BLUEWING NUMBERS DOWN--Blue-winged teal are the second smallest duck in North America and are highly distinctive during flight due to their bright blue wing patch. When they arrive in September, drakes and hens are colored much alike. Drakes later sport blue heads and a white crescent in front of the eye in breeding plumage. Populations are highly responsive to wetland conditions and in this year’s dry times, numbers are down.
Despite sparse rainfall and dry playas the Texas early teal season is opening soon and will run September 19–27. This year marks a second reduced nine-day season due to the lower population estimate for blue-winged teal. Bag limit is six daily of blue-winged, green-winged, or cinnamon teal. Possession limit is three times the daily bag limit.
Our own home-grown Texas Parks and Wildlife Department W…
