Unusual molting? Hybrids? Obscure species?

I am challenged by many groups of birds. Hawks. Sandpipers, peeps, and assorted small shorebirds. Gulls.

But nonbreeding ducks lead the list.  Seeing these with a flock of Mallard Ducks in Billings, Montana, last week led me to speculate that I was perhaps the discoverer of a whole new species of ducks. Or maybe not. You be the judge. And if you can name any or all of these, please do.

Given the white geese in the above shot, it is possible that there are tame ducks in this waterbody also, but the tame ducks I used to raise were white. Unless they mingled with the Mallards and presented us with these delightful variations.

This last duck does not bear any resemblance to a Mallard, mutated or not, but I still don't know what it is. Quite possibly an ordinary duck wearing its winter colours.

Wild Turkey

We didn't go birding on our short trip to Montana over the weekend, but three Wild Turkeys obligingly came to us so I had no choice but to snap their photos. Thanks to Ray who recognized them as something worth slowing down for soon enough that we didn't just zoom right past.

Looking for Cranes

On her way to the field on Thursday, Cheryl saw something new adjacent to land we farm.

 

She hoped to see Whooping Cranes again, wondering if she would be able to identify them among the other cranes and the Snow Geese when she had neither a camera nor binoculars.

Turns out it wasn't a problem. She phoned me late in the afternoon to say she was watching 2 adult Whooping Cranes. They apparently didn't mind her tractor and landed quite near. After some time they flew off to join a flock of Sandhill Cranes.

On Sunday Ray and I thought we wouldn't mind seeing a couple more Whooping Cranes ourselves, not having seen any for 3 weeks. We drove out about 4:00 p.m.  The Sandhill Cranes were just leaving Luck Lake looking for supper. We drove past the fields where they've been seen the most, noticing 3 yellow signs in the area. No white birds among the grey. We headed toward the lake where we saw the Snow Geese weren't quite ready for supper

then circumnavigated the lake. This is quite a long drive because only on the north side can you get very close to the lake (or by using the dike, but we didn't do that this time.)  Very few of the cranes or geese were looking for grain on the north, east, or west sides of the lake. Back on the south side we did another drive-by. The Snow Geese were on their way off the lake, settling onto the harvested fields nearby.

We didn't see a lot of other birds. Notable were this juvenile Bald Eagle

an injured Sandhill Crane which has probably already become supper to a coyote (They need to eat too, I am reminded by Ray)

 and, of course, the flocks of Sandhill Cranes.

Beautiful warm day for a drive, but the Whooping Cranes were either well hidden or not there.

Maybe next time.