The WMW web site had 677 visits when the Sawbill Inquiry was launched in September 2001. Nonetheless, only 19 visitors joined the query. Contributions came mostly from Spain (7), followed by Finland (3), Belgium (2), France (2) and Sweden (2); single entries came from the Czech Republic (1), Ireland (1) and the United Kingdom (1).

Smew Mergellus albellus was the general choice (18) and Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus had a single vote.

Most of the entries commented on the disappointing verdict, due to the poor quality of the pictures. Some entries for Smew do not discriminate between age or sex (3), most voted option was 2nd calendar year male (5), followed by 2nd calendar year female (3), first year bird (2) and adult male (1).

Other four contributors noted that it was an atypical Smew, including Gorka Gorospe (Spain) that was the single arguing hybrid Smew x Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus as the best explanatory hypothesis.

Very reliable and conservative comments were made by Pekka Nikander (Finland), summarising all other atypical Smew entries: "The pictures are not perfect to say any hard evidence of that bird, but what it shows are far from typical Smew. There are too much white on its head and the shape of that white area is wrong. The white (if it is white) breast indicate that it is not female and only male should have white on its breast. The shape of the bill seems to be wrong, but on those pictures it is hard to judge. Also the deep forehead is, maybe, too deep for Smew. If there are light areas at the base of the lower mandible, it does not fit to Smew. Smew might be one parent but the other parent is unclear."

The bird was filmed at l'Albufera de Valencia on 17 March 1999. When we studied this bird for the first time two years later, we regard it as a first winter male Smew moulting into first Summer plumage. There are no records of Smew for the site, as comments on its rare winter presence at l'Albufera de Valencia were made before the 20th century. But we were readily puzzled by the bill and head structure of the bird. We have no direct experience on this species, but both literature and images, did clearly show that it all fitted fairly well the structure of Hooded Merganser. Therefore, hybridisation with the later species was suspected.

Records of Hooded Merganser in the Western Palearctic have been largely regarded as escapes, and both species considered here are usually kept in captive collections. Hybridisation in duck is a fairly known fact, and it is likely to occur in captivity or in the wild.

Now we have more evidence that there is something wrong with this sawbill. Whether our bird is a hybrid or not, and in such case, despite the unknown identity of the parents, the outcome of the query and the hypothesis of the hibridization, will be submitted to the Spanish Rarities Committee as well, because both species are regarded as rare birds in Spain. The final verdict of the Rarities Committee will be published in the "Ardeola" journal, and will be appropriately noticed in the WMW site.

We are grateful to all visitors that kindly joined the Inquiry and we will appreciate comments on the results that were obtained.