A few weeks ago there was news of a cinnamon teal at the oxidation ponds of a town south of here. It was a mild pleasant afternoon, and we jumped in the car and drove south toward the lake.
Most years I start a bird list for the year--never formal--just a casual listing of those birds seen during the year.
As "new birds" slow down--every bird is a new bird for me starting on January 1, I seem to misplace and the list and rarely carry it to the end.
The cinnamon teal would be a "new bird" AND a "life bird"--one I have never seen before. So why not give the pond a try. Oxidation ponds are part of sewer systems for cities, and not a place one would think of for an afternoon in the sun, but birders know to check them out for rarities and out of place birds.
When we arrived I was rather daunted by the size and the distance (first photo), but binoculars and a zoom on my trusty Lumix camera brought the cinnamon teal into view.(second photo--cinnamon colored duck)
I added white ibis, black crowned night herons, northern shovelers, green winged teal,and blue winged teal. There were others that I couldn't resolve, but I was happy.
We drove to the pass and had dinner of "world famous fried catfish--thick or thin"--at Middendorf's while we watched the gulls and pelicans fish in the pass that connects Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas.
The swamp in this area is one of the alligator hunting grounds for the tv show " Swamp People".
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