[steenl]

Hello everybody,

Last week I made a birdingtrip to the Canary Islands.
I visited Tenerife and Fuerteventura. On both islands we discovered Scaups . Vagrant to the Canary Islands.
I managed to take four photos. The wings of the ducks were not seen.
We determinated the scaups as Lesser Scaups. (For me a new WP-species).
Are you agreed with our determination?
Especially comment requested for the female-type.

Thanks again.

Here the pictures.
http://www.pbase.com/steenl/image/71150697
http://www.pbase.com/steenl/image/71150698
http://www.pbase.com/steenl/image/71150777
http://www.pbase.com/steenl/image/71150802

Greeting,
Lennaert Steen from the Netherlands.

[Jane Turner]

I try not to look too hard at Aythya ducks! These to me look very plausible as Lesser Scaup. Whether they are proveable without a description of the wing pattern and nail I am not sure.

[Marcus Lawson]

They do indeed look like Lesser Scaup (the female may take more convincing than the drakes to the relevant committee however), is it possible to blow the images up a bit in order to see a little more detail - ie the nail on the bill etc.
I'll let a friend of mine know who used to live on the Canaries and he can contact people over there to check them out. Where exactly were the birds please?

[Stephen Dunstan]

Perhaps worth dropping a line to Ricard at the Rare Birds Spain website or Tony Clarke who looks after Canary Islands records.

Regards,

Stephen.

[steenl]

@marcus The drakes were seen at Catalina Garcia Fuerteventura. (Also present there drake Ring-necked Duck and female Blue-winged Teal)
The female on Tenerife was just outside Playa de las Americas. Place called La Caldera. The female is in a waterreservoir in the banana-plantation.
In the Fraille reservoir we found a female Ring-necked Duck http://www.pbase.com/steenl/image/71150700

@Stephen Tony and Richard will be informed today!

[Marcus Lawson]

Originally Posted by steenl

@marcus The drakes were seen at Catalina Garcia Fuerteventura. (Also present there drake Ring-necked Duck and female Blue-winged Teal)
The female on Tenerife was just outside Playa de las Americas. Place called La Caldera. The female is in a waterreservoir in the banana-plantation.
In the Fraille reservoir we found a female Ring-necked Duck http://www.pbase.com/steenl/image/71150700

@Stephen Tony and Richard will be informed today!

Excellent stuff, you've had more luck than I've ever had out there - well done I had a look through your excellent photos and noticed that you saw a Common Stonechat too, I can't remember their status on the Canaries, can anyone else help?

[steenl]

Originally Posted by Marcus Lawson

and noticed that you saw a Common Stonechat too, I can't remember their status on the Canaries, can anyone else help?

Yes, we had an excelled trip. The Common Stonechat was our first Chat on Fuerteventura. We were disappointed it wasn't a Fuerteventura Chat
According to Tony Clarke Birds of the Atlantic Islands Common Stonechat is a scarce migrant and winter visitor to the Canary Islands.
We also had a Great Skua killing a Yellow-legged Gull. Great Skua is also a good one for the Canary Islands.
It is just the beginning of my photo album. Have 600 photos to go.
I will put some pictures on birdforum.net

[Joern Lehmhus]

Hi Lennaert,

great finds! the males are lesser scaups in my opinion the female I´d like to take a closer look, ut it could also be one.

Sounds as good as my trip to Texel in the Netherlands...
I wasn´t so lucky with ducks on Tenerife when i was there some years ago (common pochard), but my parents got BW Teal this year.

[Dermot Breen]

Hi Lennaert

Can't really comment on the pics of the female. Think it would be very hard to call with these shots. However the males look very good to me. I had the good fortune of finding two male Lesser Scaup here in Ireland in Donegal along with a drake Ring-necked Duck on Friday. The males are very similar to your birds. The head shape could be hard to discern at times. I was lucky enough to see the characteristic wingbar and small black nail on the bill. I found the flank colouring quite dark, similar to the shade of the underparts, again similar to your birds. One of the Fuerteventura birds could be a first-winter male as there seems to be a definite a brown wash to the side of the breast and top of the flanks.

All the best

Dermot

[Stephen Dunstan]

When I went to Fuerteventura in February the two 'resident' American ducks at Catalina Garcia (drake RN Duck and female Lesser Scaup) had moved on. Did find a Yellow-browed Warbler, but envious of your luck with the ducks.

Regards,

Stephen.

[Gentoo]

They look tetatively like Lesser Scaups to me as well. With out of range scaups however, I do use more caution but they look pretty much like the ones here in San Diego right now. One thing you should know about male Lesser Scaup is that the coloration on the flanks and back becomes brighter as the winter progresses.