Cinnamon Teal - Anas cyanoptera

By the end of May around here a lot of the duck species have departed for their breeding grounds, but some remain in our area to breed, such as the Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall and Cinnamon Teal. We watched this male Cinnamon Teal swim toward a hen Shoveler, until the watchful male Shoveler nixed that idea. The active swimming caused a slight loss of sharpness, but the red eye still looks good.

Red eyes are seen in a variety of birds, including Grebes some songbirds. Other ducks with a bright red eye are the Canvasback and Wood Duck. Note how the black bill flares near the end a bit like that of the Northern Shoveler.

Recall that the Cinnamon Teal is one of the 3 Anas species seen here that have the pale blue wing patch (cyanoptera = "blue wing"). The others are the Blue-winged Teal and the Northern Shoveler. I suppose some would add the rarely seen Garganey, as Asian species that has wandered a few times down our coast. And a world traveler could add 3 more Shoveler species to the list.

Taxonomy - note how in a diverse Order there can be a lot of subdivisions.

Order: Anseriformes - Ducks, Geese, Swans and Screamers

Family: Anatadae - Waterfowl. 150 species, excluding the Screamers (don't ask).

Subfamily: Anatinae - True Ducks, the Geese and Swans have been dropped, as well as the Whistling-Ducks, which are more closely related to the Geese.

Tribe: Anatini - The Dabbling Ducks - 50+ species, including Wood Duck, etc.

Genus: Anas - 43 species worldwide, including 12 seen in the U.S.

Species: Anas cyanoptera - Cinnamon Teal, a fairly common breeder in Marin.

Cheers, Len

Greater White-fronted Goose - Anser albifron

At Ellis Creek we spotted a gray goose swimming with some somewhat larger Canada Geese. The white feathering where the bill joins the face is the basis for the name "White-fronted". This white-front feature is seen in other birds, such as the female Scaups and White-front Ibis. The Greater White-fronted Goose has an extensive range in the Eurasia and Western North America. They breed in tundra areas (many of ours going to Alaska), are long-lived, form stable pair bonds and even family units spanning one or more generations, and the young flying south with the parents for the winter.

Greater White-fronted Goose - adult - Ellis Creek, Petaluma, CA

In California we see large numbers of Greater White-front Geese in the Central Valley where they can easily be seen on ponds at many refuges. Most are the subspecies A. a. frontalis, sometimes called the Pacific White-fronted Goose. In the Valley there is also a small population of a larger subspecies, A. a. elgasi, the Tule Goose. Other subspecies are seen in Eurasia.

Note the pink bill with a peach tip, and orange feet. The barring of the breast and underparts led the hunters to call it the "Specklebelly", a goose they prize for the table.

Brief taxonomy: There are 6 species in the genus Anser. As you might guess, there is a Lesser White Fronted Goose, as well the large Swan Goose (some of them introduced here), plus Bean, Pink-footed, and Graylag Geese (often domesticated).

Pigeon Guillemot - Cepphus columba

On an outing to Bodega Bay last week we stopped at the Bodega Head overlook, where some friends called us over to check out a pair of Pigeon Guillemots that were perhaps contemplating a nesting site. It's not often we get leisurely looks at these pelagic birds, and they are usually bobbing along beyond the breaking waves, when not diving for fish like a penguin.

The Pigeon Guillemots nest on island or rocky cliffs, usually in a cavity

The Pigeon Guillemot is an alcid (auk) of the Pacific Northwest. Ours are mostly year-round residents, feeding just off rocky shorelines where they dive to the bottom for fish and other critters. They use their wings to "swim" underwater, sort of like penguins, and paddle a bit with their striking red feet. The species is very similar to the Black Guillemot of the Atlantic, which lacks a black wedge on the white wing patch (you can just see a bit of the wedge in one photo - seen better when they fly).

Note the black "wedge" on the white wing patch, seen on the Pigeon but not the Black Guillemot

Better view here of the bright red webbed foot.

Taxonomy-

Order: Charadriiformes - Assorted group that includes the shorebirds, gulls, terns and alcids.

Family: Alcidae - The alcids, or auks. Included in this group of diving seabirds birds are the Auks and Auklets, Murres and Murrelets, Puffins, Razorbill, Dovekie, and the Guillemots. 23 species worldwide, 21 of them seen along our coasts. The families within Charadriiformes are being rearranged now, and word has it (ABA Blog) that the Alcids will be placed between the Skuas and the Gulls.

Genus: Cepphus - 3 species. Besides the Pigeon and Black there is the Spectacled Guillemot seen along the coast from Russia down to Korea.

Species: Cepphus columba - Pigeon Guillemot. 5 regional subspecies. Our is C. c. eureka, seen from Oregon to California.