Mallard??? Nope, not quite! This is a hybrid mallard. I sent the first 2 photos over to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences on their Ask a Naturalist site and asked did they have any ideas what the parentage was. They said they felt that it was mallard x muscovy duck x Graylag goose. Mallards often cross breed with other duck and goose species. My goodness what a mixture. However, quite a gorgeous bird to see. Third photo is a normal mallard so you can see the difference.
Crispy weather and brightening sunlight was filled by the game of peek-a-boo-I-see-you between two of several yellow-bellied sapsuckers at Jordan Lake.
Doc Ellen’s Natural Minute. Sunrise Jordan Lake 10/25/2024. The prominent song you can hear is a tiny Carolina wren. I could occasionally hear a golden-crowned kinglet but never saw it. A duck floated past. A couple of woodpeckers occasionally knocked hello.
A four-year-old bald eagle, to me, often has very interesting plumage patterns. They are in the process of finally attaining the totally white tail and head and a body cloaked in deepest dark brown feathers that at 5-years of age marks their maturity. Captain Doug and I found this youngster landing as if she owned the whole cove. I’m sure that’s what she thought.
Having already seen several bald eagles on our cruise, the brilliant white delicacy of the great egrets gave Captain Doug and I a very different point of view!
BirdCast is a website that will expand your birding. Migration is in full swing. Look up your area on the site and be better prepared to find new birds and old friends. https://birdcast.info/
doc ellen's journey 