Blue-Winged Teals

This gallery contains 3 photos. I’ve only met the Blue-Winged Teals this year … the first one at Iona Island, followed by 9 at Reifel, and 4 more at Piper Spit; each encounter brought me progressively closer to these summering migrants! This last set was photographed at Burnaby Lake on May 31.

a good shot of the blue feathers for which the Blue-Winged teal is named.
f/6.3, 1/1000, 150-500mm telephoto lens, 500mm, ISO 400

Like their Gadwall counterparts, Blue-Winged Teal drakes dress conservatively for their women. No flashy feathers are necessary (except for that solitary white stripe between their eyes and bills) — just plenty of personality!

even without flashy feathers and colours, this is one photogenic pair!
f/6.3, 1/1000, 150-500mm telephoto lens, 500mm, ISO 400

However, after these chance closeup encounters at Burnaby Lake, I have not seen any more Blue-Winged Teals elsewhere in Metro Vancouver. These tiny dabblers and long-distant migrants spend their winters in Central and South America, and they are often the first duck species to head south.

look at that cute little questioning face!
f/6.3, 1/1000, 150-500mm telephoto lens, 500mm, ISO 400

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