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Migratory Blue Bill #4097341 03/04/13 02:05 AM
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If it was not for this one park by my house I would have never seen a blue bill. Just don't see them where I hunt, but this local community pond holds about 100 blue bills all winter long, been watching them for years. They get there in Dec and leave when it gets warmer. I wonder what they feed on (other than bread it is a park...) but they stay all winter. And I wonder if it is the same group of birds every year, I bet it is, I wish I could band them and track them. If you have never seen blue bill and want to check them out, Twin Lakes Park, on Campbell just west of Coit..






Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: Guy] #4097364 03/04/13 02:13 AM
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nice pics guy. if you want to shoot blue bills, just come out with us on the coast!


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Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: Guy] #4097367 03/04/13 02:13 AM
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Park Namer!!!



Very Nice pics!

Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: FowledUp] #4097376 03/04/13 02:16 AM
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Our zoo lake is full of em too

Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: jseago] #4097495 03/04/13 03:05 AM
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Cool pocs


Live to hunt, hunt to live.
Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: drakedoctor] #4097515 03/04/13 03:12 AM
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There is a park in Arlington at matlock and arbrook down the road from the academy that looks about like that. Had other puddle ducks mixed in but it was mostly blue bills. They have been there for a couple weeks now.

Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: Tvilbig] #4097672 03/04/13 04:06 AM
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Man that's awesome


OMG, this is the best slumber party ever!
Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: SweetTea] #4098632 03/04/13 05:29 PM
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Seems like every park has bbills. I haven't shot many either due to the locations I hunt

Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: Featherduster] #4098702 03/04/13 05:58 PM
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They have been thick on my HOA ponds too. I shot my first one this early this year. I should have kept it to mount. My stomach won the battle of whether I should mount it or not!

Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: Pittstate] #4098725 03/04/13 06:10 PM
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Lessers. Not a true "blue bill" which is a greater and that's what most people associate a blue bill as. Lessers are more common as they fly with ringers. I shot three this year and had to really research them since I had never shot one in the past.

Greaters are much tougher to see and shot.

Just saying so to not be confused. Don't take it the wrong way.

Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: Roc] #4098896 03/04/13 07:31 PM
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Lessers and greaters are both scaup. Both scaup are called bluebills, just depends wether it's a greater or lesser. Same thing. The "true" bluebills you're talking about are in Australia. Not relevant here


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Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: txbowhunt7] #4098980 03/04/13 08:03 PM
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i got a couple blue bills this last season. some were actually pretty mature and if i had the dough i would have mounted one


Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: Roc] #4099155 03/04/13 09:31 PM
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Originally Posted By: Roc
Lessers. Not a true "blue bill" which is a greater and that's what most people associate a blue bill as. Lessers are more common as they fly with ringers. I shot three this year and had to really research them since I had never shot one in the past.
Greaters are much tougher to see and shot.

Just saying so to not be confused. Don't take it the wrong way.

you know, you are kinda right. The original name Bluebill came from the old timers who shot the big fat greaters. The colloquial name has evolved though to encompass all scaup. If im in a blind with birds working and call "bluebills", and the guy next to me corrects me with a "no, those are lesser scaup.", they are getting a swift kick in the nuts.


Originally Posted By: RoosterCogburn13
I like spoonie, his humor is dryer than my duck lease.
Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: ishootspoonies] #4099172 03/04/13 09:39 PM
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One of my hunting spots is a real bluebill producer, beautiful birds!

Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: texasdude28] #4099274 03/04/13 10:21 PM
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Just pointing out they are different and easy to confuse the two. I would bet a lot of duck hunters think they are the "same". It's always good to be able to I.d. birds properly.

Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: Roc] #4099543 03/05/13 12:12 AM
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DU website says lesser is called a blue bill..

Lesser scaup

Male scaups have light gray, almost white bodies, blackish chests and a very dark head. Females are dark brown with a distinct white patch at the base of the bill.

In flight, look for the white stripe on the trailing edge of the wing in both sexes. The bill is blue, hence the gunner’s nickname “bluebill.”


http://www.ducks.org/conservation/waterfowl-biology/shortcut-to-duck-id#11

Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: Tvilbig] #4099759 03/05/13 01:48 AM
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They've been there since November. Same at the ponds at work, lots of Blue bills, Mallards and Wigeons
Originally Posted By: Tvilbig
There is a park in Arlington at matlock and arbrook down the road from the academy that looks about like that. Had other puddle ducks mixed in but it was mostly blue bills. They have been there for a couple weeks now.


Originally Posted by ImTheReasonDovesMourn
I'd ask him if he's pregnant. He missed a s__tload of periods.

Originally Posted by Hancock
I'll take "things that look like a uterus" for $200 Alex.
Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: hoof n wings] #4103656 03/06/13 03:13 PM
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Pond here in Snyder always gets a good size flock of canvasbacks that will take up residence for the entire season. Usually a few bluebills and ringers mixed in with them.

Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: ishootspoonies] #4103728 03/06/13 03:36 PM
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Originally Posted By: ishootspoonies
Originally Posted By: Roc
Lessers. Not a true "blue bill" which is a greater and that's what most people associate a blue bill as. Lessers are more common as they fly with ringers. I shot three this year and had to really research them since I had never shot one in the past.
Greaters are much tougher to see and shot.

Just saying so to not be confused. Don't take it the wrong way.

you know, you are kinda right. The original name Bluebill came from the old timers who shot the big fat greaters. The colloquial name has evolved though to encompass all scaup. If im in a blind with birds working and call "bluebills", and the guy next to me corrects me with a "no, those are lesser scaup.", they are getting a swift kick in the nuts.


Notes taken.....I like my NUTZ

Last edited by Pittstate; 03/06/13 03:37 PM.
Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: Pittstate] #4104941 03/06/13 11:48 PM
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Greaters are broad bills and lessors are blue bills or black heads


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Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: Jeff Elder] #4105083 03/07/13 01:00 AM
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Delta Waterfowl calls lesser bluebill as well,or little bluebill..

http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/bios/lesserscaup/index.php

I see why their population is declining, that pic I posted, that is about 55 to 60 ducks, only 5 I count are hens.. That seems real low (about 9% hens).

Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: Guy] #4105136 03/07/13 01:22 AM
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For grins I did a google search and scanned throught he first 3 or 4 pages of sites. I only clicked on hunting/bird identification/birdwatching/dictionary sites. I omitted or did not count discussion and cookie cutter sites. I quickly jotted down the number of common name references given for each lesser and greater scaup.

Lesser Scaup
Number of references that call a Lesser Scaup a....
1 x bluebill
3 x little bluebill
1 x river bluebill
2 x broadbill
1 x river broadbill
1 x blackhead
1 x bullhead
1 x blackjack
1 x shuffler

Greater Scaup
Number of references that call a Greater Scaup a....
5 x bluebill
1 x big bluebill
3 x broadbill
3 x blackhead
1 x greyback
1 x shuffler
1 x american scaup
2 x raft duck
2 x flocking fowl
1 x flock duck
1 x snuffler

Note that Scaup was not considered to be two separate species until 1938. Before 1938 for all practical purposes hunters thought they were hunting a single species. Some of the names above are certainly regional and from a time taxonomists and hunters considered both North American Scaup to be the same bird.

Re: Migratory Blue Bill [Re: FowledUp] #4105711 03/07/13 04:29 AM
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Originally Posted By: bwilliams
Park Namer!!!

I know, I learn my lesson. Every Barney in north dallas is there now, setting up next to me taking pics, even had a barney take a pic of me, I told him to watch where he points that thing!! roflmao

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