Posted by Richard Ditch on December 4, 2010 at 8:40 PM
Baikal Teal( Anas formosa)
Place: Gilbert Water Ranch, AZ
Date: Dec 3, 2010
Equipment: Nikon D200, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8, TC20E (2x), G1325, RRS BH-55, Sidekick
Exposure: ISO 400, Aperture priority matrix metered, 1/500th at f/5.6
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac G4, 1:1 crop (i.e., 3% of frame)
There’s a lot of excitement in Phoenix and throughout Arizona over this first State record, discovered near dusk on December 2. I joined lots of other birders at the Water Ranch before dawnn on the 3rd and eagerly scanned the activity as the light began to increase, and about 10 minutes before sunrise someone called out that they’d located the Baikal Teal among the teaming hundreds of other pedestrian ducks. It was too far away for my modest rig (300mm and 2x), and the light was miserable, so I just watched through my 30x Kowa TSN2 spotting scope. After an hour I hiked around to the far side of the pond looking for a vantage point in better light, but after relocating the duck it was spooked out of the pond with most of the other birds.
The duck was relocated later at another pond and I was able to see it and take a series of record shots from a distance later in the afternoon. This is one of them, cropped from the image at 100% view so it is only 3% of the total frame.
Baikal Teal is a bird of east Asia that is a rare stray to North America, primarily Alaska and sometimes along the Pacific coast of California. Inland records are even rarer and often suspected of being escaped birds from zoos or private collections. A friend with better reach (Canon 800mm with 2x) managed to get documentation shots of the feet showing that this bird has not had the hind toe clipped so it is likely this is a true wild vagrant.
Posted by Mia McPherson on December 4, 2010 at 8:47 PM
What an amazing find for all the birders and bird photographers in Phoenix Rich! What an interesting looking bird.
Posted by Drew Fulton on December 4, 2010 at 10:11 PM
Richard,
I read about this bird yesterday and noticed it had been discovered at your local haunt. I was wondering how long it would take before we saw a photo of it from you. Very cool bird!
Drew
Posted by Jim Hackley on December 4, 2010 at 10:15 PM
Great find, Rich!
Thanks for the BG info on this rare bird - and nice documentation shot.
Sandy
Posted by Luke Ormand on December 5, 2010 at 9:29 AM
Congrats on the rarity. Can you explain the whole clipping of the toe for domestic ducks? I've never understood that
Posted by Richard Ditch on December 5, 2010 at 9:57 AM
More information and better images of the Baikal Teal are on this page at AZFO.org. From the discussion there:
When waterfowl are kept in captivity, their owners are required by law to mark them either with bands or by removing a hind toe (hallux). Of course, this is not always done.
I don't know anything about keeping waterfowl but I know that origin of exotic species like this is always a subject of debate and this point about clipped toe or leg band or clipped wings is always discussed.
A point in favor of wild origin of this teal is the presence of a Bean Goose at the Salton Sea in southern California at the moment, along with more scattered reports of various scoters in AZ recently than I can remember from any previous year.
Discussion
7 repliesPlace: Gilbert Water Ranch, AZ
Date: Dec 3, 2010
Equipment: Nikon D200, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8, TC20E (2x), G1325, RRS BH-55, Sidekick
Exposure: ISO 400, Aperture priority matrix metered, 1/500th at f/5.6
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac G4, 1:1 crop (i.e., 3% of frame)
There’s a lot of excitement in Phoenix and throughout Arizona over this first State record, discovered near dusk on December 2. I joined lots of other birders at the Water Ranch before dawnn on the 3rd and eagerly scanned the activity as the light began to increase, and about 10 minutes before sunrise someone called out that they’d located the Baikal Teal among the teaming hundreds of other pedestrian ducks. It was too far away for my modest rig (300mm and 2x), and the light was miserable, so I just watched through my 30x Kowa TSN2 spotting scope. After an hour I hiked around to the far side of the pond looking for a vantage point in better light, but after relocating the duck it was spooked out of the pond with most of the other birds.
The duck was relocated later at another pond and I was able to see it and take a series of record shots from a distance later in the afternoon. This is one of them, cropped from the image at 100% view so it is only 3% of the total frame.
Baikal Teal is a bird of east Asia that is a rare stray to North America, primarily Alaska and sometimes along the Pacific coast of California. Inland records are even rarer and often suspected of being escaped birds from zoos or private collections. A friend with better reach (Canon 800mm with 2x) managed to get documentation shots of the feet showing that this bird has not had the hind toe clipped so it is likely this is a true wild vagrant.
I read about this bird yesterday and noticed it had been discovered at your local haunt. I was wondering how long it would take before we saw a photo of it from you. Very cool bird!
Drew
Thanks for the BG info on this rare bird - and nice documentation shot.
Sandy
I don't know anything about keeping waterfowl but I know that origin of exotic species like this is always a subject of debate and this point about clipped toe or leg band or clipped wings is always discussed.
A point in favor of wild origin of this teal is the presence of a Bean Goose at the Salton Sea in southern California at the moment, along with more scattered reports of various scoters in AZ recently than I can remember from any previous year.