Idaho Bird Records Committee Rarities Report Form

(this form is available on www.idahobirds.net)

Rare Bird Report #: 31-B-07

Species: Common Teal, or Eurasian form of the Green-winged Teal

Reporter: (include address, phone, e-mail) Lisa Hardy

2153 B Old River Rd. Kingston, ID 83839 208.682.4808 basalt@earthlink.net

Other Observers:

Date Report Prepared: 21 March 2007

Date Sighting Occurred: 21 March 2007

Locality of Observation: Schlepp Ranch, Highway 3 south of Rose Lake, Chain Lakes area of the Coeur d'Alene River drainage, Kootenai County

Habitat: wet stubble field

Conditions: Mostly sunny (near sunset), temperature mid-40's (F)

Did you take notes…

during the observation? _____no_______

after the observation? _this report is my notes_____________

the same day? ____________________

another day?______________________

not at all? ________________________

Did you consult a field guide or other reference work? not yet

during the observation?____________

later the same day? _______________

another day? _____________________

not at all? ________________________

What guide(s) or reference(s) did you consult?

Description: Looked like a drake Green-winged Teal except the side was all gray and completely lacking the vertical white slash. It also had a white (cream-white) horizontal scapular line where the great majority of GWTE show only a narrow black line. I think the Common Teal showed the black line adjacent to the white, below it, but I did not take note of it while I was observing the bird, and I don't have a clear image of it in my memory. I was unable to study the facial pattern.

Behavior: I observed the bird paddling left and right, broadside to me, before turning to face me and tucking its head under its wing.

How and when did you positively identify the bird, and what clinched the identification for you? As soon as I determined that this individual was lacking the vertical white stripe, I believed I had a Common Teal in view. The horizontal cream stripe was so much more distinct than the bits of white seen on a few male GWTE that I felt there could be no question, even though I did not have a chance to study the facial pattern.

How did you eliminate similar species, and what were they? GWTE have a vertical white slash on the side of the breast, and this individual lacked it.

Experience with this species (and similar species): I have seen Common Teal on 2 other occasions in North Idaho.

General birding experience: intermediate

Were photo(s), video, and/or audio obtained by you? (If yes, please include or attach) -- I attempted several photos, but the range was too great for my limited skills.

Narrative: I stopped along the highway when I spotted a large group of dabblers in the upstream field at the Schlepp Ranch. The birds flushed up when I stopped, and then settled down a bit further out in the field, and I saw that they were all Green-winged Teal. The field had some standing water, but not enough for the birds to float; they were all walking and actively foraging. I scanned through the flock for Common Teal, and spent several minutes examining one individual that had a diminuitive white vertical slash - diminuitive in width, it was noticeably thinner, perhaps half the width of the other birds - and also a thin horizontal white scapular line alongside the usual black line. I studied the facial pattern and could not detect any difference between it and the other drakes. I didn't know whether this individual was showing evidence of some Eurasian genes, or just individual variability.

I did not count the sexes separately, but my impression is that there were many more males than females, possibly 4:1. I observed several aggressive bill-biting encounters between males.

Before I had finished scanning the flock to my satisfaction, they spooked up, and in the air were joined by another flock that had been a bit further out, and then the conjoined flock settled down in another area of the field. I drove up opposite them and started to scan again. The water was just deep enough to float the teal in places, and most of them assumed a resting posture, with heads tucked under wing. The sun was about to go behind the mountain, and the light was in front of me and to my left . At this point, I counted 382 birds. There was a single American Wigeon in the group, and everything else was a GWTE. I found a bird with a narrow white horizontal line, but was not able to get a good look at the breast because of a few pieces of stubble that seemed to be in the way no matter where I moved along the road. I moved on in my scanning, and some minutes later had a clear look at a Common Teal. It paddled right across my field of view, then turned and paddled left, giving me a clear look at both sides - all gray, no vertical white mark. This stood out pretty clearly after having just worked my way through one or two hundred GWTE drakes. I then switched my attention to the horizontal white line, which appeared thicker and more obvious than the two suspects I had been studying earlier. Before I could study the facial pattern, the bird turned towards me and tucked its head under its wing. In this position, it was indistinguishable from the surrounding GWTE. I continued my scan for Common Teal because it seemed reasonable that there might be a second or third, but eventually the deteriorating light ended my efforts.

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From: Mike Haldeman <tapaculo@adelphia.net> [Add to Address Book] Flag Message | Mark Unread

To: IBLE <ible@yahoogroups.com>, inland-nw-birders <inland-nw-birders@uidaho.edu>

Subject: [inland-NW-birders]Kootenai Co. Eurasian Teal

Date: Mar 22, 2007 2:12 PM

This afternoon I went searching for the Eurasian Teal reported by Lisa Hardy yesterday. Following her directions I went south past Lane Marsh on Highway 3 and in about a mile or two (just at a left bend in the road) I could see the large flock of Green-winged Teal in the flooded field on the right (west) side of the road. It took a few minutes but I eventually found the male EURASIAN TEAL among the Green-wings. The white horizontal bar on the side was very obvious, there was no vertical white bar at the breast and I could even make out the small vertical white bar in front of the black bar on the flanks. The facial pattern was also slightly different with a broader and whiter border between the green and chestnut.

About a mile south of the teal there were a few Snow Geese and a wigeon flock with one male Eurasian Wigeon. From the bike path south of Medimont I saw a very bright Northern Shrike, a couple Townsend's Solitaires, a lone Greater Scaup, and a very curious Mink allowing me good looks at the white patch on his chin. There was also at least one more Eurasian Wigeon among the ducks at the beginning of Killarney Lake Road.

Mike Haldeman

Coeur d'Alene

tapaculo@adelphia.net