Merganser i.d. help, Northern California Tahoe Area (1 Viewer)

[JonLivesay]

Questioning if this is a common or red-breasted. Taken yesterday 10/01/2006 at Taylor Creek on the south shore of Lake Tahoe.

 

[buckskin hawk]

It looks like a female red-breasted merganser but I'm not that good with ducks yet. That crest is hard to miss.

 

[JonLivesay]

Wasn't really birding this time I was taking pictures of the Kokanee Salmon spawning in the creek. Happened upon the Mergansers swimming in the creek. Thought they looked different from the Common Merganser that we see on the lake so often.

 

[Wiktoria]

Mergus merganser for me

 

[Gentoo]

Looks like Red-Breasted to me. Female common usually has a whiter chest area.

 

[Jane Turner]

The bird is Mergus meganser - what you call Common Merganser and I call Goosander. Based on back colour, sharpness of head/neck demarkation, bill shape and crest shape.

Here is M. serrator (Red-breasted for comparison).

Hope this helps

 

[birdpotter]

I say Common Merganser too. Facial markings, crest shape, and breast color all lead me there.

 

[Chris Benesh]

Hi All,

Since there is a bit of divergence of opinion, I'll add mine to the fray. I am solidly in the Mergus merganser camp for the reasons mentioned and illustrated by Jane. Probability wise, Common Merganser would be much more likely to be seen in the Sierras than Red-breasted, especially along a river. And in fact, according to this birdlist, Red-breasted is less than annual in that county.
http://www.geocities.com/placerbird/PlacerCountyBirds.htm

Chris

 

[M Cowming]

Juvenile Common Merganser (Goosander). Note the whitish facial markings along with as others have said, white throat patch and sharp border between rufous and grey on the neck. Bill shape also favours Mergus merganser.

Regards,