A couple of weeks ago, I posted photos of a mocha-colored Blue-winged Teal from the Kaplan area, seen on 12/15.
A few days later I noticed a comment attached to the post:
My buddy killed a teal on 12/16/12 Northwest of Church Point, LA. I stumbled across your picture and was wondering if this could be the same duck since you posted this on the 15th. they look identical. I tried to post a picture here, but it would not let me. If you would like to see it, you can send me your email address and I will reply with a picture.
fhhanley@yahoo.com
fhhanley@yahoo.com
I wrote back, and received this reply and these photos:
These are the pictures
of the teal that my pal took with his Iphone, so please pardon the
not-so-professional photos. I looked around on the net and truly
enjoyed the detailed photos that you took of our LA wildlife.
He
already has it at the taxidermy and is chomping at the bit to get it back so he
can showcase his rare kill. This would be amazing if it was the same bird!!
They really do look similar from the pictures. Thank you for responding and I
hope this will make a good story for you to tell one day.
Frank Hanley
Church Point
A very close resemblance. Note the similar location of the darker feathers on the mantle in both photos. While I'm not amazed if this duck flew from Kaplan to Church Point in one day (which is nothing for a duck), if it's the same duck I find it amazing that it crossed paths with two humans in two days. I also find it amazing that someone found the picture on my site. That's one serendipitous duck.
It's a memorable bag, and it must have been an exciting retrieve. Congrats to the hunter, and thanks to Frank for everything!
It's also nice that he thought to contact you! I like his comments, too.
ReplyDeleteTom