Sight of teal, fidgety wigeons perfect fall treat

The sighting of the coots a few weekends ago was certainly a highlight of the month. Before the coots, though, I had enjoyed a rewarding visit to the Witter Farm marsh with another birding friend of mine.

We had gone expressly to see the coots; we didn’t see these unusual birds that day but got some great views of green-winged teal and American wigeons.

The scene could have been a “Ducks Unlimited” stamp: green and gold vegetation waving in the breeze under a powder-blue sky and wispy clouds, and small flocks of ducks in flight over the marsh.

As we approached the edge of the marsh, we disturbed a small group of wigeons. Bursting from the water, they took flight around the marsh in a frantic effort to avoid us. They made several circuits around the wetland, at times so low I could see their bulbous white foreheads and crowns, which has earned them the nickname “baldpate.” We waited for them to settle back down, and then realized they wouldn’t as long as we remained so close to the marsh. Once we had reached a respectable distance, they finally splashed down for a landing.

Wigeons are medium-sized “dabbling” ducks, which means their method of feeding sets them apart from other ducks, such as diving ducks. Dabblers tend to feed at the surface by straining water through their short, broad bills, or by up-ending to reach deeper food items. The more familiar mallards are dabblers.

This duck breeds primarily in the northwestern United States, Canada, and Alaska. There are smaller breeding populations in the east, mostly in Canada. They are only seen in Maine during migration.

The green-winged teals were easy to identify if only because of their small size; they are our smallest dabbling duck. Even at a distance, I could also discern the iridescent green patch on its wings, especially as it splashed down into the center of the wetland. Otherwise, the overall impression of this small duck was its slender, tapered wings and white belly.

I regretted not being able to get views of them as they paddled around in the open water – the males are particularly beautiful. Their heads are a reddish-brown, with a broad green strip extending from their eye to the back of the neck. Below the neck the plumage is a gorgeous blue-green, with finely barred feathers; a single, white, vertical “shoulder” strip extends up toward the back, which is faintly soot-gray and also finely barred. The female is described as a “dull, mottled brown,” but she also has the iridescent green patch on her wings.

This little dabbling duck breeds in forest wetlands and river deltas throughout much of Canada, Alaska, and the northern tier of the United States. They do breed in Maine, so it wasn’t as unusual to see them as it was seeing the wigeons.

Still, it was a treat. It was a perfect fall day devoted to ducks.

NEWS bird columnist Chris Corio can be reached at bdnsports@bangordailynews.net