[mou] Wigeon-YES/ woodpecker-NO

[Dave Bartkey]

Hi everyone,
  Jim Otto, John & Chris Hockema, myself and others were able to locate the Eurasian Wigeon on North Anderson Lake this morning. Jim, John, Chris and I have little to no experience with this species, but with the exception of a salmon-colored wash on the shoulders, all field marks indicated that this was not a hybrid. My Nat'l Geographic field guide states,"Many fall males retain some brown eclipse feathers but show distinctive reddish head." We were in great debate in the car over this shoulder color so anyone with knowledge about this species, we'd be appreciative of your input. We do know this - the back and flanks were all gray, the head was a uniform dark rufous with no speckling or dark spots, and the forehead stripe was a cream color and ended at the crown.
 
  We also tried for the Dakota Co. Black-backed Woodpecker late this morning (10:30-1:00) and could not re-locate it. We checked the area for 2 1/2 hours with no luck. While there however, we did hear White-winged Crossbills overhead several times but could not get a visual.
 
  After that we checked Lake Mazaska in Rice County for the Surf Scoter John and I found on Saturday but could not locate that either.
 
Good birding!
 
Dave Bartkey
screechowl at q.com
Faribault, MN
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