18 November 2015. Valley Inn Burlington/Hamilton, ON. The day didn’t allow much time for birding but I squeezed in two passing scans of likely sites. The first, a harbour-side park, produced a beautiful close encounter with a Carolina Wren and as I readied my camera a strolling passerby sent it scurrying for cover; that’s just the way it goes. My second stop produced close looks at this rather fine male Green-winged Teal. Although not apparent from my photos, Green-winged Teals are quite small ducks, when seen mingling with Mallards they appear to be half the size. Indeed according to the Sibley Guide to the Birds, a Mallard weighs in at around 1100 grams and a Green-winged Teal at 350 grams, a third of the weight.
The markings of the adult male, from the delicate grey striations of its flanks to the bold bottle green backstrap on its chestnut head; make it well worth taking a few minutes to appreciate.
We both had the same experience today. I was there about 3:30 pm and found the sole green-winged teal. He was a fine specimen and was posing so nicely for me.
I’ve got the best photos to-date. I always found it hard to get the green strap on his head to come out clearly in previous photos. Very handsome fellow with subtle colouring!
Catherine
I was there the same day with Catherine and we saw this duck too!