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Psilos Wildfowl Photography |
Teal (Anas crecca) |
Whilst this is a resident duck, its thinly
distributed breeding pattern often means that it is difficult to find
during the summer months. The best time to see this duck well is during
the winter when our birds are joined by continental birds often from
the Baltic and Siberia. Teal winter on estuaries and coastal lagoons
or inland on wetlands that offer cover and shallow water. |
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The photo below shows a young male Teal
who is still developing his first adult feathers. |
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The female Teal is often overlooked besides the
more colourful male. Seen in the right light though, with her green
speculum showing, she is very pretty. Females make their nest on the
ground in thick cover adjacent shallow pools and ponds. 8-11 eggs are
laid and they are incubated for 21-23 days. The ducklings fledge at
around 28 days. |
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Teal start to arrive at Martinmere around the
end of October and by mid January can be seen in their hundreds feeding
in large flocks on the mud flats. Males and females also gather together
forming large rafts upon the water. Their gentle, plaintive whistle
can carry some distance. Teal are small dabbling ducks and need relatively
shallow water in which to feed. |
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