Mid-June Visit to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
August 19, 2021 - Blue-winged Teal and Ring-necked Duck... Read more
Blue-Winged Teal
 | I’m a small duck that comes to Florida in the wintertime. I’m one of the first migrant ducks to arrive, usually in early September. People remark that our males have pretty green patches on our wings, but don’t confuse us with our cousins the Green-winged Teals. You can see the blue on our wings very well in flight. Most Likely Found: In a pond, In the marsh When: Winter Where I've photographed: Circle B Bar Reserve, Lake Apopka, Lake Hancock Outfall Wetlands, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Orlando Wetlands Park, Viera Wetlands Read more: Blue-Winged Teal at Cornell Lab of Ornithology Ebird: Blue-Winged Teal eBird range |
I have written 35 posts including a photo of a Blue-Winged Teal
Afternoon Walk with Rich at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
July 11, 2021 - A trio of Blue-winged Teal surprised me.... Read more
Summer Families at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
July 3, 2021 - I was surprised to find the same Blue-winged Teal and female Ruddy Duck from my last visit.... Read more
Wading Birds at Lust Road
February 16, 2021 - Blue-winged Teal mixed in with the coots and Common Gallinules along the Lust Road canal.... The male Blue-winged Teal is so pretty, especially when the sun hits his feathers to reveal an irridescent glow...... Read more
Uncommon Cinnamon Teal at Merritt Island
February 12, 2020 - A relative of the common Blue-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teals typically live in the western US, with a range extending from Canada to Mexico.... I think the Blue-winged Teals were jealous of all the attention that the rare visitor was attracting.... Read more
A Walk Down Lust Road
February 6, 2020 - Much closer to my camera were a number of Blue-winged Teal.... Read more
2020 Beginnings at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
January 25, 2020 - The most common are the Blue-winged Teals, who are easy to find and photograph near the trails.... Not to mention the American Coots and all the Blue-winged Teals.... Read more
2019: Photographic Year in Review
December 31, 2019 - Around Lake Apopka: House Wren, Black-and-white Warbler, Blue-winged Teals mating, Black-necked Stilt, Sunset, Pied-billed Grebe with Chicks, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Least Bittern, Fulvous Whistling-duck, Barn Swallow, Black-necked Stilt chick, Purple Gallinule chick I made it over to Fort De Soto during spring migration and was rewarded with a rainbow of…... Read more
Some Summer Surprises at Lake Apopka
July 15, 2019 - A little farther down the road was this pair of Blue-winged Teals.... Read more
An Unexpected Encounter
February 4, 2019 - I noticed a pair of Blue-winged Teal and thought how pretty they looked in the bright morning light.... Read more
Christmas Bird Count 2017 at the Lake Hancock Outfall Wetlands
December 17, 2017 - The "good" ducks were at pretty long distances, mixed in with flocks of Blue-winged Teal.... She sat quietly undisturbed after a flock of Blue-winged Teal startled and vacated the pond.... Read more
Lifer Grasshopper Sparrow at Lust Road
January 22, 2017 - This Blue-winged Teal is one of the first I've seen this year.... Read more
Spring Morning at Orlando Wetlands Park
April 8, 2014 - But the Blue-winged Teals are still around.... Read more
Viera Wetlands and Scrub Jays with my Dad
March 17, 2014 - We did spot a couple of Blue-winged Teals that were nice and close to the road.... Read more
More Orange Fuzzballs at the Circle B Bar Reserve
April 4, 2013 - I chuckled to myself when I photographed this Blue-Winged Teal in flight and realized that he was my first teal of the winter!... Read more
Bottoms Up!
January 29, 2012 - The most frustrating part about photographing ducks is that they give you far too many "butt-shot" opportunities. Of course, if I was a duck and I had to dive for food, I guess I'd spend a lot of time with my head underwater as well! I spent some time watching…... Read more
Mirror, Mirror, in the Lake…Who’s the Most Handsome Drake?
January 7, 2012 - I had been hoping for some Green-Winged Teals, but all I found were Blue-Winged Teals.... Bird Species List (31 total): American Coot, American White Pelican, Anhinga, Belted Kingfisher, Black-Bellied Whistling Duck, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Blue-Winged Teal, Boat-tailed Grackle, Brown Pelican, Caspian Tern, Common Gallinule, Eastern Phoebe (heard), Gadwall, Glossy Ibis, Great…... Read more
Silly Bird, Turn Your Head This Way!!
December 30, 2011 - A pair of obliging Blue-Winged Teals came very close to the road, and they posed for me as if they knew that the sun was at my back and the light was perfect.... Read more
Birds Posing on Palms at Viera Wetlands
November 22, 2011 - I made a first pass around the wetlands. I saw Blue-Winged Teals and American Coots galore, but not so many other ducks. I was hoping for a Hooded Merganser, but I didn't find one. The Blue-Winged Teals put on a "morning bathtime" show for me. It was such fun to…... Read more
Flyin’ High
November 19, 2011 - These Blue-Winged Teals were some of the many that flew over Circle B's Wading Bird Way trail last Sunday at dawn.... Read more
Flight Shots at the Circle B Bar Reserve
November 14, 2011 - Yesterday (Sunday) was a great morning for flight shots at the Circle B Bar Reserve. The sunrise was pretty, then the birds were flying from the lake on Wading Bird Way across the trail towards Lake Hancock. I saw Blue-Winged Teals, Green-Winged Teals, Gadwalls, American Wigeons, Northern Shovelers, and Mottled…... Read more
Expect the Unexpected at the Circle B Bar Reserve
September 17, 2011 - I arrived about half an hour before sunrise, and I headed down to Lake Hancock. As I approached the lake, I realized that it was too foggy for a good sunrise. I got out to the dock and waited, and a few minutes after the expected sunrise, an orange fireball…... Read more
Into the Rising Sun
September 16, 2011 - I won't have my full blog post ready till tomorrow, so here's a teaser image of a flock of Blue-Winged Teals at sunrise over Lake Hancock.... They are my first Blue-Winged Teals of the fall.... Read more
Spring is in the Air at the Circle B Bar Reserve
February 12, 2011 - Heron Hideout trail at sunrise Robins greeted us high in trees above the parking lot as we arrived. I heard lots of American Goldfinches as well. As we turned onto Heron Hideout, the American Kestrel was on a dead palm on the west side of the trail. Water coming…... Read more
Hoodies at the Circle B Bar Reserve!
January 29, 2011 - (fine by me...) Great Blue Heron I never get tired of photographing the little Blue-Winged Teals that swim in the canals right next to the trail.... Blue-Winged Teal Herman was there this morning to watch the eagle nests for the Audubon Eagle Watch program.... https://vimeo.com/341231911 Species List: American Bittern, American…... Read more
Another Great Sunrise at the Circle B Bar Reserve
January 9, 2011 - Green-Winged Teals The Blue-Winged Teals are very skittish, and they fly away at the slightest disturbance. I've often tried to catch them, but I usually miss the moment. This morning a bird took off, and I quickly positioned the Beast and framed the shot. I got it! Look at those…... Read more
Circle B Bar Reserve: the Photographer’s Playground!
January 8, 2011 - Osprey with nesting material We saw Killdeer, White Ibises, Blue-Winged Teals, the Osprey, and a Red-Shouldered Hawk on Heron Hideout. As we approached the "Four Corners" intersection with Marsh Rabbit Run, we started to see Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks. It's funny to see them flying with their faces all covered in…... Read more
Frosty Morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve
December 29, 2010 - Wilson's Snipe This shot was actually quite foggy before I adjusted it with Shadows and Highlights in Photoshop. I loved the still water and the almost-perfect reflection of the Blue-Winged Teal.... Blue-Winged Teal The morning was quite pretty after the fog cleared up. I took some bracketed exposures for HDR…... Read more
Diving Hoodies at Viera Wetlands
December 28, 2010 - Female Hooded Merganser There were plenty of Blue-Winged Teals at Viera Wetlands. The teals seem so small when you see them next to other ducks. Yet when you see them by themselves, they seem like normal sized ducks. I like it when they show their blue wings, which they did…... Read more
Sunny Morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve
December 10, 2010 - Pied-Billed Grebe There were tons of Blue-Winged Teals out today.... I liked the blue and green feather patches shown in this picture: Blue-Winged Teals I was excited to see Ring-Necked Ducks out on Wading Bird Way.... Species list: Anhinga, American Coot, American Goldfinch, Belted Kingfisher, Black-Bellied Whistling Duck, Black Vulture,…... Read more
A New Place to Explore: Viera Wetlands
November 26, 2010 - The wetlands were covered in American Coots and Blue-Winged Teals.... American Coot Also abundant were the Blue-Winged Teals.... I was surprised to learn that the "blue" winged teals have bright metallic green speculums, as shown by this guy here: Blue-Winged Teal The Blue-Winged Teals were the smallest of the ducks…... Read more
Seeing is Believing: There Really are Otters at the Circle B Bar Reserve!
November 14, 2010 - Today there were dozens of little birds hopping around in the canopy, including the first Yellow-Rumped Warbler I've seen at Circle B this fall: Yellow-Rumped Warbler A small group of Blue-Winged Teals greeted us as we reached Wading Bird Way.... Blue-Winged Teals But the bird most visible on Wading Bird…... Read more
More Winter Birds Have Arrived at the Circle B Bar Reserve
November 12, 2010 - https://vimeo.com/341092907 Off in the distance behind the whistlers, I saw this male Blue-Winged Teal.... Blue-Winged Teal I reached Wading Bird Way and saw hundreds of American Coots.... Species list: Anhinga, American Coot, Bald Eagle, Belted Kingfisher, Black-Bellied Whistling Duck, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Blue-Winged Teal, Common Moorhen, Common Yellowthroat, Double-Crested Cormorant, Eastern…... Read more
Blue-Winged Teal
November 8, 2010 - Tonight there were Killdeer, Pied-Billed Grebes, a Tricolored Heron, and this Blue-Winged Teal.... Blue-Winged Teal... Read more
The Whistler Flight School is pleased to announce the opening of Marsh Rabbit Run!!
September 27, 2010 - So I think they were Blue-Winged Teals.... Blue-Winged Teals We had a Laughing Gull fly over on Wading Bird Way, and we saw several Pied-Billed Grebes, but the trail was pretty quiet.... Read more