Three Blue-winged Teals at Boultham Mere LWT Reserve

Dean Eades · **Posted:** Mon Sep 16, 2013 1:12 pm

Blue winged teal boutlham mere . Just got this text

Grahame Hopwood · **Posted:** Mon Sep 16, 2013 5:24 pm

Dean Nicholson and John Hayes found a female/imm type Blue-winged Teal at Boultham Mere early this afternoon. Incredibly whilst watching this bird another female/imm type bird was also found. Although they spent some together they also spend a considerable amount of time feeding apart from one another. If not visible from the hide, then try looking from the western bay (past the hide over the two bridges to where the seat is). One the other or both can be elusive at times, so be patient!

Cheers

Grahame

Russell Hayes · **Posted:** Mon Sep 16, 2013 7:24 pm

Both birds were feeding and associating together in the far right bay between 18:30 - 19:00

Also Bittern seen twice in flight.

Scope needed.

Grahame Hopwood · **Posted:** Tue Sep 17, 2013 12:00 pm

Out of interest have had two independent reports this morning to say that there are now at least 3 and possibly up to 4 Blue-winged Teals at Boultham Mere.

Got to worth checking out if anyone is in the area.

Cheers

Grahame

Rick Bennett · **Posted:** Tue Sep 17, 2013 2:38 pm

Certainly 3 at 11am. Very closely associated with each other and apart from all the other ducks.
Can't see any other blue winged teal on Birdguides. What are the chances of 3 wild blue winged teal arriving on one small lake when there are no others in the country?
Cheers. Rick

Aidan Turner · **Posted:** Tue Sep 17, 2013 4:05 pm

Hope they will stick around for a while. Plan to visit Reserve tomorrow(Wednesday).

Incidentally, I saw a Baikal Teal there, about 18 months to two years ago, before becoming an LBC member.

Anthony Bentley · **Posted:** Tue Sep 17, 2013 4:09 pm

Wait? Baikel Teal? A genuine bird or escapee? Male/Female/Juv?

John Clarkson · **Posted:** Tue Sep 17, 2013 5:14 pm

Richard

This was on BG yesterday
16/09/13 Blue-winged Teal Clyde Frankfield Loch
But not today. Still amazing!

John

Grahame Hopwood · **Posted:** Tue Sep 17, 2013 9:49 pm

An update on these birds.

Dean Nicholson has now obtained some excellent photos of all three Blue-winged Teal together.

An observer has sent me a photo he took at Boultham Mere on 13th Sept which clearly shows one Blue-winged Teal, so it appears these birds (and certainly one of them) may have been around for a few days before being identified.

And finally just for interest, a trawl of all past accepted records (up till 2011) involving multiple occurrences of three or more birds together (plenty of records of two birds) for Britain, Ireland and the Channel Islands gives just three records as follows:

1983 Alderney, 3, 19th-20th Sept

2009 Outer Hebrides, 3, 14th Sept

2010 Mayo (Keel Lough), 5, 18th-26th Sept

It’s worth noting the dates of these multiple occurrences.

Cheers

Grahame

Russell Hayes · **Posted:** Wed Sep 18, 2013 6:53 pm

3 Still present to at least 17:00pm

Managed some better pics today.

Graham Catley · **Joined:** Tue Dec 28, 2004 11:20 pm **Posts:** 1667

It will take me a week to upload all to the album but for ref a range of images on my blog showing some of the wing patterns

http://pewit.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/blu ... teals.html

Andy Sims · **Posted:** Thu Sep 19, 2013 1:22 pm

Thankfully the three Blue-winged Teals are still present in the west bay this morning, also 2 Bitterns out together on the front edge of the north reeds.
I first heard of these teal on Monday when we were birding at Kununurra in NW Australia. We landed at Heathrow at 05:30 this morning and I was back home and across my local patch and watching the teal by 10:30, very relieved that they were still present.

Derick Evans · **Posted:** Fri Sep 20, 2013 3:46 pm

Close views of the 3 Blue-winged Teals in the west bay today. Plus 1 bittern in flight over the mere. Thanks to Andy pointing us to the viewing area beyond the hide.

Chris Grimshaw · **Posted:** Fri Sep 20, 2013 8:52 pm

I managed to see two after I dashed across on Monday afternoon shortly after they were discovered. That is two more than I have found in Barbados my present location

Andrew Chick · **Posted:** Sat Sep 21, 2013 12:31 pm

Taken on 21st Sept 2013

The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Three Blue-winged Teals at Boultham Mere LWT Reserve

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