As the current year end gets closer I am trying to add to my year list in the hope that I can get to 200. So I am visiting sites where I might see a bird I can add to my list. Today my target bird was green winged teal at North Cave. Not a bad day warmth wise, but a very grey day which does not help when trying to either see or photograph birds.
I started out at the cafe end of the reserve and sat down in East hide and started to look at the birds on the water and islands. Plenty of teal, but not with a vertical stripe, and not every male was showing a horizontal stripe, so this was going to be a challenge. I walked to the Turret hide, where 2 other birders were scanning the teal looking for the green winged. The light was poor and the birds were mobile. Every few minutes more teal would fly in.
As we scanned through the teal we had a pleasant diversion when a bittern walked onto a small island. Just too far for me to get a decent picture in the light conditions.
then it stood like this before flying off. We resumed looking at the teal. Again they would be disturbed by something and a curlew flew close to the hide.
Each time that the birds moved we had to start scanning again. After a while we saw a bird at the far end of the lake which fitted the description.
The bittern flew again and this time landed in the reeds.
Other people came into the hide so I left and walked around the rest of the reserve. Still a few bits of colour to brighten up the vegetation.
No new birds to add to my day list. Lots of greylag geese in front of South hide.
As I got back to my car, the two birders were at their car and they told me that the bird had moved closer to the hide and was now on an island to the left of the hide. I walked back to the hide and joined two other birders who were looking for the bird. I told them about it been seen on an island to the left of the hide and we concentrated our search there. The chap found a bird with a vertical stripe. The bird did not have the same head markings as the other male teal, but the vertical stripe was not a very clear one. Would the bird turn round and show its other side? It did, and it had a vertical white stripe on its other side.
The light was still poor but I think that you can see the vertical white stripe which makes it a green winged teal. Tick number 182 for the year, can I find another 18?
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