Common Teal - 4/3
Robert Ringler (ringler@cct.infi.net)
Sat, 03 Apr 1999 21:46:33 -0800
Debbie Terry and I saw the drake Common Teal at Blackwater today.
It was on the same pond where Marshall first reported it _ the pond next
to the new maintenance building at the intersection of Egypt Road and Key
Wallace Drive. There were also 23 Green-winged Teal in the pond. It is
a grassy pond and the bird may not be readily visible. When feeding it
tends to cover the white stripe on the side. Another good mark is the
prominent pale stripe on the front of the face. Also at the pond were
both yellowlegs. Elsewhere on the refuge were 40 Shovelers, 450 Dunlin,
18 Laughing Gulls, 1 Caspian Tern, and several Forster's Terns.
Elsewhere, there was a pair of Oystercatchers at Hooper Island at
the Fishing Creek bridge. A Gannet was seen over the bay from Punch
Island Road. Molting Common Loons and Horned Grebes were numerous at
bayside sites. At the Easton sewage lagoons were 3 Wood Ducks, 1 Black
Duck, 1 Mallard, 7 Blue-winged Teal, 1 Green-winged Teal, 9 Coots, 350
Laughing Gulls, and 1 Ring-billed Gull. At Covey's Landing the
highlights were 1 Ring-necked Duck, 12 Common Mergansers, 44 Snipe, and 3
Forster's Terns. In a field on Route 304 at Queen Anne were 17 immature
Tundra Swans.
Bob Ringler