Radipole Lake RSPB Reserve
Saturday December 1st 2012
Birdwatchers often get asked "what is your favourite bird?" which is impossible to answer as they are all favourite in different ways.
But if you put a gun to my head and forced me to choose it would probably be a teal.
Or better still a flock of teal.
Waking up on a frosty morning.
These were at Radipole Lake this morning in the first rays of the sun when the lake in front of the North Hide was still largely frozen.
It's very obvious here that the female teal all have white eyelids.
Apparently this is to signal to the others that they are asleep, and therefore not looking out for predators.
Ducks that have light-coloured eyes have dark eyelids, so as not to look like they are awake when they are not.
This next sequence features a female teal intent on looking her best before leaving the flock for important business elsewhere.
The last bit is slowed down to half speed.
Some of the teal were stood up on the ice asleep.
Which presented a few problems...