Friday, January 13, 2012

This Female Green-winged Teal

shouldn't be here - at least, not in the Winter.  She should be down in the southern states. 


At first I thought she was wounded as she would just hop out of the water (at the sewer lagoons*) when I drove by.  However, one day she rose up with the Mallards.   Who knows why a few birds miss the last migration bus leaving late Fall, but there are always a few, especially around areas which have year-round open water (such as here).

This little duck - and Green-winged Teals (Anas crecca) are tiny at 14" in length, wing-span 23" - was easily spotted among the mammoth Mallards (length 23", wing-span 35").

Of course, the bright green wing patch (speculum) made for a quick identification.


Green-winged Teals prefer shallow ponds and mudflats so it isn't surprising this one would be at the lagoons.

* Sewer lagoons are great places to look for birds, especially shorebirds during migrations.  No, not the nicest smelling places at times, but hey, it is our own waste by-products, after all.

More info on Green-winged Teals at
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/green-winged_teal/id/ac

2 comments:

  1. That's a very neat bird to see in the winter Kathy, you must have been surprised to see it.

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  2. Hi prairiebirder, yes, it is neat to see this bird here - and that it is healthy; apparently doing well, hanging out with the Mallards at the sewer lagoon complex. There's a tiny bit of water that stays open all winter regardless how cold it gets.

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