I’ve seen a couple of Baikal Teals in the UK, most recently 2 years ago at RSPB Greylake on the Somerset levels. It sits in that well populated category on my UK list that I’ve mentioned many times in blogs before, i.e. seen but badly!
Now a little surprisingly given its two year absence, what is presumably the returning adult drake was re-found at Greylake yesterday. So, with at least some sun forecast to break the seemingly endlessly monotonous dull December days today, off I went on the 90 minute journey down the M5 to see if I could get some better views.
While checking previous Baikal Teal records I discovered that the Greylake bird from two years ago was the only UK bird I have seen that has been accepted as wild by the great powers to be providing further incentive to visit. A short walk from an almost full car park took me to the same hide overlooking a large expanse of water that I last visited two years ago. The small open hide was quite busy but with enough space to set up my scope and see the bird snoozing and partially hidden in the closest line of sedge. A sinking feeling of déjà vu came over me as this was exactly the same obscured views that I had two years ago. I was hence very relieved when it ventured out on a brief foray into the open water before quickly returning to its sedge bed slumbers.
The Baikal Teal, or as it is sometimes called the Bimaculate Duck, is a dabbling duck that breeds in eastern Russia and winters in East Asia. The drake in breeding plumage is truly unmistakable with a striking green nape and a yellow and black neck and throat. It has a dark crown and its breast is light brown with dark spots. Most notably, it has long drooping dark scapulars (the feathers that come down from the scapula bone). It is a rare vagrant in the UK with only ten accepted records of genuine wild vagrant birds.
During the two hours I was there it repeated this brief foray into open water a number of times often driven by a very panicked flushing of the Lapwing flock as a Marsh Harrier or Peregrine flew overhead. The sun also put in its promised occasional performance and I was pleased both with the resulting photographs and the Baikal Teals removal from my extensive “seen badly” list.
On the way home I made a small detour to Burnham on Sea to see if I could connect with the returning female Kentish Plover that I have seen before. With the tide out and the near beach busy with walkers and dogs, the wader flock was very distant. This meant that I could hardly tell the Dunlin from the Common Ringed Plovers let alone the Kentish so I did not dwell long before hitting the M5 for the journey home.
On the assumption that the Baikal Teal is the last addition to my 2023 UK list, the final total stands at 223, remarkably similar to the previous 3 years totals of 223, 222 and 219.
An entirely new species of duck for me! Beautiful markings and colours. Thanks for your post!
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