Tag: Cinnamon Teal

Heat Running Ducks

Hoo boy, this morning’s run was a bit sticky! We have had a relatively mild summer to date, but this week we are back to our normal late summertime in the Midwest weather. Normally not a problem for me as I train in these conditions in order to survive the July ultra, however, we all know what happened to those plans. Speaking (or more literally, typing) of which, I returned to the “scene of the crime” a few runs back…

I know some of you were worried about the fate of that tree per my last post. It is still standing at the moment. The Corp of Engineers caught wind of my late night plans and had their troops waiting for me when I showed up in my Ghillie suit and chainsaw. Didn’t fully think through the camouflage strategy with a bright orange saw. You get to live another day you bastard Ent, but I’m still coming for pulp!! I’m through the last of my heat races so heat conditioning is not as critical…miles are more critical as the “runway” is extremely compressed to the 100K. Translated, mercury bursting or not, lace up the shoes and minimally get 10 miles checked off. Got up earlier today in hopes of beating some of the misery (“feels like” is going to 115F) – didn’t help a lot, my face looked like 50 shades of …red.

Cinnamon Teal found at Henderson Bird Viewing and Nature Center, Henderson, NV in March 2023

Hit the jump to read more about this richly hued species and where you can likely encounter them.

Continue reading Heat Running Ducks

Cinnamon Water

Welcome to February everyone!  Not sure how to feel about that yet.  On one hand glad to be past the worst of the Polar Vortex which will hopefully allow me to get off that instrument from hell … the treadmill.  On the flip side, I am officially one month closer to the 50K which translates to one notch higher on the stressometer.  Oh, it also means the post counter goes back to zero so make that two notches on the stressometer.  The best way to keep that under control is to start early and that means not a moment to spare.  Let’s go back to the spoils from the Vegas trip last November.

Cinnamon Teal found at Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, Henderson, NV November 2018

This particular specimen is referred to as a Cinnamon Teal. Not a big stretch to guess how this Teal got its name.  Linda and I were nearing the completion of the pond circuit at the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve when we noticed an individual pointing above average glass towards the corner of a nearby pond.  Talk about a dog whistle for photographers. We slowly made our way over there being very careful not to disturb whatever he was focused on.  Eventually I made it to a point where I could see the area of water that was holding his attention.  Excitement dimmed just a a bit as his rapid-fire shutter was waving at a Snowy Egret hanging out near the edge of the water.  Don’t get me wrong, Egrets are pretty cool, but if there is one sure bet you are going to see at Henderson, it’s a Snowie.  Out of courtesy, we hung back until he was satisfied with his shots – not sure he ever knew we were there.

Cinnamon Teal found at Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, Henderson, NV November 2018

Continue reading Cinnamon Water

Time to Add the Cinnamon

It’s been awhile but I’m finally back on the ball with another post for December.  My  has the time flown this year but I’m very confident I’ll be closing out 12 more months of making at least my minimum quota for posts.  A small triumph for a year, but it does put some serious pressure on me at various times trying to juggle all my other commitments.

Luckily, this is as much fun as it is work!  Today I bring you another check in the birding list.

Cinnamon Teal shot at Yellowstone National Park in May 2013

If you are not a birding enthusiast you may not recognize this as a Cinnamon Teal.  This is a new Teal check having had the Blue-Winged Teal (link here) and the Green-Winged Teal (link here) previously.  This is one of those checks I’ve known was in the tin for a long time.  It was actually shot at Yellowstone National Park back in May of 2013.

Cinnamon Teal shot at Yellowstone National Park in May 2013

The fact that you are seeing the products from that trip signifies a very big accomplishment – yes, I FINALLY got through the entire collection of shots from that Yellowstone visit.  Pretty sure I ran around the house in jubilation when I made it through the last of those pictures in the digital darkroom.  I used to catch a lot of grief from my brother about the huge delays from shutter snap to post — now that he has turned birder extraordinaire he is experiencing the same kind of backlog (isn’t easy is it hehehe).  Sometime ask him how many +1’s he has in the tin this year that has not been processed.

Hit the jump to see a few more shots of the Cinnamon Teal!

Continue reading Time to Add the Cinnamon