Quite a few folks turned out today (Tuesday 1/11) to search for the BAIKAL
TEAL at Kent Ponds. I put in about six hours and as of 3pm, the bird was NOT
seen. I have little doubt it was there and likely hiding in the vegetation
somewhere, most likely among a quite large aggregation of Green-winged Teal that
seemed glued all day long dozing in a shoreline strip that was difficult to
view or study from the SW tower and southern side walkway. There was a shift in
activity at 2pm when 400-500 teal suddenly emerged to the open water in front
of the tower raising hopes that a sighting might be eminent. Alas, no Baikal
and there were still a lot of teal that remained in the shoreline vegetation
which didn't budge.

For the patient (or desperate), there was a nice assortment of interesting
bird sightings, not the least being a gray phase GRYFALCON which made a 5-minute
appearance and flyover rousing the ire of the resident Peregrine resulting in
a brief challenge to territorial rights. Other notables in the ponds were at
least 3 adult male EURASIAN WIGEON, 1 adult male EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL,
and that interesting apparent adult male hybrid FALCATED TEAL / GADWALL (looks
like a drake Gadwall with pale paler face and a quite striking burnished
ruddy crown - flashes metallic in the afternoon sun).

Richard Rowlett
Bellevue (Eastgate), WA