Tweeters,

As I was the last one to see the BAIKAL TEAL along 277th Street in Kent
yesterday, I thought I would add a few notes about the bird.

I arrived on 277th Street about 5:15 PM. As noted by others, the bird was
seen well by many, beginning about 4:30, when many ducks were flushed into
the open by a BALD EAGLE flying over. By the time I arrived, the bird had
settled into the grass in the wetlands and had gone to sleep. I was not able
to see it until about 6:20, although its exact location in the marsh was
known.

About 6:20, the lump which I was assured was a BAIKAL TEAL awoke briefly and
preened for a minute or so, giving good but brief looks at the head pattern.
It promptly went back to sleep, tucking its head into its feathers so that
few field marks could be seen. (The white horizontal stripe on the head and
the white stripes on the long scapular feathers could be seen on the
mostly-obscured bird.) Over the next half-hour, the bird awoke and preened
briefly a couple more times, but only for a few seconds each time.

At long last, just before 7:00 PM-- by which time I was the only birder
remaining
at the site-- the teal woke up and preened for several minutes. It then
remained in an alert posture for several more minutes, giving excellent
views of that incredible face pattern.

Finally, at 7:07 PM, the teal abruptly took off, flew toward the northwest,
and appeared to be landing at another wetland area several hundred yards
away, which would not be visible from 277th. This was not part of a general
flight of ducks; the teal apparently just decided on its own to go
elsewhere.

Also of interest at the site were at least 2 CINNAMON TEAL, a few CLIFF
SWALLOWS and one ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW among hundreds of other swallows, and
a MERLIN seen about 2 miles farther
east on 277th Street. About 7:30, I also saw 19 CACKLING GEESE with 7 CANADA
GEESE in a bare field off Frager Road less than a mile from West Valley
Highway (68th Street).

Many thanks to Cameron Cox for rediscovering the BAIKAL TEAL on March 31,
and for all the others who have posted their sightings of the bird recently.
And good luck to those who will be looking over the next few days!

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net