Early yesterday morning, a fellow photographer pointed out some foraging water birds in the distance and I was fortunate to get a shot of some Blue-winged Teal ducks (Anas discors), a species of small dabbling ducks that I see only rarely. I love the bold white facial markings of the male Blue-winged Teal during breeding season.
One of the big advantages of going out early in the morning to take photos is that I am able to see some birds and animals that are more concealed later in the day. Blue-winged Teals, for example, tend to forage at the edges of ponds, where they are almost impossible to spot, but early in the morning they were in relatively open water. The downside, of course, is that there is not much light so early in the day, so it’s hard to get images with sharp focus and good contrast.
We are definitely in bird migration season in my area and it’s always exciting to see what birds will show up next. The trees are starting to put out buds now and soon there will be leaves, which will made it more and more difficult to the birds when I hear them singing—I have more of a fighting chance of getting a shot when the birds are in the water.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Our blue-winged teal are nearly gone, now. I think I know where some of them have landed. Both the blue-winged and green-winged are so attractive. Lucky you, to have them back again.
I saw a couple of Green-winged Teals a week or so ago. Both of the Teals are amazing beautiful. I don’t know how long they’ll be here, but suspect they are only passing through.
None here yet, but it’s nice to know they are on the move.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one of these, but I could have confused them with something else.
These little ducks tend to hide a lot, but that white cheek stripe is so distinctive that it makes them (well, at least the male) pretty easy to identify.