Male Green-winged Teal at Marie Curtis: Nov. 28, 2022

Time flies. This morning was the final walk of the TDSB fall session which began back on September 10.

It was overcast, chilly and occasionally windy but a good-sized group appeared.

I have seen some interesting birds in Etobicoke Creek here including a Red-throated Loon.

Red-throated Loon

This morning, there was a male Green-winged Teal.

Green-winged Teal (male)

For weeks, I have been seeing female teals in various locations.

Green-winged Teal (female)

The male, as you can see, is quite different.

Green-winged Teal (male)
Green-winged Teal (male)
Green-winged Teal (male) and Mallard (male)

Other birds:

Canada Geese
American Black Duck (male)
Buffleheads
Canada Geese
Ring-billed Gulls
Red-breasted Mergansers (female)
Red-breasted Merganser (female)
Bufflehead (male)
Common Raven
Ring-billed Gull
Mallards
Mallards and hybrid Mallard
Common Raven
Red-breasted Merganser (female)
Hybrid “Bib” Duck
Buffleheads
Red-breasted Merganser (female)
Canada Geese
Ring-billed Gulls
Canada Geese
Ring-billed Gulls

Park views:

Some botany:

Phragmites (Phragmites australis)
Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)
Manitoba Maple (Acer negundo)
Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila)
Riverbank Grape (Vitis riparia)

NATURE POETRY

I caught this morning morning’s minion, king-

    dom of daylight’s dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding

    Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding

High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing

In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,

    As a skate’s heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding

    Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding

Stirred for a bird, – the achieve of, the mastery of the thing!

Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here

 Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion

Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!

   No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion

Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear,

    Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermilion. – Gerard Manley Hopkins

Miles Hearn

1 thought on “Male Green-winged Teal at Marie Curtis: Nov. 28, 2022

  1. Lisa Volkov

    Wow, that was a longer than usual poem, and a good one, as usual! A grand finale. And more “winter ducks”–and buds!–and hopefully owls, both Snow (hopefully!) and others, on winter walks, by post and/or walk. I can hardly wait!

    Reply

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