Photo by Chris Bosak
A Green-winged Teal drake swims in a pond in a cemetery in Darien, Conn, March 2016.

Just like I was lucky to find a Northern Pintail a few weeks ago, I was lucky earlier today to find a Green-winged Teal drake. It was hanging out with a small flock of Mallards at the pond at Spring Grove Cemetery in Darien, Conn.

I’m loving this winter seeing all these not-too-frequently seen ducks.

The photos did not turn out as well as the pintail photos, but they are acceptable, I suppose. The teal was not as close as the pintail and Green-winged Teal are much smaller than pintails. In fact, Green-winged Teal are among the smallest duck we have in New England. Just like the pintail, Green-winged Teal are not frequent sightings throughout much of New England. They certainly aren’t rare sightings, but are not seen as much as species like Mallards, Hooded Mergansers or Wood Ducks.

It’s a beautiful, little duck, though. I love the shade of green on a Green-winged Teal. I also like the hint of green they show on their speculum (wing) when sitting on a pond. In flight, the speculum is fully exposed.

The bottom photo shows the size comparison with a Mallard. Notice how much larger the Mallards is.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Green-winged Teal drake swims in a pond at a cemetery in Darien, Conn, March 2016.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Mallard and Green-winged Teal swim in a pond at a cemetery in Darien, Conn., March 2016.