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Rossendale Birds Forum -> Out of Rossendale Trip Reports -> Marshside "BAIKAL" 30th Nov 2013
Post Info TOPIC: Marshside "BAIKAL" 30th Nov 2013
C Bel


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Marshside "BAIKAL" 30th Nov 2013
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A couple of hours at Marshside this afternoon to have a look at any Peregrine, Merlin and Harriers turned into a memorable days birding !!!

Straight after pulling up at the 1st gateway on the "Marine Drive", getting the scope out to scan the close-up wildfowl flock on the saltmarsh scrape and clocking what was first thought after a couple of seconds viewing to be an American Wigeon was soon properly id`d as a drake Baikal Teal !!!

Baikal Teal Marshside.jpg

After i phoned a few of the appropriate people, the bird was flushed by a dog walking/fisherman, and relocated over the road ??? onto RSPB Marshside but wasn`t seen again as there was 5,000+ wigeon/teal to scan through..

Photo`s were sent to Birdguides/ RBA who announced the bird on the birding websites. Birdguides later contacting me saying they had re-Id`d it as a hybrid but didnt know what it was hybrid of!!! due to a lack of black eye-strip down from its eye.  Chris Batty (Rare Bird Alert) arrived shortly after and on viewing my pics said its the best record he had seen of this species and he didn`t agree with Birdguides. A perfect Baikal Teal..  Chris later sent me a pic (below) showing plumage difference in a genuine wild bird photographed in its breeding range in Japan..

Only ever been 4 accepted records in UK and 1 in Ireland so would be nice if it does get seen again and properly photographed and accepted.

IMG_3345.jpg

 



-- Edited by C Bel on Saturday 30th of November 2013 08:45:48 PM

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sarfraz


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I was at Marshside today and heard about this and saw your entry. Some of the locals turned up and they got a strange Wigeon - from that they deduced it would be a hybrid. I did explain that C Bell might be a Craig Bell and he would know his birds. What a beauty of a bird. We had a look in a book and the book does not do it justice. A beautiful day and a beautiful bird. Why did I go to Martin Mere when such a bird was around?

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Ste Rush


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HI Craig

It's always up for debate on such birds...it just adds to the fun.

I was looking through this thread on the Baikal

http://birdingfrontiers.com/2013/04/15/baikal-teal-boom/

 

Baikal



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C Bel


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Hi Steve, 

Went back today to have another look and spent 2-3hrs scanning every bird in the Marshside RSPB flood fields getting more dejected every time you moved the scope sideways to unveil 1000`s more Wigeon!! Not a sign of it but a bit of excitement with a possible American Wigeon which now appears to be a hybrid..

Then during the afternoon the call came that it had been found in a channel out on Crossens Outer Marsh, only c200yrd further out than where i found it yesterday. The finder did an excellent job locating it in a very difficult channel to view. 

The bird was with several hundred Teal and Wigeon and was very difficult to see most of the time. Occasionally giving good views.

Several dozen birders managed to see it today and there will now hopefully be better pics/vids than my digiscope shots on my phone.

The general feeling in the field today seems to be the bird is genuine showing no signs of being a hybrid.

Whilst viewing the Baikal another "Teal" was showing signs of Baikal hybrid - Looking like a dull drake Teal with creamy cheeks. Maybe this is the bird that was reported 2-3 days ago to which all the doubting people thought the proper Baikal was???? Time may tell. Hopefully pics of that bird will also be got.

Where ever it came from will never be known and we can only guess. But one thing is for sure it is a very nice looking bird.

Cheers, Craig.

 



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