One of the earliest-arriving migratory waterfowl in the upper Chesapeake area each fall is the teal. These small ducks appear in limited numbers, and consequently have not been the subject of local decoy carvers as often as the canvasback, bluebill or redhead.
The rare antique decoys that have been found are up to 11 1/2 inches long and painted with distinctive blue-green wings. Some of the best examples were produced by John Holly and his son, James T. Holly, between 1850 and 1920; and by Robert F. McGaw in the 1920s and 1930s in Havre de Grace.
