I was able to get out to do some birding at lunch today.  The highlights
were ducks at the Constitution Gardens pond, including Mallards (of
course), an American Wigeon, two female Buffleheads, and a pair of
diving ducks I could not identify:

   The male had a relatively large bill with a moderately sized dark
nail, a bright blue band behind the nail, and the rest of the bill dark.
The head and neck were dark, eye light, breast, back and undertail
coverts dark, sides below the wings lighter and brownish.  There was no
white vertical 'finger' behind the dark breast.  The base color of the
bird was brown, either dark or light.  The head had a small posterior
nub, not rounded like a Greater Scaup, but not have a pronounced nub
like a Lesser Scaup or a Ring-necked Duck.  The female was lighter
brown, head shape similar with light areas on the head posterior to the
bill and posterior to the eye, but no evidence of white spots or an
eye-ring.  Neither one flew or stretched their wings, so I have no idea
of how much white might be on the wings.

   I would love it if someone else could look at these and decide what
they are.  I am suspecting hybrid Ring-necked Duck and (Greater?) Scaup,
possibly two individuals from the same nest migrating together (or two
escapees from the same collection, of course).  When I say 'hybrid',
please be aware this is short-hand for "something I can't identify, but
here are some pieces that I recognize".  

   Also, there was an immature Red-tailed Hawk hunting by the FDR
Memorial, and both an immature Cooper's Hawk and a Peregrine Falcon were
stirring up the pigeons by L'Enfant Plaza.

                       Jim

 

Jim Felley

Smithsonian Institution