Skahorse...bird ID can be a challenge at first but gets easier with practice.
To be honest with you, most of the areas I hunt, rarely seem to have Cans. I consider myself very proficient at bird ID, but have probably seen less than a dozen while in the 6 season I have hunted up and down the Columbia. I know some folks who specifically target Cans when they are open and they usually hunt in eastern OR.
As far as Bird ID goes, there are several "points" to look at. The first and easiest is body shape. Mallards and Pintails look different in the area. Specifically the shape of the wings. Pintails will have a "thinner" and more curved wing, relative to the body. The drakes are often easy to ID late in the season when their white breast is a dead give away. The reason this is first one listed is because at long distances and low light, it can often be difficult to distinguish color and/or see the long tail feathers of a drake pin.
The second ID area is color. Specicially drake colors and what the speculum (the colored part on the back of the wing) looks like. Drakes are relatively easy to distinguish when fully plumed out. Hens on the other hand can be mind bending depending on how they come in. It is important to note that sometime flocks are mixed. You may see one hen pin flying with a flock of mallards. So don't assume the flock is just mallards even if you can ID a drake. Last year while hunting with Tilla, we had a flock of about 30 pins come in and there was one lone Greenhead in the flock. He didn't make it out alive. :grin:
The last characteristic to look for is flock patterns. Often times, you can tell by the way the flock is moving what type of bird it is. Teal and Widgeon are probably the easiest to see this with. Teal in particular look like they are on crack, as they weave and twist over the water. Divers also can be distinguished as they will often be low to the water as compared to mallards.
Bird ID is really somewhat of an art and it is important to become proficient at it. There have been times where we simply could not ID birds and did not shoot. Other times we had to let them land to get the binocs on them in low light. Just don't shoot if you are even a "little" unsure. Better to let it live for another day than lose your license over it.
Here is a link of the DU site that has pictures and sounds of ducks and geese.
http://www.ducks.org/waterfowling/gallery/index.asp
Here is a more comprehensive but illustrated set of ID tools from the USGS.
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/t...l/waterfwl.htm
Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions.
:smile:
EDIT: I almost forgot. Get a decent set of compact binocs that you can use for ID'ing flocks at a distance while hunting. Also PRACTICE! There is a good bird viewing station on the east side of Sauvie that overlooks the Hunt Unit. (just north of the Willow Bar parking lot. Take your binocs and watch the birds with your eyes and try to figure out what they are. Then use your binocs to check yourself. This can be alot of fun when they are hunting the unit. Also most Wildlife Refuges have viewing stations. Another area to check out is the Tualatin Refuge off HWY 99. If you can find a place to park and watch, you should get some good practice.
[ 10-22-2003, 08:56 AM: Message edited by: Lured In ]
Bird Regs...Pintail and Cans closed, etc...
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