122422. Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/lifestyles/birding-today-some-sea-ducks-visible-in-landlocked-states/article_f4b37db9-b7bf-531e-9d57-79f822c4fe3d.html 

030522 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/birding-today-ducks-geese-migration-habits-vary/article_e3a0ccc8-13d7-5de1-ab39-cf7736e12b87.html 

Birds of the Sea: Common Goldeneye

Smaller flocks as well as gathering in numbers, the Common Goldeneye winters on bays, open lakes, and rivers.  Another cavity nester, the species dives for fish, insects, crustaceans, and mollusks.  They have also been known to use the same nest cavity over the years.

The species has a tall, peaked head, a round cheek patch, and the plumage patterns for the males show its coloration to be mostly white while it visits in the winter.  The female will have a mostly black bill.

A Boreal breeder, this duck can be seen wintering over the better part of the US.  A medium sized sea duck, its Latin name means "bull head," having a similar head shape to the Bufflehead.

Where nest boxes have been offered, there are population increases.  Far more prolific than Barrow's Goldeneye, the Common Goldeneye is a speedy flier known as "whistler," as its wings sound off.  They fly in small compact clusters when they are on the wing.

                                                                Common Goldeneyes
                                                             Boomer Lake Park, 2017

These diving ducks forage solely under water and first breed at the age of two.  However, first year females are on the hunt for nest sites in early summer.  Pair formation usually occurs in later winter, and several males will court the same female, much like the more common Bufflehead.  They perform many of the same rituals, including head pumps, exaggerated takeoffs and landings, etc.

It is suspected that climate change will take its toll upon breeding ranges, making them shrink as well as expanding winter ranges even more.  This cold-hardy migratory bird is aggressive and territorial, and will be highly competitive with food and nest sites.  Their breeding postures indicate the same type of behavior.

Birds of the Sea: White-winged Scoter

A large and dark sea duck, this bird has a thick neck and a more wedge-shaped head than the other species of scoters.  Seen both on the east and west coasts of the United States in winter, this uncommon duck nests on large lakes of the boreal forest as well as in Alaska.

The most recent observation in Oklahoma was in January of 2018 at Ponca City Lakes, Lake Murray in Love, and several times at Lake Waurika. It turns up in Oklahoma during many winters, which is much warmer that the northern breeding grounds at that time of year.  The only instance it was observed in Stillwater, was at Meridian Technology Ponds in November of 2017.   Ducks had also been found at Sooner Lake by this writer in 2015 and had also been seen there in 2010.

                                                     
                                                            Female White-winged Scoter
                                                                 Sooner Lake, OK 2015

At one time, breeding was common in North Dakota at Devils Lake and Stump Lake in Nelson County (possibly in the 1950s), but now has only been occasionally seen in the winter, last sighting in 2017.  Since it is now a Boreal breeder, it is logical that they would be in the area occasionally.

In fresh water, they feed upon insects and crustaceans, and in salt water, they enjoy crustaceans and mollusks, especially mussels and clams.

Birds of the Sea: Long-tailed Duck

This small, stocky sea duck is common on Eastern Atlantic and western Pacific shallow and open ocean and along sandy shorelines.  It dives for crustaceans and is found in small groups, rarely in the company of other species.

Found on Payne County's Lake Carl Blackwell and most commonly at Jefferson County's Waurika Lake in 2018, as well as Tulsa's Oxley in 2017 and prior, this duck is very common during Oklahoma's winters.

The oldsquaw has thin tail feathers, a small bill, black wings, and brown back.  It is fairly easy to tell its age and sex, even through its assorted plumages.  These migratory birds form fairly large flocks during the winter and times of migration on the Great Lakes, both coasts, and in Eurasia, especially on the Baltic Sea.  They use their wings to dive and can go considerably further in a dive than other ducks, about 480 feet deep.





         Long-tailed Duck, Winter Plumage
          Brian Marra, Lake Waurika, 2018

Their somewhat shocked laugh is one of its trademarks, which is a highly unusual sound and will call your attention to it.  It is classified as a vulnerable bird.