown up by December, but sure enough, he is back at the tip.
Unfortunately I haven't been able to get any reasonable photos of him, but there is a photo of him in this thread from a few years ago: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7438
I don't think it is really possible to tell whether he has Common or Barrow's in him, since it would probably be a bit unpredictable how their genes interact with the Bufflehead, but he seems to hang out more with Common Goldeneyes and Buffleheads.
Last week I was doing a monthly survey at Kits beach for Bird Studies Canada's coastal waterbird surveys, when a Bufflehead x goldeneye hybrid male appeared from around Kits point.
He has been present at least as long as I have been doing the surveys since 2011, and there are also reports from 2010. He is at least in his 6th calendar year then, and he has a while to go to beat the Bufflehead record of 18 years, but he is well past the average lifespan of 2.5.
I think it is interesting that after he migrates every year for the summer, he always returns to the exact same wintering spot, at the tip of Kits point. I was a little concerned when he hadn't shown up by December, but sure enough, he is back at the tip.
Unfortunately I haven't been able to get any reasonable photos of him, but there is a photo of him in this thread from a few years ago: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7438
I don't think it is really possible to tell whether he has Common or Barrow's in him, since it would probably be a bit unpredictable how their genes interact with the Bufflehead, but he seems to hang out more with Common Goldeneyes and Buffleheads.
Else Mikkelsen, Vancouver
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/66959995@N05/
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/66959995@N05/