Yesterday was a good day for Cinnamon Teals at Bear River MBR.
It was a beautiful spring morning – sunny, windless, relatively warm and I was almost the only soul on the refuge (friend and blog follower April Olson was there while I was but our paths didn’t cross). About all l could have asked for was a few more birds.
I was on a mission to photograph Cinnamon Teals in flight. I had many opportunities but getting them in flight is a very tall order because their takeoffs are so explosive and their flight is so fast and erratic.
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I had my best luck with this drake. I’ve learned to be able to anticipate their takeoffs with some accuracy but that only gives you an edge. You still need fast reflexes and more than a little luck.
This photo doesn’t have much going for it except that it helps me to tell the story – it was taken just before he exploded into the air. I can look at his posture and tell that he’s thinking about exiting stage left, and quickly.
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Usually my reflexes are a little faster than they were this time. When he took off I barely kept him in frame but I still like the shot reasonably well because it includes both the bird and the water splash caused by his takeoff. And they’re both sharp.
In the next photo in the burst I cut off part of his head but…
1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, canvas added, not baited, set up or called in
in the photo after that I got him fully in frame and in focus again. The bad news is that I had to add canvas to achieve an acceptable composition but I like the shot so much I couldn’t see not doing it.
I love the expansive and colorfully iridescent speculum of this species.
1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I managed to keep him in frame and in focus for nine more photos. I like this one with his wings up as a counterpoint to the previous photo with his wings down. I got one more photo that I like a lot too, but I’m not including it because it’s almost identical to this one.
In case you’re wondering, that’s water in the background in the last two photos – not sky. But then the blue is a reflection of the sky so I suppose it could be argued either way.
In my experience you almost have to be a glutton for punishment to even attempt to get quality photos of Cinnamon Teals in flight so it felt pretty darn good to finally have some success.
Ron
Thank you for a great way to end the day, gawking at your latest photos. The third photo is particularly stunning. The drake’s colors, complex patterns, his iridescent area and the capture of his movement are wonderful. Isn’t it great to marvel at beauty.
“Isn’t it great to marvel at beauty?”
It surely is, Pat. Thank you.
How is his eye position different enough that it signals flight rather than diving?
Pam, it isn’t his eye position, it’s his posture. He’s holding his head slightly forward, he’s keeping his eye on me and doing nothing else and he’s stopped actively swimming. It’s subtle but it’s a definitie indication that he’s thinking of taking off. They don’t always but when I see this posture, and he holds it, the chances of imminent takeoff go up significantly.
In my experience, Cinnamon Teals never dive in situations like this. They always take off.
Boy that posture shift is subtle. Thanks for explaining.
WHAT a beauty. A big hooray for finally freeze framing that explosive action (and glorious colour) too. Sometimes being more stubborn than stains pays dividends.
“Sometimes being more stubborn than stains pays dividends”
Then I should be rich in currency of some kind, EC. Thanks.
Wow great capture I love the second to last. Yes there were teals everywhere yesterday, but mostly they flew away from me before I even got close so I did not spend much time with them. Did you see the swans? A group of 7 flew over me when I was on the north side. I was hoping to get a few swans shots but it looks like most have moved on. I could still hear tundra swan calls out on the refuge. I also had a bittern walk across the road in front of me in the area. No shots, he disappeared by the time I pulled next to the area. He was booming in the phrags but they were so dense I couldn’t see him again. Sorry we missed each other. I only saw one other vehicle in the 3 hours I spent along the loop.
Lol my name made mention in both yours and Mia’s post today, guess I better behave!
Thanks, April. No, I didn’t see any swans. Or your Bittern. I love hearing their booming, something I’ve seldom heard.
I didn’t see a single vehicle until I finished the loop (took me 2 1/2 hours) at the maintenance building.
Its hard to get those little speedsters as sharp as you managed. Wonderful shots – specially the third one.
A fast shutter speed helped. Thanks, Kent.
Congrats Ron. Beautiful bird and beautiful photos. That third one takes the prize.
Thank you, Michael.
A very attractive bird sitting on the water, but explosive at takeoff it is, both in speed and all the colors that suddenly appear. Thanks such a revealing image.
I looked into the etymology of teal, both the bird and color. Don’t go there.
“Don’t go there.”
Now I’ll have to, Lyle. Because curiosity…
Wow Ron – that 3rd photo just says National Geo, Arizona Highways, etc all over it. Love it. I give it my highest praise rating. The colors and everything are just perfect. Getting a catch eye with that reddish color against that similar colored head is not easy for sure. Outstanding.
Thanks very much, Everett. That’s high praise.
What a handsome shade of cinnamon– also, “speculum” and “snagglepuss”
are new to me ! You never know what you’re gonna learn on FP………
“You never know what you’re gonna learn on FP”
Me too, Kris. I’d never heard of Snagglepuss until Deb’s comment. Which is why I looked it up.
What incredible colors! This is one bird where the name truly fits!
It sure does, to a “T”. Thanks, Arwen.
Beautiful little bird. 🙂 The are VERY fast – my reflexes would never keep up at this point in time! 😉 The speculum is a great contrast to the cinnamon.
54 – high of 74 – high wind warning….. 🙁 Some flooding concerns on the highline and south tho not like last year so far.
Thanks, Judy. Supposed to be sunny and 80° here today, with some wind. I decided to not go shooting because of the wind. We’re supposed to have almost a 35° drop day after tomorrow.
Spectacular, Ron! Simply spectacular! What a stunner. You had just one job, and you nailed it! Thanks for getting out there so we could enjoy this handsome fella in all his glory!
“You had just one job, and you nailed it! ”
That’s pretty much the way I look at it, Diana. I stayed focused on Cinnamon Teals all morning and I tried dozens of times and failed but this time my stubbornness (obsessiveness?) paid off.
What a rewarding few mornings, it is worth getting up again. I had to laugh at your comment, “exit stage left”. Being the mischief that I was then, this was a phrase I adopted to skedaddle from somewhere I shouldn’t be caught, learned from the cartoon character, Snagglepuss. Sorry to stray, but your drake displays a perfect example of “exit stage left”. Thanks for getting out there and capturing your wild environment, you do it so well.
Thank you, Deb. Here’s a link to a memory for you:
https://www.google.com/search?q=exit+stage+left&sxsrf=APwXEdeX8OhkYiFJAUf7m5wu0xgZ6qjseA%3A1681219158592&source=hp&ei=Vl41ZPP3IZGNur8PzdW1gAo&iflsig=AOEireoAAAAAZDVsZqsoWHCI9n88iK3KGzRiF_CtuZUd&ved=0ahUKEwjz-vC19aH-AhWRhu4BHc1qDaAQ4dUDCAs&uact=5&oq=exit+stage+left&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyCwguENQCELEDEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUILhCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyCwguENQCELEDEIAEOgoILhDHARCvARAnOgQIIxAnOggIABCKBRCRAjoRCC4QgAQQsQMQgwEQxwEQ0QM6CwgAEIAEELEDEIMBOggIABCABBCxAzoICC4QgAQQsQM6CAguEIAEENQCOgsILhCABBDHARCvAToKCAAQgAQQsQMQCjoLCC4QgAQQsQMQ1AJQAFi1MGDhQGgAcAB4AIABXIgBqgiSAQIxNZgBAKABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:991e7c8b,vid:Q3-a4qWCtIg
Really pretty. Sure wish we had those in Dayton Ohio. But who knows? Last year we had Whooper Swan in the area for several days. Or maybe another Baikal Teal. Maybe we’ll get lucky.
Connie, they’re pretty much a western species so you’d have to get lucky to see one. But with birds you just never know…
Such an interesting wing position in the launch shot! I can sense the power of the takeoff from that huge splash. He’s quite the handsome specimen too. I could happily spend a few hours watching him and his like around the water. 🙂
Thanks, Marty. Cinnamon Teals are always fun to watch, especially this time of year. The drakes are incredibly possessive of their mates so there tends to be a lot of interaction between the males, some of it quite aggressive.
Absolutely beautiful!!
Thank you, Dick.