Two Duck Records from the Imperial Valley of California
Two Duck Records from the Imperial Valley of California
During the past several winters the writer has shot at a small, ten-blind club between Mecca and the northern end of Salton Sea and consequently has had opportunity to observe enough ducks to gain a fair idea of the species which go to make up the winter duck population of that locality. Of course, by far the great majority of ducks seen or killed belong to the “common” species (though “once common” would be a better term) and only two have been of sufficient rarity to be noteworthy. The Ring-necked Duck (Nyroca collaris) is a rare, though apparently regular, visitor; for one or two have been killed each season. Dates are from November 11 to December 20, the last one being November 27 of the present (1932) year. A still rarer visitor to this desert locality is the Wood Duck (Axi sponsa). On November 13 of this year a male was unwittingly killed by one of the other members, who brought it to my blind to have it identified! The bird is now a skin in the collection of the California Institute of Technology.
A. J. Van Rossem
Pasadena, California, December 7, 1982
