Hi all,
Yesterday, Sav Saville and I made a visit to a property near Wanganui
(North Island) where the land owner had seen a bird he suspected was a
brown teal, Anas chlorotis. A local birder had been to investigate the
day before, and suspected the bird was instead a chestnut teal.
Upon approaching the dam we saw what looked like a chestnut teal
disappear into long grass, with at least three ducklings, about 1/3
grown. The day before the bird had come out into the middle of the pond
when the dam was approached, but this afternoon it stuck tight under
some rushes. In the end two birds came out into the middle of the dam,
and one headed out over the paddocks, whilst the other called and
paddled around the dam allowing photos to be taken, before it took
flight, to returning a few minutes later.
Please check out the following link to my website which has a number of
photos of both birds (hit refresh if you have visited my site following
the email to BIRDING-NZ as it has just been updated). Although
definitely not grey teal, the one bird does not seem to fit the bill of
a chestnut teal either. We feel we may be dealing with a chestnut/grey
hybrid male, and a chestnut female.
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/eco-vist/hotoffpress.htm
Any thoughts or feedback would be gratefully received. This sighting is
of special relevance due to the fact that if confirmed this would be the
first record of chestnut teal breeding in New Zealand.
Feel free to check out the rest of my website, but it is still currently
under construction, and mainly went on line early so this sighting could
be made accessible. Hopefully I will have a chance to fully update in
the next week or so, including the addition of trip reports in the trip
report section, more information on the photography side of things, and
more information on my recent trips to China and Indonesia, and up and
coming trips?..
Regards
Brent
---------------------------------
Eco-Vista: Photography & Research
&
Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ
Brent Stephenson Msc (Hons)
8 Mountain View Road
Palmerston North
New Zealand
Phone +64 (06) 354 4105
Cell +64 (0274) GANNET (426638)
Email
---------------------------------
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