It took me three tries, but I was finally able to find the Cinnamon Teal at Lake Farm County Park, on Thursday 4/15. he was first found on 4/7, and I tried on 4/10 and 4/11, with no luck. He was hanging around with a group of seven Blue-winged Teal, while I was there. More specifically, he was courting a female Blue-winged Teal, and the other six males were trying to as well. He was very aggressive towards the other males. I watched them for about two hours and that was all that was going on, no feeding, only chasing her around and keeping the other males away. He would grab their wings his bill and try to push them under water. It was quite entertaining! I also found a Blue-winged x Cinnamon Teal hybrid male. I had seen one a few years ago, so knew right away what it was. I was lucky enough to see it fairly close as well. Even though it took me three attempts, I was able to see a lot of ducks fairly close, that I would otherwise not get too. This was my first time here, and I will definitely be going back in the future. The images below are from the three days I spent trying for it. Enjoy!
Providing a realistic experience to wildlife
Awesome capture and sequence …
Thank you!
What a pretty bird.
It sure is!
I did not get to see it, so thanks for sharing these images with everyone! I love ducks & this is a great look at a lovely CITE that i would otherwise not have. I especially appreciate the under the bill & under wing photos, the insight into his behavior, & pics of the others.
Thank you Tracy!
Thanks for the detailed behavior shots. Did the female choose the Cinnamon for a mate or one of the Blue Wings?
You are welcome! She seemed to be interested in him, although I have not watched this behavior much before. I have seen some eBird reports from the last few days, and the photos submitted with it, show him by her side still.
Terrific photos Jeremy. As aggressive as this bird is, I wonder if he will mate at the park with his female Blue-winged Teal companion and make some hybrid teal to confuse everybody! Great that you were able to capture all that action.
It seems like that could sure be an option. Thank you Tom!
Beautiful shots, Jeremy! And instructive… thank you!
Thank you Suzanne, you are welcome!
Gorgeous!
Sher
Thank you Sher!