Labrador Duck

Labrador Duck (Camptorhynchus labradorius

Labrador Duck [John Gerrard Keulemans Illustration]

The Labrador Duck is a little known extinct duck from our part of North America.  It was an uncommon duck when the first settlers came to northeastern North America.  It became rare in the 1850s to 1870s and was extinct by 1878.  It was also known as the Pied Duck or the Sand Shoal Duck.  Some locals called it the Skunk Duck but that term also included the Surf Scoters and Common Goldeneyes.

Labrador Duck [Painting by Louis Agassiz Fuertes]

The life history of the Labrador Duck is not well known.  Much of our information is assumed by extrapolation from other duck life histories.  That is unfortunate because our population was 'young' as a nation and uninformed and facts were not gathered and we were not aware that this species needed protection.

Labrador Duck [John James Audubon Painting]

From what we know or have assumed, the Labrador Duck lived in northeastern North America only.  It bred along the coast of Labrador and along the Gulf of St. Lawrence.  It wintered along the coast of the Maritime Provinces and down the eastern seaboard of the US as far south as  New Jersey and Chesapeake Bay.

Although the breeding biology of this species is unknown it probably nested on rocky cliffs or on islands.  It fed on molluscs, shellfish and seaweeds.  It preferred sandy shoals where it used its long, wide bill to glean food.  I picture its feeding behaviour as similar to our Harlequin Ducks.  Its common name tells us it preferred shallow water.

Labrador Duck - Male

The Labrador Duck was beautiful.  As seen above, the male was pied, black and white.  Its head was long and the bill was almost as long as the head.  Its eyes were small (this may be a taxidermy specimen error).  It was certainly adept at life in the surf.  Its bill was unique, long and wide and 'soft' with lamellae for sifting out food.

Labrador Duck - Female

The female was very gray overall.  We don't know a lot about the juveniles.  The Fuertes painting shown above shows a young male which is quite gray with white starting to show on the head.  The wings of the males were unique with an all-white wing except for the primaries.  They must have been beautiful in flight!

There are 54 (or 55 according to Chilton 2009) specimens existing, scattered throughout the world from museums, private collections and even in the possession of Sheik Saud of Qatar.  They have been sold, traded, looted, fraudulently copied, and narrowly escaped destruction in world wars.  Fortunately some good specimens still exist.  We have one specimen in Canada at the Redpath Museum in Montreal.  The US has specimens at Harvard and the Smithsonian.  They can also be found in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and other places.

Audubon was in Labrador in July, 1833 and could not find the Labrador Duck.  He lists a breeding site, his son having found possible nests.  This was circumstantial evidence only and is generally not accepted.  One would assume that if the duck were there Audubon would have found it.  In 1840 Audubon wrote that the flight of the duck was swift and its wings emitted a whistling sound.  In 1891 S.F. Cheney of Grand Manan wrote that the Labrador Duck he had shot sometime in the past had small shells in its crop and it was accompanied by long-tailed ducks.

The Labrador Duck is our most mysterious duck.  Why did it go extinct, especially since it was scarce when the white man first came here?  No one really knows.  It doesn't seem to be because of environmental causes. Some think it was not from market hunting because it apparently was not a good-tasting duck and was not popular in the markets.  It was not often seen in the markets probably because it was rare.  I think it went extinct  because of a combination of factors.  I think market hunting did have an affect.  Any amount on a rare species would have an impact.  I think the other reason was the same reason the Great Auk went extinct - nest destruction.  I think the native people, seafarers, and other predators extensively robbed nests of eggs and the birds were constantly on the decline.  I expect this species could not readapt to new breeding sites where they were safe from predation.

The first depiction of a Labrador Duck was a drawing done in 1792.  Once its presence became known, collectors were on its trail.  It took less than 100 years for it to meet its demise.  A sad testament to a beautiful species and a regrettable step for humankind.

Reference

Bent, A.C. 1925. Life Histories of North American Wild Fowl Part Two.  Dover Publications.
Chilton, Glen 2009. The Curse of the Labrador Duck.  HarperCollins.

Bringing Hygge into My Home

Having seen the unusual word of "Hygge" here and there,

I wanted to find out more about it!

Hygge pronounced 'hue-ga' is a Danish term defining

cosiness or snug.

The word derives from a 16th century Norwegian term: 'hugga'

meaning well-being or comforting.

One could say that it reminds us of the English word 'hug'.

Don't you love this little window belonging to the wooden house in the first photo?

It's a candle-holder, a Christmas present from my grandson.

Let's peep through the window and see what's happening in my home!

I always have candles burning during these darker, colder months of the year

especially at the breakfast table and in my living room.

One sure way of making a home feel like home is through cooking

aromatic, colourful and delicious dishes.

Colour and texture are so important, just as much as taste.

These ingredients are going to prepare the dish below.

Roasted carrots and orange, or mandarin slices, tossed in a little olive oil

and flavoured with chile and a little sea salt.

You may like the recipe HERE

Baking too creates the sort of atmosphere that feels homely and snug

when it's cold outside.

Did I really put that much chocolate in these still warm cookies?

Hmmm! I must have done because they were rather

finger-licking good!

Crochet is a hobby that I'm really quite passionate about.

It could be anything I feel like doing: a shawl, a cushion cover, flowers and garlands and perhaps a blanket.

and a front door wreath to welcome my visitors

 and when I come home, it welcomes me too!

I have different wreaths for different seasons.

So however you like to create your own cosy atmosphere, 

remember the things which make us feel good

those that nourish us body and soul!

We learn to appreciate the small joys in life with very little effort.

Slowing down creates a feeling of well-being

and allows us to use all our senses incuding

the diffusion of pure essential oils

Light a candle, put on some favourite music. Something soft and gentle.

The uplifting effect of good quality music is well-known.

One of my favourites is Mozart.

So let's settle in on our couch with our feet on a footstool 

preferably wearing a comfortable lounge-wear outfit,

some thick socks and a hot drink.

Don't you love the robin mug?

It's an appreciated present from my daughter.

For those of us living in apartments and not having the possibility

of lighting a log fire, 

the presence of flickering candles in our home is quite perfect!

I've just ordered this book. 

Isn't the cover charming?

I have heard that the Danish people are some of the happiest people

in the world!

Wishing you hyggeligt (hygge-like) moments in your life!

Turn off you phone

Switch off the computer

Take a good book instead of watching TV

and come back to the simpler life

and feeling snug again!

Happiness is a frame of mind

but we can give it a slight nudge by making a few little tweaks

around our homes to make us feel good.

Others will love it too and feel so welcome when they drop by!

***

Hygge translations:

English: cosiness, snug, comfortable, to feel cherished

French: douillet, confortable

German: Gemutlichkeit.

Mactaquac Christmas Bird Count

Local Birders Conduct Citizen Science

Hairy Woodpecker

January 1st brings a group of birders to the Mactaquac area to do an annual bird census, the Christmas Bird Count.  Over 50 counts are done in New Brunswick between the dates of December 14 and January 5.  Counts are done in the same 24 km circle every year.  This provides useful data on bird populations and all the factors that might influence them.  The Mactaquac circle goes from Keswick to Granite Hill and Kingsclear to Upper Prince William.  This year 14 people took part.

Bald Eagle

The count yielded 36 species and 1965 individuals.  The group drove almost 400 km and worked about 24 hours altogether, a commendable effort.

Pine Grosbeak [N Poirier Photo]

Below are the results.  They show a rather low count for finches.  That was expected because the cone crop was low in the area.  There was an excessive number of Blue Jays in some sectors.  This was the first year we did not record any House Sparrows.  Their numbers have been dwindling for many years and normally a close look around active barns would produce some.  This year we found none.  

Surprise findings were a Brown Thrasher coming to a feeder in Upper Queensbury.  This was the first time we have had Wild Turkeys.  There was a Belted Kingfisher and a Horned Grebe at the Fish Hatchery.  A kingfisher was found only once before on a count.  We have never had a grebe before, an exciting find.  There was a lot of open water there so it must have been finding food.  Undoubtedly the cold weather will drive it to the coast.

Canada Goose							0
Am Black Duck	120					20	140
Mallard	5						5
Common Goldeneye							0
Hooded Merganser						1	1
Common Merganser	16					8	24
Wild Turkey				6			6
Horned Grebe	1						1
Bald Eagle			1	1	3	3	8
Sharp-shinned Hawk				1			1
Red-tailed Hawk							0
Rough-legged Hawk							0
Ruffed Grouse							0
Herring Gull	1					4	5
Great Black-backed Gull	2					22	24
Rock Pigeon		24	3	260		2	289
Mourning Dove	8	1	7	37		15	68
Belted Kingfisher	1						1
Downy Woodpecker	1		5	11	1		18
Hairy Woodpecker	2	1	10	11	2		26
Pileated Woodpecker						1	1
Blue Jay	5	6	45	128	37	4	225
American Crow	19	27	5	35	4	13	103
Common Raven	2	6	11	8	4		31
Black-capped Chickadee	25	18	65	179	14	12	313
Red-breasted Nuthatch		2	3	6			11
White-breasted Nuthatch	1		5	11		1	18
Brown Creeper			1	2			3
Golden-crowned Kinglet							0
American Robin			1			1	2
Brown Thrasher				1			1
European Starling	17			77	200	12	306
Bohemian Waxwing				15			15
Snow Bunting							0
American Tree Sparrow	2		6	26	2		36
White-throated Sparrow			2				2
Dark-eyed Junco	2		3	13	2		20
Northern Cardinal			1	3			4
Pine Grosbeak			30	2			32
Purple Finch			2				2
White-winged Crossbill							0
Common Redpoll							0
Pine Siskin	15						15
American Goldfinch	48	11	48	48		20	175
Evening Grosbeak	12		2	15		4	33
House Sparrow							0
					Total birds		1965
					No. species		36

  

With ever decreasing funds available for biological and environmental research, citizen science is becoming more and more important.  Christmas bird counts have been done in New Brunswick since they first began in the early 1900s.  We have accumulated a large body of data for New Brunswick, more than some other provinces.  Many thanks to birders all over the province and especially to those who helped with this count. 

American Robin