Cinnamon Teal - (Spatula cyanoptera), 1/16/2021, 10:53 AM

I observed two Cinnamon Teals - (Spatula cyanoptera) two days earlier, and wanted to return to the same area to see if they were still there. These were my first sightings of teals, and I was hoping for a chance to observe them again.

Upon my arrival today, I observed one Cinnamon teal sleeping. A large gull landed and walked over to the teal and pecked him. The teal jumped up in surprise, and escaped from the gull. I later observed, when the teal returned to land, his left eye, and left leg/foot were injured. I hadn't seen this before, as I'd only seen his right side in profile.

It now was apparent to me, why the teal hadn't moved when the gull approached him; as he couldn't see out of his left eye. I have a series of photos that show this encounter; seagull approach, seagull pecking, teal escaping, teal swimming, teal returning to land to display his injuries, and teal flying away.

Posted on 16 de janeiro de 2021, 11:48 PM by kathleenlryan