[Maine-birds] Escaped Whooper Swan and odd exotic hybrid ducks in Rye, NH

I see that there have been many birders who have traveled to see the
Whooper Swan in Rye, NH and reported it on eBird.  It is now crystal
clear that the bird is an escaped bird from a local waterfowl breeder in
Rye   Not that there was really any question to begin with.  I finally
talked to this breeder this afternoon and he reports that he had a pair
of Whooper Swans.  A pinioned male and an unpinioned female which didn't
fly because the male was there.  The male died unexpectedly, and the
female then flew off.  At about the same time, the Whooper Swan started
being seen sporadically on Eel Pond.  So, if you want to see a cool
looking swan then come and visit, but it will not be accepted on eBird
as a naturally occurring vagrant.

On a similar note, there have been a couple of very odd sightings in
Rye.  Two different odd ducks were reported in September, but they have
been infrequent.  Both were originally thought to be strange looking
Northern Pintail hybrids, but now they appear to be two different
YELLOW-BILLED TEAL HYBRIDS!  The same duck breeder in Rye says that he
currently has Yellow-billed Teals in captivity (as well as Ringed Teal,
Cinnamon Teal, Green-winged Teal, and Bufflehead), but is not aware of
hybridization or escapes.  But he could not rule this out and there
appears to be no other explanation for these odd-looking (female)
ducks.  Here is a photo of the two hybrids:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevemirick/50520742178

Steve Mirick
Bradford, MA


P.S.  The same breeder says that he has had Ruddy Shelduck in past
years, but HAS NOT HAD COMMON SHELDUCK AT ALL in past years.  Thank
goodness!  :-)

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