Tag: Jocelyn Nungaray National Refuge

Can’t Miss a Breeding Ibis in Watery Bliss

It’s been a busy week here at Intrigued which admittedly is becoming the norm – especially with haunt build season in full swing. As mentioned in a previous post, we started the week down at the Poodle Specialty Agility and FastCAT (100 yd dash) competitions being held down at Purina Farms in Gray Summit, MO. Imagine Poodles of every size, every color, every groom and EVERYWHERE you look. Linda calls it heaven on earth, I call it the danger zone as I fret we will come home with more Poodles than we took. The agility runs didn’t go as we had hoped, Ruger got a bit spooked by the photographer at the side of the ring and never really recovered. Raven was just one second over from qualifying in his run – heartbreak. Ruger redeemed himself in the dash clocking his second fastest run ever at 19.3mph earning this monster ribbon for his second FastCAT Championship title.

Ruger's 2nd FastCAT title at the Poodle Specialty Competition April 2026

Look at the size of that ribbon! What a ham hehehe.

On a personal front, three big accomplishments on my ongoing ankle recovery. Made it through my first 7+ mile continuous run without have to take a break to let the pain subside, completed my first 7 mile trail run (I’m back baby!) and today I made my official return to Farmdale Reservoir for the first time since the injury – 16 months ago. I was worried I would seize up at the spots where I broke my ankle and shattered my elbow but made it through – there was a shudder at each spot as the impact visuals popped in my head.

Linda is giving me “the look”, time to get to the real wild topic for today.

White Ibis found at Anahuc National Wildlife Refuge (Jocelyn Nungaray National Refuge) in April 2024

Now that is what I call making a statement on the water! Hit the jump to see more shots of the White Ibis in their amped up breeding colors.

Continue reading Can’t Miss a Breeding Ibis in Watery Bliss

Look, a Crested Scare-a-Scara

Probably one of the hardest elements of putting on our annual haunted trail is the aftermath. During the prep and build out I am full of energy and excitement. A whirlwind of ideas, tasks and problem solving all rolled up into a giant orange and black ball. Then the party is just pure fun..well, after dealing with all the late hour gremlins that always find a way to test my wits. On the second night, the last of the guests leave, we power down the haunt and at some point my tired body is reacquainted with the bed. A day of rest usually follows thanks to a mysterious magnetic pull embedded in the very fibers of the pillow – someone should really figure out how to harness that power! Then the post party hangover kicks in. Gone is the pre-event excitement – it is grind time as everything has to be hauled back up into the out-building for drying and then the masterclass sessions of packing and organizing. Fortunately, “grinding” is my superpower which has served me well over the years, work, ultras and the draining work of unplugging everything, disassembling the props and hauling them out of the valley. That part of the work is done now and just waiting out the drying phase (you do NOT want moisture in your storage bins). While that is happening, jumping back into the blog work with today’s featured feathered friend.

Crested Caracara found at Anahuac NWR in Anahuac, TX March 2024

Hit the jump to learn more about this interesting Falcon sporting the orange and black colors of the season.

Continue reading Look, a Crested Scare-a-Scara