A male Blue-winged Teal is a very distinctive critter. It is not closely related to and looks nothing like a Barrow?s Golden Eye or a Scalp. If Margaret got a good look and then went to a field guide and found what matched I don?t see why so many have decided it must be something else. A Northern Shoveler is closely related but it?s distinctive feature is the bill and I believe the faded crescent is an early fall feature.

Blue-winged Teal, good bird Margaret.

Larry Schwitters
Issaquah
> On Feb 28, 2017, at 11:56 AM, Hal Michael <ucd880 at comcast.net> wrote:
>
> I would suggest looking at pictures, properly scaled, of the species in question. A Scaup is just bigger, with a bigger bill. A teal bill is fairly "dainty" compared to a scaup.
>
>
>
>
>
> Hal Michael
> Science Outreach Director, Sustainable Fisheries Foundation
> Olympia WA
> 360-459-4005
> 360-791-7702 (C)
> ucd880 at comcast.net
>
> I have had several replies suggesting I might have seen a female Scaup
> or Barrow's Golden Eye and it was definitely not a Golden Eye- no other
> bright patches of white. I was using Morse, Aversa & Opperman's Birds
> of the Puget Sound Region (it is small, easy to carry). I have just
> looked in 3 other field guides and I still think I saw a Blue- winged
> Teal as the crescent was exactly like the one in Birds of the Puget
> Sound Region - very defined, long and arching back in front of the eye.
> In all the books I have the Scaup white behind the bill is thicker and
> does not arch up around the eye to the top of the head. But again, I am
> only a beginner, it was cold so I did not spend much time looking at the
> bird so I can only say I think it was a Teal but unless someone more
> knowledgeable sees it and can confirm we will have to say maybe.
> Margaret Sandelin
>
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