Shell Duck Anyone?

[Hatchero]

i am sitting here killing time in between work loads and was recollecting (as geezers often do). i got to wondering if anyone out there has caught many shell ducks with their falcons. a few years back i put my peregrine over a pond full of ducks. when i went in to flush it was a regular mayhem of mixed ducks except for a flock of something i had not seen before. my peregrine went through all the other ducks to pick off the weird stuff(as you would expect) and caught this big old thing that i could not ID. since this pond was way out in the desert i sat there and looked at this thing and had to decide if i would take possession of a duck that i could not ID. this duck was picked out of a flock of about a dozen of the same species that formed up similar to geese. i took it home and froze it and used it as a falconers party novelty for a while as a "what the hell is this thing" kinda deal. nobody got it right. i finally was convinced that i should let the Fish and game department id it--boy did i check the regs before i did that. the ID came back as a male Shell duck--go figure. i never saw that flock again out there.
Jim

[Jack]

Jim, I am not real good at making ID on wild ducks, so I have gotten my duck ID book down and looked in it. There is nothing in there that is even closely associated with a Shell Duck. So-----Something tells me that I am going to regret responding to this thread.

Jack

[Hatchero]

Jim, I am not real good at making ID on wild ducks, so I have gotten my duck ID book down and looked in it. There is nothing in there that is even closely associated with a Shell Duck. So-----Something tells me that I am going to regret responding to this thread.

Jack

well don't feel bad, i had no idea, and i know my ducks pretty well---native ducks that is. it turns out that shell ducks have naturalized to some areas of the US (previously unknown to Idaho) they come from some place that i do not recall.
Jim

[CloakDaggerTiercel]

i am sitting here killing time in between work loads and was recollecting (as geezers often do). i got to wondering if anyone out there has caught many shell ducks with their falcons. a few years back i put my peregrine over a pond full of ducks. when i went in to flush it was a regular mayhem of mixed ducks except for a flock of something i had not seen before. my peregrine went through all the other ducks to pick off the weird stuff(as you would expect) and caught this big old thing that i could not ID. since this pond was way out in the desert i sat there and looked at this thing and had to decide if i would take possession of a duck that i could not ID. this duck was picked out of a flock of about a dozen of the same species that formed up similar to geese. i took it home and froze it and used it as a falconers party novelty for a while as a "what the hell is this thing" kinda deal. nobody got it right. i finally was convinced that i should let the Fish and game department id it--boy did i check the regs before i did that. the ID came back as a male Shell duck--go figure. i never saw that flock again out there.
Jim

Hi Jim,
They are protected over here in the UK.
I see them all the time down on the saltmarsh. Strange things, they have a courtship like a crane throwing their head back onto their back. Ive got it on film. They like to nest in rabbit and foxhole holes in sandy banks.
Ive got a perfectly preserved hen in the freezer that flew into some wires. It weighs four pounds, so I guess the drakes would be nearer 5.
Never had a hawk go on one but then never flushed many of ponds. They alaways seem to be out in the fields grazing.
Nick

[Onyx25]

Hi Jim,
They are protected over here in the UK.
I see them all the time down on the saltmarsh. Strange things, they have a courtship like a crane throwing their head back onto their back. Ive got it on film. They like to nest in rabbit and foxhole holes in sandy banks.
Ive got a perfectly preserved hen in the freezer that flew into some wires. It weighs four pounds, so I guess the drakes would be nearer 5.
Never had a hawk go on one but then never flushed many of ponds. They alaways seem to be out in the fields grazing.
Nick

I had a pere x saker hit one twice the second time knocking it to the floor, it just picked itself up and flew off!! Falcon left it alone after this which Im hardly suprised about. Pretty glad it never killed it because as you said they are protected. This was flushed off a pond with other ducks.

[Chamokane]

There are photos of several species of Shell Ducks here:

http://mdkauctions.hypermart.net/shell.html

And a male Paradise Shell duck here:

http://www.pbase.com/peterbray/image/51469442

I spend quite a bit of time duck hawking but I've never seen a Shell Duck that I know of.

[Judd Casper]

i am sitting here killing time in between work loads and was recollecting (as geezers often do). i got to wondering if anyone out there has caught many shell ducks with their falcons. a few years back i put my peregrine over a pond full of ducks. when i went in to flush it was a regular mayhem of mixed ducks except for a flock of something i had not seen before. my peregrine went through all the other ducks to pick off the weird stuff(as you would expect) and caught this big old thing that i could not ID. since this pond was way out in the desert i sat there and looked at this thing and had to decide if i would take possession of a duck that i could not ID. this duck was picked out of a flock of about a dozen of the same species that formed up similar to geese. i took it home and froze it and used it as a falconers party novelty for a while as a "what the hell is this thing" kinda deal. nobody got it right. i finally was convinced that i should let the Fish and game department id it--boy did i check the regs before i did that. the ID came back as a male Shell duck--go figure. i never saw that flock again out there.
JimJim a friend of mine took one off a nice sized pond i have with his GxP hybrid tiercel, it was on its own mixed in with teal wigeon and mallard they have a strange slower wing beat compared to other ducks and i think this is why it was picked out.


Sam

[Judd Casper]

i am sitting here killing time in between work loads and was recollecting (as geezers often do). i got to wondering if anyone out there has caught many shell ducks with their falcons. a few years back i put my peregrine over a pond full of ducks. when i went in to flush it was a regular mayhem of mixed ducks except for a flock of something i had not seen before. my peregrine went through all the other ducks to pick off the weird stuff(as you would expect) and caught this big old thing that i could not ID. since this pond was way out in the desert i sat there and looked at this thing and had to decide if i would take possession of a duck that i could not ID. this duck was picked out of a flock of about a dozen of the same species that formed up similar to geese. i took it home and froze it and used it as a falconers party novelty for a while as a "what the hell is this thing" kinda deal. nobody got it right. i finally was convinced that i should let the Fish and game department id it--boy did i check the regs before i did that. the ID came back as a male Shell duck--go figure. i never saw that flock again out there.
JimJim I should have stuck this on the end of my last post a few years back i caught a duck that took me a few months to identify...it turned out to be a Bahama siver pintail and it was in a flock of mixed duck that were in their hundreds yet she picked this one critter out and it looked a real speedster.

Sam

[Batwing]

bet that waz shadow sam yea there protected over here in uk i live up along the river foyle n ireland theres tons fly up and down steady in the lough but never seen any in ponds

[Sean D]

we've got hundreds of them on the salt marshes near me, shame its mostly protected

[Rabadswompe]

the french ( from France) call them Tadorne... they are not established up here in Eastern Canada (as far as I know).

[Judd Casper]

bet that waz shadow sam yea there protected over here in uk i live up along the river foyle n ireland theres tons fly up and down steady in the lough but never seen any in pondsHi Stevie it wasn't Shadow it was Gilly's hybrid and their protected over here too but we forgot to tell the hybrid.....when do you pick up your tiercel.


Sam

[Hatchero]

the french ( from France) call them Tadorne... they are not established up here in Eastern Canada (as far as I know).

ya, they seem to be a cross between a duck and a small goose. i don't really count such things because it is obviously not a for real quarry(released at some point). the wierdest ducks i have caught are Surf Scoters, now THAT is a weird duck. used to be that you could find them on some very specific ponds right along the ocean in Northern California--a very scenic slip. Scoters are big and kind of prehistoric looking. they are a diver, of sorts, and are slow off the pond but when they get going they can really roll. i had a peregrine that liked them when i could find them. she would go way up and out over the ocean(upwind) and come in from a big pitch in almost a head-on to catch them - if she missed they were gone. The same pond would hold canvasbacks (often mixed with the scoters) on occasion which were flown in identical fashion. none of those ponds remain today. The last of the "possibles" for ducks that you might find in a hawkable situation that i have not caught yet is a Harlequin duck(they nest in the highland streams here)--i am watching for those.
Jim

[Rabadswompe]

there are lots of scoters and old squaws inn the St-Lawrence rivervay here...both in Lake St-Pierre (a shallow widening of the river) and in the atlantic estuary. Shot a couple in the day... but their taste isn't to my liking.

lured the suckers in with 20 2 liter pepsi bottles painted mat black.

One thing Jim... if your pere bound to the scoter over the water...did she carry the bird to the ground???

[Hatchero]

there are lots of scoters and old squaws inn the St-Lawrence rivervay here...both in Lake St-Pierre (a shallow widening of the river) and in the atlantic estuary. Shot a couple in the day... but their taste isn't to my liking.

lured the suckers in with 20 2 liter pepsi bottles painted mat black.

One thing Jim... if your pere bound to the scoter over the water...did she carry the bird to the ground???

i would imagine that a scoter tastes about as bad as a duck can taste, judging by the stink of the ones i caught. no, if the scoters got anywhere near the ocean they were already gone. they are pretty big so a falcon has to do the lethal karate chop on them or there is no chance since a bind would end up with falcon and duck comming down like a 5 pound anvil into a field of Brussel sprouts.
Jim

[Batwing]

hi sam sail over to chris 28 july to 3 aug so you maybe come down and laugh at me trying to man this beast down by the way bruce is doingbrilliant couple off weeks we went down to the hunting grounds pointed ten times flushed 6 partridge 2 phesants only false pointed twice hows the wee girl getting on

[Batwing]

still a lot off partridge there from last year theres a lot off wildpartridges about which is good he usally releaases 12.000 patrridge every year this year 24.000 holy ****