Me on a normal day: Man, all ducks are so great. Just seeing any duck or goose is a highlight. Sure I've got some favorites, but at the end of the day, any duck is a good duck :)
Me, participating in @north-american-duck-poll: You're All So Wrong How Is Tumblr So Wrong About Ducks I'm Going To Fight All Of You Until You Start Voting For The Correct Ducks
47 notes
·
View notes
Bracket Seeds and Methodology
As mentioned in my pinned post, the 48 species contained in the tournament represent all native North American species in the order Anseriformes (ducks, geese, and swans), according to the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America.
In order to produce brackets that would work out well and not result in early match-ups of popular species, I seeded the species according to 4 popularity metrics: the number of google search results for the common name, the number of tumblr posts in the species’ tag over the past week, days since the last tumblr post in the species’ tag, and number of colours (either of plumage, legs, or bill) other than white, black, brown, or grey present on each species. This last metric was included to correct for rare species that may not be widely searched but whose visual interest is likely to make them more popular. I then developed a formula that used the metrics to produce a score for each species where the higher the score, the greater the prospective popularity. I manually checked the ranking of species to see if the order looked reasonable (with popular or common species at the top, and less common species at the bottom), in order to verify that my scoring system was performing as expected. The bird with the highest score became the first seed, the second highest became the second seed, and so on, for all 48 species.
The seed positions are as follows:
American Black Duck
Mallard
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Muscovy Duck
Common Merganser
Cinnamon Teal
Redhead
Green-winged Teal
Blue-winged Teal
Snow Goose
Black-bellied Whistling duck
Hooded Merganser
Masked Duck
Long-tailed Duck
Emperor Goose
Tundra Swan
Bufflehead
Harlequin Duck
Mottled Duck
Common Goldeneye
Gadwall
King Eider
Northern Shoveler
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Common Eider
Surf Scoter
American Wigeon
White-winged Scoter
Canvasback
White-cheeked Pintail
Black Scoter
Ring-necked Duck
Pink-footed Goose
Greater White-Fronted Goose
Trumpeter Swan
Brant
Ross’s Goose
Fulvous Whistling Duck
Barrow’s Goldeneye
Spectacled Eider
Steller’s Eider
Northern Pintail
Greater Scaup
Barnacle Goose
Lesser Scaup
Cackling Goose
7 notes
·
View notes
My ABA Life List, as I wrote it down the other day
I’m being a bit conservative here because I’m going by memory, so I pretty much write off any birds that I can’t identify on the spot, unless they’re really common. So ducks, empids, shorebirds, gulls, drab warblers, and emberzids are probably all undercounted.
Common Loon 1
Snow Goose 2
Canada Goose 3
Mute Swan 4
Trumpeter Swan 5
Muscovy Duck 6
Wood Duck 7
American Wigeon 8
American Black Duck 9
Mallard 10
Blue Winged Teal 11
Northern Shoveler 12
Canvasback 13
Redhead 14
Ring-necked Duck 15
Lesser Scaup 16
Common Eider 17
Harlequin Duck 18
Bufflehead 19
Common Goldeneye 20
Hooded Merganser 21
Red-breasted Merganser 22
Ruddy Duck 23
Bobwhite 24
Chukar 25
Ring-necked Pheasant 26
Ruffed Grouse 27
Wild Turkey 28
Pied-billed grebe 29
One of those migratory grebes idk 30
Rock Pigeon 31
White-crowned Pigeon 32
White-winged Dove 33
Mourning Dove 34
Common Ground-dove 35
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, I think Mangrove too but not counting that 36
Common Nighthawk 37
Whip-poor-will (heard but not seen, because seriously) 38
Chimney Swift 39
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 40
King Rail 41
Common Gallinule 42
American Coot 43
Sandhill Crane 44
Killdeer 45
Sanderling 46
Pectoral Sandpiper 47
American Woodcock 48
Spotted Sandpiper 49
either Greater or Lesser Yellowlegs 50
probably more but none I could remember what they’re like
Laughing Gull 51
Ring-Billed Gull 52
Herring Gull 53
Caspian Tern 54
Common Tern 55
Royal Tern 56
Black Skimmer 57
Wood Stork 58
Magnificent Frigatebird 59
Double-crested Cormorant 60
Anhinga 61
American White Pelican 62
Brown Pelican 63
Great Blue Heron 64
Great Egret 65
Snowy Egret 66
Little Blue Heron 67
Cattle Egret 68
Green Heron 69
Black-crowned Night Heron 70
White Ibis 71
Roseate Spoonbill 72
Turkey Vulture 73
Osprey 74
Swallow-tailed Kite 75
Bald Eagle 76
Northern Harrier 77
Sharp-shinned Hawk 78
Cooper’s Hawk 79
Red-shouldered Hawk 80
Rough-legged Hawk 81
Red-tailed Hawk 82
Eastern Screech Owl 83
Great Horned Owl 84
Barred Owl 85
Belted Kingfisher 86
Red-headed Woodpecker 87
Red-bellied Woodpecker 88
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 89
Downy Woodpecker 90
Hairy Woodpecker 91
Northern Flicker 92
Pileated Woodpecker 93
American Kestrel 94
Peregrine Falcon 95
Eastern Wood-pewee 96
Least Flycatcher 97
Eastern Phoebe 98
Great Crested Flycatcher 99
Eastern Kingbird 100
Gray Kingbird (if white-crowned pigeons count then so does this guy) 101
Loggerhead Shrike 102
White-eyed Vireo 103
Blue-headed Vireo 104
Warbling Vireo 105
Red-eyed Vireo 106
Blue Jay 107
Florida Scrub Jay 108
American Crow 109
Fish Crow 110
Common Raven 111
Horned Lark 112
Purple Martin 113
Tree Swallow 114
Bank Swallow 115
Cliff Swallow 116
Barn Swallow 117
Carolina Chickadee 118
Black-capped Chickadee 119
Boreal Chickadee 120
Tufted Titmouse 121
Red-breasted nuthatch 122
White-breasted Nuthatch 123
Brown Creeper 124
House Wren 125
Winter Wren 126
Carolina Wren 127
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 128
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 129
Golden-crowned Kinglet 130
Eastern Bluebird 131
Veery 132
Hermit Thrush 133
Wood Thrush 134
American Robin 135
Gray Catbird 136
Northern Mockingbird 137
Brown Tthrasher 138
European Starling 139
Cedar Waxwing 140
House Sparrow 141
House Finch 142
I think I saw redpolls at the feeder once? 143
Pine Siskin 144
American Goldfinch 145
Snow Bunting 146
Ovenbird 147
Black-and-white Warbler 148
Prothonotary Warbler 149
Orange-crowned Warbler 150
Common Yellowthroat 151
American Redstart 152
Cape May Warbler 153
Cerulean Warbler 154
Northern Parula 155
Magnolia Warbler 156
Bay-breasted Warbler 157
Blackburnian Warbler 158
Yellow Warbler 159
Chestnut-sided Warbler 160
Blackpoll Warbler 161
Black-throated Blue Warbler 162
Palm Warbler 163
Pine Warbler 164
Yellow-rumped Warbler 165
Yellow-throated Warbler 166
Black-throated Green Warbler 167
Canada Warbler 168
Wilson’s Warbler 169
Yellow-breasted Chat 170
Eastern Towhee (you’ll always be rufous-sided in my heart) 171
American Tree Sparrow 172
Chipping Sparrow 173
Field Sparrow 174
Grasshopper Sparrow 175
Fox Sparrow 176
Song Sparrow 177
White-throated Sparrow 178
White-crowned Sparrow 179
Dark-eyed Junco 180
Summer Tanager 181
Scarlet Tanager 182
Northern Cardinal 183
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 184
Indigo Bunting 185
Bobolink 186
Red-winged Blackbird 187
Eastern Meadowlark 188
Rusty Blackbird 189
Common Grackle 190
Boat-tailed Grackle 191
Brown-headed Cowbird 192
Orchard Oriole 193
Baltimore Oriole 194
2 notes
·
View notes
January Roundup
I'm off to a slow start. I'm recovering from the flu, which knocked me out for a week! Right now I'm at 114 birds. Not an impressive way to begin, but slow and steady wins the race, right? To keep my records straight, here's a list of the birds I've seen in January:
1 Canada Goose - Redwood Creek, CA - 1/1/2017
2 American Wigeon - Redwood Creek , CA - 1/1/2017
3 Mallard - Redwood Creek, CA - 1/1/2017
4 Northern Pintail - Redwood Creek, CA - 1/1/2017
5 Redhead - Redwood Creek, CA - 1/1/2017
6 Turkey Vulture - Redwood Creek, CA - 1/1/2017
7 Northern Harrier - Redwood Creek, CA - 1/1/2017
8 Red-shouldered Hawk - Redwood Creek, CA 1/1/2017
9 Red-tailed Hawk - Redwood Creek, CA 1/1/2017
10 American Coot - Redwood Creek, CA 1/1/2017
11 Killdeer - Redwood Creek, CA 1/1/2017
12 Mourning Dove - Redwood Creek, CA 1/1/2017
13 Chestnut-backed Chickadee - Redwood Creek, CA 1/1/2017
14 Pacific Wren - Redwood Creek, CA 1/1/2017
15 Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Redwood Creek, CA 1/1/2017
16 Wrentit - Redwood Creek, CA 1/1/2017
17 European Starling - Redwood Creek, CA 1/1/2017
18 Song Sparrow - Redwood Creek, CA 1/1/2017
19 Red-winged Blackbird - Redwood Creek, CA 1/1/2017
20 House Sparrow - Redwood Creek, CA 1/1/2017
21 Canvasback - Freshwater Lagoon, CA - 1/2/2017
22 Common Pochard - Freshwater Lagoon, CA - 1/2/2017 (!)
23 Hooded Merganser - Freshwater Lagoon, CA - 1/2/2017
24 Ruddy Duck - Freshwater Lagoon, CA - 1/2/2017
25 Western Grebe - Freshwater Lagoon, CA - 1/2/2017
26 Clark's Grebe - Freshwater Lagoon, CA - 1/2/2017
27 Double-crested Cormorant - Freshwater Lagoon, CA - 1/2/2017
28 Osprey - Freshwater Lagoon, CA - 1/2/2017
29 Black Phoebe - Freshwater Lagoon, CA - 1/2/2017
30 Steller's Jay - Freshwater Lagoon, CA - 1/2/2017
31 Dark-eyed Junco - Freshwater Lagoon, CA - 1/2/2017
32 Cackling Goose - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/2/2017
33 Cinnamon Teal - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/2/2017
34 Green-winged Teal - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/2/2017
35 Greater Scaup - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/2/2017
36 Lesser Scaup - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/2/2017
37 Bufflehead - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/2/2017
38 Eared Grebe - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/2/2017
39 Great Blue Heron - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/2/2017
40 American Crow - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/2/2017
41 Common Raven - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/2/2017
42 Black-capped Chickadee - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/2/2017
43 Fox Sparrow - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/2/2017
44 Golden-crowned Sparrow - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/2/2017
45 Snowy Egret - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/3/2017
46 Black-crowned Night-Heron - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/3/2017
47 Gadwall - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/4/2017
48 Pied-billed Grebe - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/4/2017
49 Western Sandpiper - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/4/2017
50 Greater Yellowlegs - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/4/2017
51 Willet - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/4/2017
52 Rock Pigeon - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/4/2017
53 Anna's Hummingbird - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/4/2017
54 Belted Kingfisher - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/4/2017
55 Marsh Wren - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/4/2017
56 Golden-crowned Kinglet - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/4/2017
57 Cedar Waxwing - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/4/2017
58 Orange-crowned Warbler - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/4/2017
59 White-crowned Sparrow - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/4/2017
60 House Finch - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/4/2017
61 American Goldfinch - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/4/2017
62 Least Sandpiper - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/5/2017
63 Hermit Thrush - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/5/2017
64 Brown Pelican - Woodley Island, CA - 1/6/2017
65 Great Egret - Woodley Island, CA - 1/6/2017
66 Marbled Godwit - Woodley Island, CA - 1/6/2017
67 Western Gull - Woodley Island, CA - 1/6/2017
68 Northern Flicker - Woodley Island, CA - 1/6/2017
69 Peregrine Falcon - Woodley Island, CA - 1/6/2017
70 Northern Shoveler - Humboldt Bay NWR, Hookton Slough Unit, CA - 1/8/2017
71 Ring-necked Duck - Humboldt Bay NWR, Hookton Slough Unit, CA - 1/8/2017
72 White-tailed Kite - Humboldt Bay NWR, Hookton Slough Unit, CA - 1/8/2017
73 American Avocet - Humboldt Bay NWR, Hookton Slough Unit, CA - 1/8/2017
74 Whimbrel - Humboldt Bay NWR, Hookton Slough Unit, CA - 1/8/2017
75 American Kestrel - Humboldt Bay NWR, Hookton Slough Unit, CA - 1/8/2017
76 Tufted Duck - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/9/2017
77 Common Goldeneye - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/9/2017
78 Long-billed Curlew - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/9/2017
79 Ring-billed Gull - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/9/2017
80 California Gull - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/9/2017
81 Brandt's Cormorant - Mad River Slough, CA - 1/10/2017
82 Common Loon - Eureka, CA - 1/12/2017
83 Surf Scoter - Woodley Island, CA - 1/13/2017
84 Pacific Loon - Woodley Island, CA - 1/13/2017
85 American Robin- Woodley Island, CA - 1/13/2017
86 American Pipit - Fay Slough Wildlife Area, CA - 1/14/2017
87 Common Yellowthroat - Fay Slough Wildlife Area, CA - 1/14/2017
88 Yellow-rumped Warbler - Fay Slough Wildlife Area, CA - 1/14/2017
89 Western Meadowlark- Fay Slough Wildlife Area, CA - 1/14/2017
90 Purple Finch - Fay Slough Wildlife Area, CA - 1/14/2017
91 White-winged Scoter - Klamath River, CA - 1/15/2017
92 Black Scoter- Klamath River, CA - 1/15/2017
93 Common Merganser - Klamath River, CA - 1/15/2017
94 Black-legged Kittiwake - Klamath River, CA - 1/15/2017
95 Mew Gull - Klamath River, CA - 1/15/2017
96 Glaucous-winged Gull - Klamath River, CA - 1/15/2017
97 Lincoln's Sparrow - Klamath River, CA - 1/15/2017
98 Eurasian Wigeon - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/16/2017
99 Dunlin - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/16/2017
100 Savannah Sparrow - Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, CA - 1/16/2017
101 Cooper's Hawk - Arcata, CA 1/20/2017
102 Brewer's Blackbird - Eureka Waterfront, CA - 1/21/2017
103 Brown-headed Cowbird Brewer's Blackbird - Eureka Waterfront, CA - 1/21/2017
104 Brant - Woodley Island, CA 1/21/2017
105 Black-bellied Plover - Woodley Island, CA - 1/21/2017
106 Horned Grebe Big Lagoon County Park, CA - 1/22/2017
107 Snowy Plover - Big Lagoon County Park, CA - 1/22/2017
108 Red-throated Loon - Freshwater Lagoon, CA - 1/22/2017
109 Varied Thrush - Freshwater Lagoon, CA 1/22/2017
110 Sharp-shinned Hawk - Cooper Gulch Park, CA - 1/27/2017
111 Brown Creeper - Cooper Gulch Park, CA - 1/27/2017
112 Pelagic Cormorant - Moonstone Beach, CA - 1/28/2017
113 Black Oystercatcher - Moonstone Beach, CA - 1/28/2017
114 Surfbird - Moonstone Beach, CA - 1/28/2017
1 note
·
View note
Species of the Day for January 23, 2018
Redhead (Aythya americana)
LEAST CONCERN
With a gleaming cinnamon head setting off a body marked in black and business gray, adult male Redheads light up the open water of lakes and coastlines. These sociable ducks molt, migrate, and winter in sometimes-huge flocks, particularly along the Gulf Coast, where winter numbers can reach the thousands. Summers find them nesting in reedy ponds of the Great Plains and West. Female and young Redheads are uniform brown, with the same black-tipped, blue-gray bill as the male.
In migration and winter, look for Redheads in large rafts, often with other species including Canvasbacks, scaup, wigeon, and American Coots. They usually dive for their food, although they use shallower water than other diving ducks and may feed by tipping up, like a dabbling duck.
Redheads breed mainly in seasonal wetlands such as the prairie pothole region of the Midwest. In migration and winter they group into large flocks on the Gulf Coast, as well as along the Great Lakes and in lakes, reservoirs, bays, and along coastlines across the southern U.S.
Many ducks lay some of their eggs in other birds’ nests (a strategy known as “brood parasitism”), but female Redheads are perhaps tops in this department. Their targets include other Redheads as well as Mallard, Canvasback, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, American Wigeon—even Northern Harrier.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Redhead/id
Photo Credit: Shawn McCready
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shawnmccready/
0 notes
Don’t feed the waterfowl
Mallard Ducks Chappell Marsh. West Swale Wetlands Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Saskatoon, SK, CA
Ruddy Duck. Chappell Marsh. West Swale Wetlands. Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Saskatoon, SK, CA
Ruddy Duck. Chappell Marsh. West Swale Wetlands. Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Saskatoon, SK, CA
Canada Geese West Swale Wetlands. Chappell Marsh. Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, SK, CA
Mallard Ducks. West Swale Wetlands (Chappel Marsh) Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, SK, CA
Ruddy Duck in the West Swale Wetlands (Chappel Marsh) One of the only locales in Saskatchewan to sight the Ruddy Duck. Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, SK, CA
Canada Goose Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and West Swale Wetlands, Saskatoon, Sk, CA
Canada Goose Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and West Swale Wetlands, Saskatoon, Sk, CA
Don’t feed the waterfowl, and the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals goes on to say; Never feed ducks, geese, swans, gulls, herons or eagles.It’s a fine line to walk, between “Feed the Birds Day on February 3” and not feeding the ducks.
If you do use a bird feeder for migratory birds, place them safely away from domesticated animals such as dogs and cats, and do not allow the ground feed spilled out of feeders to habituate rodents.
“There is a risk that ducks and other waterfowl can get an illness known as angel wing, which is caused by not getting the right nutrients in their diet.
“The illness causes as deformity in birds’ wings that can hamper the way they fly or even stop them altogether, which could obviously be fatal,” said Harry Bellows from The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. RSPB says, “Uneaten, rotting food left by ducks can trigger noxious odours and fuel algae that can eventually eradicate fish from the area, as well as attracting rats, mice and insects.
“Mouldy bread can also cause aspergillosis a fatal lung infection that can wipe out waterfowl in flocks.”Foster
Artificial feeding sites can cause outbreaks in wildlife of Duck Virus Enteritis, Aspergillus, and Avian Botulism. Additionally these feeding sites can attract a parasite which causes Swimmer’s Itch in humans.
Besides recognizing these health risks and diseases, there are more reasons not to feed the ducks. Receiving food from humans results in changes in the behavior of waterfowl. The natural areas become overcrowded where feeding occurs, and the native eco-system cannot support the over-run of ducks and geese. Due to the groups and the larger numbers of ducks and geese, a health risk mounts up from excess droppings which increases the risk of disease.
He who knows what sweets and virtues are in the ground, the waters, the plants, the heavens, and how to come at these enchantments, is the rich and royal man. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Furthermore, waterfowl may even decide not to migrate, relying on the food source from humans, and are trapped by the cold winter. For those waterfowl who do not migrate, they are at risk of dying when the winter temperatures drop to -40 Celsius and below, and there is a drop in human feeders.
The adult waterfowl addicted to bread stop teaching their young how to forage in the wild. The ducklings and goslings, then know only a life of seeking food from humans, and cannot survive in a natural setting. Therefore, waterfowl who rely on humans for food will cluster around human outdoor activities in parks, humans and parking lots without knowledge of domestic animals such as dogs and cats and vehicles on roadways.
Additionally relying on handouts of bread leads to severe duckling and gosling mal-nourishment as bread does not have the necessary nutrients to stave off disease or support a healthy body.
“Wild animals who get used to a handout will often take the easy route despite ample natural foods being available – even in urban areas,” says Dr. Sara Dubois, chief scientific officer for the BC SPCA. “Although it might seem harmless and cute to feed a squirrel on a park bench or ducks at the local pond, these activities can lead to increased habituation.”
“Habituated wild animals are also more susceptible to predators and vehicle collisions, as they lose their fear of people and the associated flight response.”BC SPCA
Foods that should never be fed to ducks include:
Bread
Chips
Crackers
Popcorn
Biscuits
Sugary food including sweets and chocolates
Cereal
Sweets
Mouldy food
Over-wintering waterfowl in the region of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan may, as an exception, include Greater White-fronted Goose, Ring-necked Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, Greater Scaup, Snow Goose, Horned Grebe, Eared Grebe, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Red-necked Grebe, Sora, American Coot, Canada Goose, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Canvasback, Redhead, and Ruddy Duck. If you are patient and still and happen to recognize these waterfowl, please do not feed them. Especially not in or near an off leash recreation area. The waterfowl of Chappel Marsh – the West Swale Wetlands – should not be habituated to humans. They should rely on their natural insticts to not approach humans.
I believe in oneness of mankind and of all living things and in the interdependence of each and all. I believe that unless we play fair to the Earth, we cannot exist physically on this planet. Unless we play fair to our neighbour, we cannot exist socially or internationally. Unless we play fair to better self, there is no individuality and no leadership. ~Richard St. Barbe Baker.
For more information:
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, SK, CA north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city.
Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot
Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com
Facebook: StBarbeBaker
Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Twitter: StBarbeBaker
July 9, 2016 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area CLEAN UP Day PAMPHLET
Our task must be to free ourselves … by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.~Albert Einstein
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Beitz, Mike. Don’t feed the birds. The Beacon Herald. Aug. 9, 2016.
Don’t feed the duck bread, say conservationists. The Guardian. Environment.
Don’t feed the Dogs. Saint John.
Don’t feed the animals. British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. BC SPCA. July 22, 2014
Foster, Alice. What you should NEVER feed to ducks: Six things including BREAD. Express Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. April 6, 20165
Four reasons why feeding bread to ducks is stupid. CBC News. May 24, 2015
Greason, Chet. Duck Feeding Ban passed Despite Protest. Stratford Gazette. August 10, 2016
Is Feeding Ducks Bread Bad? About.com January 20, 2017.
Don’t feed the ducks Mass Audubon. Protecting the Nature of Massachusetts.
McLendon, Russell. 3 Reasons why you shouldn’t feed bread to ducks. Mother Earth Network. November 18, 2015.
Podbielski, Ron. Don’t feed the wildlife. Saskatchewan Environment. Government of Saskatchewan. January 19, 2017.
Rockwood Park ducks refuse to fly south as feeding continues. Naturalist urges Rockwood Park visitors to feed ducks fruits and vegetables, not bread, if they do bring food. CBC News. Feb. 12, 2015
Saskatchewan Birding Trail Experience (pdf)
Seriously, Stop Feeding Wild Animals. DNews. Aug 28, 2016.
Stop Feeding Waterfowl. Department of Environmental Conservation. New York State.
Winter, Lisa. The Disturbing Reasons You Shouldn’t Feed Bread To Ducks
We can’t live on bread alone, and neither can they. A-Plus. March, 21, 2015
Why you Should Never Feed Bread to Ducks. IFL Science
Zsivanovits, Petra, Deborah J. Monks, and Neil A. Forbes. Bilateral Valgus Deformity of the Distal Wings (Angel Wing) in a Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery 20(1):21-26. 2006
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1647/1082-6742(2006)20%5B21:BVDOTD%5D2.0.CO;2
Don’t feed the waterfowl Don't feed the waterfowl Don't feed the waterfowl, and the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals goes on to say; Never feed ducks, geese, swans, gulls, herons or eagles.It's a fine line to walk, between …
0 notes
Bracket Seeds and Methodology: Hens, Pens, and Geese
As mentioned in my pinned post, the 48 species contained in the tournament represent all native North American species in the order Anseriformes (ducks, geese, and swans), according to the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America.
In order to produce brackets that would work out well and not result in early match-ups of popular species, I seeded the species according to 6 popularity metrics: the number of google search results for the common name, the number of tumblr posts in the species’ tag over the past week, days since the last tumblr post in the species’ tag, number of colours (either of plumage, legs, or bill) other than white, black, brown, or grey present on the females of each species, whether or not the female is mottled brown, and whether the species is sexually dimorphic (males and females are different in appearance). I then developed a formula that used the metrics to produce a score for each species where the higher the score, the greater the prospective popularity. I manually checked the ranking of species to see if the order looked reasonable (with popular or common species at the top, and less common species at the bottom), in order to verify that my scoring system was performing as expected. The bird with the highest score became the first seed, the second highest became the second seed, and so on, for all 48 species.
The seed positions are as follows:
Mallard
Wood Duck
American Black Duck
Canada Goose
Long-tailed Duck
Cinnamon Teal
Snow Goose
Blue-Winged Teal
Redhead
Green-winged Teal
Common Goldeneye
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Common Merganser
Bufflehead
Barrow's Goldeneye
Emperor Goose
Brant
Northern Pintail
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Tundra Swan
King Eider
Muscovy Duck
Greater Scaup
Masked Duck
Pink-footed Goose
Greater White-fronted Goose
Fulvous Whistling Duck
Ross's Goose
White-cheeked Pintail
Black Scoter
Trumpeter Swan
Red-breasted Merganser
Mottled Duck
Barnacle Goose
White-winged Scoter
Cackling Goose
Harlequin Duck
Ring-necked Duck
Ruddy Duck
Common Eider
American Wigeon
Canvasback
Hooded Merganser
Surf Scoter
Lesser Scaup
Spetacled Eider
Steller's Eider
3 notes
·
View notes
Photo Credits: Hens, Pens, and Geese
Any photos I use that are not my own have been found by searching google images for photos with Creative Commons licenses. Below are the URLs for all photos used, alphabetized according to the common name of the species in the photo. This post will be updated as new photos are added.
American Black Duck: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_Black_Duck_female_RWD6.jpg
American Wigeon: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anas-americana-004.jpg
Barnacle Goose: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barnacle-Goose.jpg
Barrow's Goldeneye: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barrow%27s_Goldeneye_RWD1.jpg
Black Scoter: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BlackScoter_mosbo6.jpg
Black-bellied Whistling Duck: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwshq/19838840096
Blue-Winged Teal: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anas_discors_Barraquete_aliazul_Blue-winged_Teal_(female)_(6545684793).jpg
Brant: https://www.flickr.com/photos/taylar/13886499515
Bufflehead: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dagberg/2164018818
Cackling Goose: https://www.flickr.com/photos/zonotrichia/16195014494
Canada Goose: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canada_Goose_-Branta_canadensis.JPG
Canvasback: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canvasback_(female)_-_Aythya_valisineria,_Oakley_Street,_Cambridge,_Maryland.jpg
Cinnamon Teal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/zonotrichia/6296216902
Common Eider: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_Eider_female_RWD6n.jpg
Common Goldeneye: https://www.flickr.com/photos/101181388@N07/32252304942
Common Merganser: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_Merganser_-_natures_pics.jpg
Emperor Goose: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfws_alaska/6728080117
Fulvous Whistling Duck: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fulvous_whistling_duck.JPG
Gadwall: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gadwall-female.jpg
Greater Scaup: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_leche/371330422
Greater White-fronted Goose: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Greater_white-fronted_goose.jpg
Green-winged Teal: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Female_Green-winged_Teal-_Bolsa_Chica_Wetlands_(4412427221).jpg
Harlequin Duck: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harlequin_duck_(female).jpg
Hooded Merganser: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hooded_merganser_-_female.jpg
King Eider: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:King_Eider_RWD.jpg
Lesser Scaup: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Female_Lesser_Scaup-_Bolsa_Chica_Wetlands_(4412427863).jpg
Long-tailed Duck: https://www.flickr.com/photos/9919745@N03/13667635193
Mallard: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Female_mallard_nest_-_natures_pics_edit2.jpg
Masked Duck: https://www.flickr.com/photos/richardwc/831899461
Mottled Duck: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mottled_Duck.jpg
Muscovy Duck: https://www.flickr.com/photos/danielmsorensen/38522855196
Northern Pintail: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanvernon/3054919872
Northern Shoveler: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Northern_Shoveler_(Female).jpg
Pink-footed Goose: https://www.flickr.com/photos/leonvdn/10979920193
Red-breasted Merganser: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red-breasted_merganser_female_in_CP_(40733).jpg
Redhead: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lenblumin/6408319035
Ring-necked Duck: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanvernon/5242678046
Ross's Goose: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ross%27s_Goose_(Chen_rossii)_(23321411711).jpg
Ruddy Duck: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ruddy_Duck_(female)_(16287074459).jpg
Snow Goose: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Snow_goose_in_Central_Park_(33138).jpg
Spetacled Eider: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Somateria_fischeri_(Spectacled_Eider_-_Plueschkopfente)_-_Weltvogelpark_Walsrode_2012-15.jpg
Steller's Eider: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwshq/6750450131
Surf Scoter: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ddebold/26478648198
Trumpeter Swan: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanvernon/5111241555
Tundra Swan: https://www.flickr.com/photos/9765210@N03/8571142484
White-cheeked Pintail: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:White-cheeked_Pintail_RWD.jpg
White-winged Scoter: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stonebird/15236611903
Wood Duck: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dapuglet/48480618926
2 notes
·
View notes