Aythya marila – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Help With Drake Scaup Identification

By Mia McPherson|November 28th, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Greater Scaups, Lesser Scaups, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: autumn, Aythya affinis, Aythya marila, breeding plumage, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, fall, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, male, marsh, nonbreeding plumage, pond, scaup, scaups, urban, water, wetlands, winter|

Every fall and winter when Lesser and Greater Scaups are seen in northern Utah I hear questions about scaup identification.

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Greater Scaup drake in Autumn

By Mia McPherson|October 3rd, 2015|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Greater Scaups, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, Aythya marila, drake, duck, ducks, fall, Greater Scaup, male, marsh, population decline, scaup, scaups, water, waterfowl, wetlands|

Last autumn I was able to get up close to a drake Greater Scaup at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and I'm hoping that I see more of them this year.

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Greater Scaup drake at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

By Mia McPherson|November 18th, 2014|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Greater Scaups, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, Aythya marila, Box Elder County, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, fall, Greater Scaup, male, marsh, scaup, scaups, water, waterfowl, wetlands|

This Greater Scaup drake is making the transition into his breeding plumage an was in among American Coots, a resting female scaup, Pied-Billed Grebes and a single Canvasback.

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Things are getting Ducky in Utah!

By Mia McPherson|October 1st, 2011|Categories: Birds, Buffleheads, Cinnamon Teals, Common Goldeneyes, Common Mergansers, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Gadwalls, Greater Scaups, Mallards, Northern Pintails, Northern Shovelers, Red-breasted Mergansers, Ring-necked Ducks, Salt Lake Valley|Tags: Anas acuta, Anas platyrhynchos, autumn, Aythya collaris, Aythya marila, Bucephala albeola, Bucephala clangula, Bufflehead, Cinnamon Teal, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Davis County, Gadwall, Greater Scaup, Mallard, Mareca strepera, Mergus merganser, Mergus serrator, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Red-breasted Merganser, Ring-necked Duck, Salt Lake County, Spatula clypeata, Spatula cyanoptera|

Another wonderful change that I have been seeing is that a variety of duck species have been arriving at the Great Salt Lake

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