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Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 11:12:45 -0500
From: Paul Lehman
To: NJ Birds Mailing list
Subject: Cinnamon Teal update
NJBIRDS:
Well, there is good news and bad news on the drake Cinnamon Teal at Birch Grove Park in Northfield, Atlantic County. First the good news:
The bird is still present this morning, Saturday, at the same pond it has been on since first appearing about ten days ago. Mid-March is a good time for a wild Cinnamon Teal to show up. We were able to clearly determine that the bird is in good plumage, with full wings, no bands, and no clipped "rear toe."
The bad news is that it is less wary than one would hope. Although it does swim away from you if it is approached, it will also swim back toward motionless people, and was attracted to corn being thrown out in the water to the many ducks assembled. At the same time, the two male Redheads there that arrived two weeks ago are even tamer now than the teal. There are certainly many instances of wild waterfowl being "corrupted" at park ponds, feeding areas, etc., places like Birch Grove Park. On the other hand, teal are usually not the sorts of ducks which are so easily corrupted!
It will be interesting to see if the Cinnamon Teal (and the Redheads) are still present weeks from now, which would be a bad sign.
Directions: from the Garden State Parkway take exit 36 and get on Tilton Road heading south. Several traffic lights down is Burton Avenue, where there is an auto parts store on the corner. Take Burton to the right and go a while til you see the main entrance to the park on the right. The signs say the park is open from 9AM to 6PM, but the gates are usually open already at 8AM. Drive down to near the end of the park road near an entrance kiosk structure, and check the pond to the right.
So, make your own decision on this bird's probable origin. Figuring out whether or not to count it will probably be more difficult than driving up and seeing it on this pond!
--Paul Lehman