I managed to find a green-winged teal on Crossens Outer Marsh at Marshside today. I was at the wildfowlers pull in scanning through a flock of meadow pipits and pied wagtails, a flock which also contained water pipit and my first white wagtail of the year, when I scanned past a vertical white stripe! I was delighted to add green-winged teal to my self found list, but I didn't really think too much about it thinking that they were quite regular at Marshside. I've since found out though that they have become much rarer than I imagined and this was the first of the winter, and last winter there was only a single one day bird.
It's a cracking bird, a nice thick bright white vertical stripe and only the faintest of yellow border to its green mask. There is a hint of a pale horizontal stripe which were it any bolder might suggest a hybrid but I really don't think that it is.
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