Observed several times but not photographed
The FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCK is a now a rare resident in the Imperial Valley; it may no longer nest every year. The California population has been in decline for two decades or more. This whistling-duck once (a century ago) bred widely throughout the San Joaquin Valley, as well as southern California, and vagrants were scattered to the northern California coast. Today, with only remnant populations left, evaluating any extralimital record of this duck is difficult. It is kept in captivity and reports away from southeastern California have often proved to be escapees.
Most of my California records are listed below. All are simply of the known resident population around south end of Salton Sea. These are my personal FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCK records:
10/20/73 Wister Unit, Salton Sea NWR, IMP 3 birds (and 2 vagrant Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks) seen with Van Remsen, Joe Morlan, Bill Principe, and Jolee Delew; Van took photosSee the family page for county abbreviations. All photos & text © 2003 Don Roberson; all rights reserved.
4/26/75 Finney Lake IMP 6 overhead
6/12/77 Ramer Lake IMP 1 bird; with Bill Principe, Eliz & Robert Copper
8/12/77 Brawley IMP An estimated 60 (!) were on a little pond near a drive-in movie theater, along with a vagrant Black-bellied Whistling-Duck; seen with P. Lehman, L. Bevier, and J. Dunn; boy, those were the days!
7/15/95 Ramer Lake IMP pair seen with Rita Carratello; now getting very scarce