Pond in Tualatin

I was running errands and the scope was in the car, so I stopped off at a small pond that is part of the Tualatin Green space initiative, I think it is an impoundment of Balch Creek, tributary to the Tualatin River.
There were a lot of birds on the water, and interestingly, they were a very different mix from what I’d seen at the nearby Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge over the past 3 days.

Predominant Species at:
TRNWR:

• Canada Geese
• Northern Pintail
• Mallards
• American Wigeon
• Lesser Scaup
• Buffleheads
• Ruddy Ducks

Tualatin Pond:

• Gadwall
• Ring-necked Duck
• American Wigeon
• Merganser

Aside from the scale, the ponds look like pretty similar habitat and geomorphically and are geographically close. TRNWR is a winter flood plain of the Tualatin with permanent impoundments and the Tualatin pond is an impoundment of a small stream tributary to the nearby Tualatin. There must be more differences to the ducks than meet the eye to a distant human observer. I didn’t see any Gadwalls, Ring-Necked Ducks or Common Mergansers at the refuge, I didn’t see any Pintails or Mallards on the Tualatin pond.

Conditions: overcast, 50 degrees and fairly still.

Posted on 05 January, 2012 22:35 by loren