You’re too kind Philip. I was thinking about other issues and simply had the wrong duck species in my head.
From: Philip Veerman [
Sent: Monday, 30 January 2017 10:58 AM
To: 'Geoffrey Dabb'; 'David Rees'
Cc:
Subject: RE: FW: [canberrabirds] High altitude Musk Duck ( out of town )
Oh yes but to be suitably tolerant, the only little error was in doing a reply on the prior message subject, rather than create a new message. It is still a valid
thing for the Freckled Duck. Sure, someone unfamiliar with both just might be confused........
From: Geoffrey Dabb
Sent: Monday, 30 January, 2017 10:25 AM
To: 'David Rees'
Cc:
Subject: RE: FW: [canberrabirds] High altitude Musk Duck ( out of town )
You’re absolutely right David. Wrong duck, wrong food, wrong altitude …
From: David Rees
Sent: Monday, 30 January 2017 10:18 AM
To: Geoffrey Dabb
Cc: <>
Subject: Re: FW: [canberrabirds] High altitude Musk Duck ( out of town )
Geoffrey, think you got the wrong bird!! Musk ducks most certainly eat yabbies, Freckled ducks as you say dabble.
On Mon, Jan 30, 2017 at 9:19 AM, Geoffrey Dabb <> wrote:
An algaevore rather than a yabbyvore. Those who have seen this species upend-feeding at Kelly Swamp
will have a pointer to its filer-feeding habits. It prefers shallow water and soft mud. HANZAB describes it a s a specialist filter feeder. Our own Peter Fullagar’s observation is that the ‘bill is held just above bottom .. head scything from side to side’.
Moreover: ‘rapid pumping movements of the tongue cause food particles to be sucked in near tip and stream of water expelled from sides of recurved bill’.
