Ballachurry Reserve, 27th January, 2017.

So pleased to see this Teal at Ballachurry Reserve.

What did  I say about being in "the right place at the right time" ? Well, that is exactly where I was on Friday afternoon, while waiting for Tim Graham and Tricia Sayle to arrive at the Reserve ( see previous post). It was pouring hard with rain so I had taken refuge in the bird Hide. I put up the shutters and was surprised to see a male Teal sitting in the rushes right opposite me. I sometimes manage to inadvertently put up Teal from the pond when I first arrive on site so this was a real treat to  be able to sit and observe this handsome fellow. The best view of Teal I have had at Ballachurry, in fact.

 At first it didn't seem to be doing much - surely it couldn't be a decoy duck? After all, we had ceramic puffins on the Calf last year. Was the ploy being extended? But no, eventually it turned round and swam to the right, across the pond, to the weedy area where it started feeding. But suddenly there was some drama as a female Sparrowhawk swooped upon it but missed! The Teal  got wind of it at the last minute, I think, and flew up a couple of feet causing the Sparrowhawk to abort its attack and fly up sharply at 45 degrees. Surprisingly the Teal didn't fly away but swam sedately back to its original place in the reeds where it smoothed its ruffled feathers with a prolonged preening session.

Eventually over its fright, the Teal swam off to the left and paused a short while before flying off  but then came down just a little way off in the vegetation where I lost it from view.

I am resolved to visit the reserve in the rain more often - I am clearly missing an awful lot by being a fair weather recorder!

unsuspecting Teal

but  clearly I was not the only creature watching it!
I took this photo mere seconds before it was attacked.

I also took some video of the Teal. I missed the dramatic moment with the Sparrowhawk unfortunately - what a great shot that would have made. When time permits I'll put the movie on  the Blog too.