Date: 1/15/25 6:36 am From: Doris Gertler via groups.io <dee.gertler...> Subject: Re: [ALbirds] Red-crested Pochards at Lake 4 in Cummings Research Park, Huntsville, AL
Thanks for your post. An interesting find!
Dee
On Tue, Jan 14, 2025 at 7:03 PM Alabama Storm Guy via groups.io <ladek123=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> My name is Kevin Lade by the way.
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> *From:* <ALbirds...> <ALbirds...> *On Behalf Of *Alabama
> Storm Guy via groups.io
> *Sent:* Tuesday, January 14, 2025 6:58 PM
> *To:* <ALbirds...>
> *Subject:* [ALbirds] Red-crested Pochards at Lake 4 in Cummings Research
> Park, Huntsville, AL
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>
> This marks the third winter in a row that I have observed Red-crested
> Pochards on this lake. They show up in winter when the other migratory
> waterfowl show up and they disappear when the migratory waterfowl depart
> for the year. I have reported them in the past and there was some
> speculation as to the origin of this European species. Speculation was that
> they may have been escapes from a Madison County waterfowl fanciers
> collection. However, this does not seem to line up to the timing of the
> sightings for me. They seem to be migrating. I have also seen different
> numbers of birds in different years. The first winter (2022-2023) it was 2
> males and 1 female, last winter (2023 - 2024) I saw as many as 4 males and
> 2 females, and this winter so far it has been 3 males and 1 female. Are
> they migrating and reproducing? I don't know. I would think they are almost
> certainly escapes from an aviary, but it seems to me they are migratory at
> this point.
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