Field Notes

David Fix
39. by David Fix on July 02, 2011 at 11:51 pm

As stated above, Gadwalls of either sex really do have a squared forehead--as if they have a bad case of "hat head." This profile is sometimes useful in poor light or at a great distance. The call of the drake is a clear, tenor, well-projected "bek," given singly (though commonly in loose series) with a noticeable short-E vowel tone. Once you learn this, you can "day-list" Gadwall readily while birding a thick marsh without seeing one. The descending quack-series of the hen sounds an awful lot like that of a Mallard, but on my better days I think I can distinguish them. In the West, broods of Gadwall tend to become evident a few weeks later than those of Mallard.

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Citation: Personal Experience. I observe this regularly, highly confident.

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Recent Activity

Activity Date & Time
Jacob Parks added Gadwall to their Smith and Bybee Lakes smart list 11/02/2011 at 1:42AM
David Fix added a note to Gadwall Notes 7/02/2011 at 11:51PM
Dave Irons added Gadwall to their Lakewood Bay, Lake Oswego, Oregon smart list 4/14/2011 at 8:15AM