[Larry Lade]

Some of the birds I saw today at Lake Contrary, Saint Joseph, Missouri:

*The bird of the day was a Pileated Woodpecker at the Yacht Club Parking Lot, on the Missouri River at Lake Contrary.

Pied-billed Grebes - 6
Double-crested Cormorant - 25
American Wigeon - 2
Franklin's Gull - 20
Bonaparte's Gull - 1
Brown Thrasher - 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 3
Palm Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
"Baypoll" Warbler (not sure if it was a Bay-breasted or Blackpoll)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Cedar Waxwing
Chipping Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow

Also the more commonly seen species:

Killdeer
Mourning Dove
European Starling
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Sparrow
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Red-winged Blackbird
Blue Jay
Eastern Bluebird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Robin
White-breasted Nuthatch
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Horned Lark

[Larry Lade]

The Pileated Woodpecker is a common bird in the some parts of Missouri, but it is only occasionally seen in northwest Missouri. Therefore, my "Bird of the Day".

[Larry Lade]

This morning I birded the oxbow lakes area south of Saint Joseph, Missouri, and the Bluff Woods Conservation Area, also south of Saint Joseph "a mite".

Included in the 45 species of birds I observed this morning are the following:

Horned Grebe (2)
Double-crested Cormorant (1)
Northern Shoveler (10),Wood Duck (2), Bufflehead (10), Lesser Scaup (25), Ring-necked Duck (5), Ruddy Duck (30)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (1)
Bald Eagle (1 adult)
PRAIRIE FALCON (1)
Ring-billed Gull (3)
Franklin's Gull (1)
Bonaparte's Gull (1)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1)
Loggerhead Shrike (1)
Lapland Longspur (35)

Not real "whoopie" but the Prairie Falcon and longspurs were nice!

[Larry Lade]

This morning it was cold and windy, not very good conditions for birding.

Consequently, while birding my local patch (Lake Contrary area near Saint Joseph, Missouri) I observed mostly waterfowl. Some of the birds seen were:

Canada Goose
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Lesser Scaup
Ruddy Duck
Ring-necked Duck
Redhead
Gadwall
Canvasback
Bufflehead

[Larry Lade]

I went out to my local patch again this morning despite the 30 degree F. temperature and the light snow which fell continually all morning. I also kept track of the number of each species, which is something I some times do.

Area: Lake Contrary area, Saint Joseph, Missouri, USA
Tundra Swan - 1 immature
Canada Goose - 10
Ross's Goose - 3
Snow Goose - 200
Mallard - 20
Northern Shoveler - 10
Redhead - 5
Common Goldeneye - 10
Bufflehead - 2
Lesser Scaup - 50
Ring-necked Duck - 10
Ruddy Duck - 10
Hooded Merganser - 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Bald Eagle - 2 adults
Northern Harrier - 3
American Kestrel - 5
Killdeer - 8
Rock Pigeon - 10
Mourning Dove - 25
Eurasian Collared-Dove - 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2
Downy Woodpecker - 3
Horned Lark - 100
Blue Jay - 2
American Crow - (heard)
European Starling - 10
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1
House Sparrow - 10
Red-winged Blackbird - 25
Rusty Blackbird - 3
Common Grackle - 75
Northern Cardinal - 10
House Finch - 2
Dark-eyed Junco - 10
American Tree Sparrow - 15
Harris's Sparrow - 1
Song Sparrow - 2
Lapland Longspur - 100

[Larry Lade]

This is the list of birds I saw yesterday around Lake Contrary, Saint Joseph, Missouri.
*Bluff Woods is a conservation area just a couple miles south of Saint Joseph.

Tundra Swan - 1 immature
Snow Goose - 200
Redhead - 1
Common Goldeneye - 25
Lesser Scaup - 15
Ruddy Duck - 1
Hooded Merganser - 1 male
Red-tailed Hawk - 4
Bald Eagle - 3 adult
American Kestrel - 2
Killdeer - 6
Ring-billed Gull - 16
Rock Pigeon - 65
Mourning Dove - 27
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1 (Bluff Woods)
Downy Woodpecker - 5
Horned Lark - 15
Blue Jay - 5
American Crow - 4
Black-capped Chickadee - 5 (Bluff Woods)
Tufted Titmouse - 5 (Bluff Woods)
White-breasted Nuthatch - 4
BEWICK'S WREN - 1 (Bluff Woods)
Carolina Wren - 1 (Bluff Woods)
Northern Mockingbird - 1
American Robin - 2
HERMIT THRUSH - 1 (Bluff Woods)
Eastern Bluebird - 15 (Bluff Woods)
European Starling - 300
House Sparrow - 25
[sp] Meadowlark - 20
Eastern Meadowlark - 5
Red-winged Blackbird - 50
Common Grackle - 1 (Bluff Woods)
Northern Cardinal - 10
House Finch - 2
American Goldfinch - 10 (Bluff Woods)
Dark-eyed Junco - 45
American Tree Sparrow - 10
White-throated Sparrow - 5
Song Sparrow - 10

[Larry Lade]

This morning was quite a change from the above posts (winter time) in regard to the weather conditions. We have been having 100+ degree F temperatures. It is really not too conducive to birding. Today it was about 90 F. I began at Lake Contrary, one of the oxbow lakes south of Saint Joseph. I saw several GREAT BLUE HERONS, some BLUE-WINGED TEAL and all of our expected swallows, TREE, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED, BANK, CLIFF and BARN. Also seen were PURPLE MARTINS mostly sitting on utility wires near the boat dock/swimming area. KILLDEER are very common here in Missouri and I saw quite a few of them picking around the sandy shoreline of the lake. The only other shorebirds seen here were a SPOTTED SANDPIPER, LESSER YELLOWLEGS and PECTORAL and SPOTTED SANDPIPERS. I did see a few more shorebirds over at Muskrat Lake, SOLITARY and LEAST SANDPIPERS. One PIED-BILLED GREBE and a single DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT put in an appearance. Checking above the lake I observed a single FORSTER'S TERN dipping down occasionally to the water's surface apparently catching insects.

I only saw two raptors today, those being a RED-TAILED HAWK and an AMERICAN KESTREL. I was surprised to see two COMMON NIGHTHAWKS sitting lenghtwise on a utility wire over by Browning Lake (another oxbow by the Saint Joseph Airport). Perched on a stump which was sticking out of water on this oxbow was a BELTED KINGFISHER. I always enjoy seeing these "minnow eaters" with their ragged crests! There were a couple of BLACK TERNS flying over this oxbow.

Of course one can hardly step outside without seeing ROCK PIGEONS and I saw a few driving through Saint Joseph on the way to the oxbows. Stopping on my way at the Saint Joseph Stockyards, I added EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, MOURNING DOVE and GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE to my "day's list". While driving around Lake Contrary some other birds flying, perched on tree branches and sitting on utility wires were: BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, CHIMNEY SWIFTS, EASTERN and WESTERN KINGBIRDS, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, AMERICAN ROBIN, NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD and EUROPEAN STARLING.

I was hoping to see some of our areas summer sparrows and did manage to see some CHIPPING, LARK and GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS. INDIGO BUNTINGS and DICKCISSELS are pretty regular this time of year and several of each of these were seen as well. In addition to the RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS and COMMON GRACKLES I also got looks at some BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS (feeding on the ground in a livestock enclosure), ORCHARD and BALTIMORE ORIOLES. Feeding among the sunflowers were the brilliantly colored AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES. The list ends with the HOUSE SPARROW which were seen at various places along my morning's route.

[ayasuda]

Hi Larry,
I'm curious to know if you have seen specific duck species in large and small sizes, particularly teals, mallards, and shovelers. I've noticed certain wildlife refuges I've visited tend to have large population of large individuals, while other refuges have small individuals intermixed with large. Is this common in your wetlands, or am I seening the hybrid. of these species in the Pacific Flyway. I hope this makes sense.

[Larry Lade]

Originally Posted by ayasuda

Hi Larry,
I'm curious to know if you have seen specific duck species in large and small sizes, particularly teals, mallards, and shovelers. I've noticed certain wildlife refuges I've visited tend to have large population of large individuals, while other refuges have small individuals intermixed with large. Is this common in your wetlands, or am I seening the hybrid. of these species in the Pacific Flyway. I hope this makes sense.

It depends mostly on the season and migration patterns of the various species of geese/ducks/teal as to which waterfowl I encounter here in Missouri. At peak migration times there are usually representatives of the most of the families of waterfowl to be seen in the lakes and wetlands. However, some days or weeks will have abundant numbers of a certain teal, goose or duck species. For example on a certain day there many be very many Blue-winged Teal which represent about 1/2 the total number of waterfowl being seen on that particular day. Some times there may be more Mallards than anything else. At other times there may be representatives of all of the various species of waterfowl. At these times I may encounter around 30 or so species of waterfowl which includes all the various sizes and families. Hybrids for me are pretty unusual but I do spot one every now and again.

Throw in the other species of waders, shorebirds, rails, etc. and it makes for a very productive day of birding.

Good Birding!

Oh, after re-reading your query, I think I missed the point of your question, "Different sizes of one particular species".

I have not noticed substantial size differentiation in any of the species which I encounter among the various families/species of waterfowl. I have read in some of literature than "gigantism" does occur from time to time and an unusually large specimen of a species does occur. *I remember seeing a Mourning Dove several years ago that was exceptionally large. Could it be that the size difference that you refer to might be in your perception rather than the actual sizes of the birds? Just a thought!

[ayasuda]

I'll have have to work on capturing some pictures of the cinnimon teal at the Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge. The c. teal I see around the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge are absolutely huge (about 800+ grams), while the teal at Klamath were half that size. I thought C. teal were normally shoveller size, but apparently they are not supposed to be. The same for the mallards. It was an eye opening experience. I also noticed that the two sizes variations don't mingle together, so it might take all spring to photograph the size differences near each other.
Through my work I have seen other waterfowl species with a notable weight/size difference, but it is rare to have the two sizes together. I'm still wondering if hybrid. is a factor or if this is a natural occuring difference. I am curious to know if other birders have noticed this size discrepancy in other states with migratory pathways.

[Larry Lade]

ayasuda, I might suggest that you pose your query regarding size differentiation of a single species on one of the other fora on BirdForum. Perhaps, "Birds & Birding" or "General Information Wanted" would be appropriate.

I would be interested in what other members on BirdForum have found concerning this issue of various sizes of specimens in a single species. This should make some good reading.

You might just "copy and paste" your above post into a new thread on one of the fora I mentioned above. "Birds & Birding" is here and the "General Information Wanted" is here.

Good Birding!

[ayasuda]

Will do!