Duck Week: Blue-winged Teal

Blue-winged Teal -- Arrowhead Marsh, Oakland, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II, ISO: 400, f/5.6, 1/2000s

Well, it's not too much of a mystery how this bird got it's name, is it?

We don't see a lot of blue-winged teals in Alameda and Oakland.  I can generally count on a snall handful of sightings in a given year.  When they show up at the shoreline they tend to stick around for a few days.

I'm partial to the leopard patterns in their feathers.

Blue-Winged Teal -- Arrowhead Marsh, Oakland, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II, ISO: 400, f/5.6, 1/2000s

Blue-winged Teal

Blue-winged Teal -- Arrowhead Marsh, Oakland, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF-S 55-250mm IS II, 1/2000s, f/5.6, ISO: 500

I wouldn't say blue-winged teals are common at Arrowhead Marsh, at least not in places where they're easily photographed.  Every once in a while they'll appear somewhere near the shoreline.  I try to take a lot of picture when they show up. after all they're such pretty little ducks.  These two were part of a group of eight or so that were hanging out in December.  I had a couple of mornings with them but had mixed luck with the shots.  I was experimenting with different camera settings.  I think I got this one in sports mode, the old standby for shooting birds.