Chestnut Teal, Travis Wetlands
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Re: Chestnut Teal, Travis Wetlands
Pairs of waterfowl do make it across the ditch occasionally - think Black Swan and Australian Wood Duck.
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Re: Chestnut Teal, Travis Wetlands
Indeed! If we think logically about it, there's a lot more likelihood that birds arrive in pairs than people think and with species where the difference between the sexes is obvious then a reasonably balance between boys and girls is plain to see - think Chestnut-breasted Shelduck records for example, as well as David's Australian Wood Ducks.
Given that most of our native birds arrived here from Australia then obviously those that successfully established populations involved both males and female colonists - Black-fronted Dotterel, Coots, S/W Plovers, Welcome Swallows, Royal Spoonbills, Little Grebes, and indeed the Australian Wood Ducks are all good examples.
So I reckon the chances of a male Chestnut Tea arriving with a female Chestnut Teal that happens to be an individual that looks pretty close to a Grey Teal is probably on the balance of probabilities more likely than a Chestnut teal male pairing up with a Grey Teal female (unless I'm missing something around the prevalence of hybridisation being of common occurrence in OZ?).
There's one more possible pointer that this may be a pair of Chestnut Teal - the time of year that they are mating. Breeding by Australian birds are much more triggered by wet conditions and ephemeral presence of waterbodies than the breeding of NZ waterbirds - which are mostly strongly seasonal in their breeding cycles. Some Australian waterbirds living in NZ are clearly following the "wet season", rather than the arrival of spring and triggers such as daylight length etc. For example, look at the mid winter nesting of Black Swans and S/W Plovers, as well as Pukeko. I'll conveniently duck the fact (excuse my pun!) that Grey Teal are also Australian waterbirds, and suggest that maybe a couple of Chestnut Teal finding all this lovely ephemeral ponding breeding habitat at Travis spread out before them, have decided to stick with what they know and start breeding in mid June? Just a thought......
Given that most of our native birds arrived here from Australia then obviously those that successfully established populations involved both males and female colonists - Black-fronted Dotterel, Coots, S/W Plovers, Welcome Swallows, Royal Spoonbills, Little Grebes, and indeed the Australian Wood Ducks are all good examples.
So I reckon the chances of a male Chestnut Tea arriving with a female Chestnut Teal that happens to be an individual that looks pretty close to a Grey Teal is probably on the balance of probabilities more likely than a Chestnut teal male pairing up with a Grey Teal female (unless I'm missing something around the prevalence of hybridisation being of common occurrence in OZ?).
There's one more possible pointer that this may be a pair of Chestnut Teal - the time of year that they are mating. Breeding by Australian birds are much more triggered by wet conditions and ephemeral presence of waterbodies than the breeding of NZ waterbirds - which are mostly strongly seasonal in their breeding cycles. Some Australian waterbirds living in NZ are clearly following the "wet season", rather than the arrival of spring and triggers such as daylight length etc. For example, look at the mid winter nesting of Black Swans and S/W Plovers, as well as Pukeko. I'll conveniently duck the fact (excuse my pun!) that Grey Teal are also Australian waterbirds, and suggest that maybe a couple of Chestnut Teal finding all this lovely ephemeral ponding breeding habitat at Travis spread out before them, have decided to stick with what they know and start breeding in mid June? Just a thought......
Last edited by andrewcrossland on Fri Jun 24, 2022 9:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Chestnut Teal, Travis Wetlands
There's still a stream of birders visiting the Travis Chestnut Teal and I ran into two today on my way in and my out of the site, so passed the gen down the line. The male Teal was in the ponding area SW of the stockyards where its been seen on previous days. The mystery female was with it and they kept close company.
- AngryBird45
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Re: Chestnut Teal, Travis Wetlands
has anyone seen the chestnut teals lately?
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93 birds on my 2024 year list as of 6:50pm 13 January, latest bird Indian Peafowl.
15 y/o birder from the Waimak and Paradise Shelduck campaigner: facebook.com/paradiseshelduck.
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Re: Chestnut Teal, Travis Wetlands
I went out on the 21st, no sign of the Chestnut
- GrahameNZ
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Re: Chestnut Teal, Travis Wetlands
I was there on the 22nd.
In the mornings it is hiding away in the back of a small bay opposite the culvert. (Just past the info center)
It occasionally raises it's head and you can see the green, the breast is also obvious by comparison with all the other teal with it.
It doesn't seem to move to the stockyards paddock till mid late afternoon for a feed.
In the mornings it is hiding away in the back of a small bay opposite the culvert. (Just past the info center)
It occasionally raises it's head and you can see the green, the breast is also obvious by comparison with all the other teal with it.
It doesn't seem to move to the stockyards paddock till mid late afternoon for a feed.
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Re: Chestnut Teal, Travis Wetlands
Keep a look out for ducklings folks if the Chestnut Teal and its mysterious mate are being shy - could be a nest?
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Re: Chestnut Teal, Travis Wetlands
Picture I got today of the Chestnut teal's partner with a Grey teal pair. The Grey teal pair are the birds in front, with the Chestnut partner behind.
- Michael Szabo
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Re: Chestnut Teal, Travis Wetlands
Nadine Campbell posted these photos to Facebook yesterday of the pair at Travis Wetlands.
'Birds New Zealand' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Birdsnewzealand
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Re: Chestnut Teal, Travis Wetlands
Is it just me or do others also get the impression that the females face is becoming darker and edging toward being closer to female chestnut teal rather than female grey teal?