I was out in the Green Island Wetlands today in search for a certain raptor but didn’t have any luck again. The usual suspects showed up but not the one I was looking for. While cruising slowly on the gravel road, with my eyes in the trees and the camera with long lens and teleconverter in my lap, the sun was about the set at the horizon. I never shot a sunset with 840 mm focal length and thought to give it a try. The compression effect of the lens makes it look like the sun sets right between the trees on the ridge. That a bird flew into the scene was a bonus, although it wasn’t the owl I was hoping for…
A BEAUTY IN THE COLD
Apple Canyon Lake Falls, Jo Davies County, Illinois
The tip came from my photography friend Kevin, who sent me a photo of the frozen waterfall last weekend. I have photographed the falls before, five years ago, but had almost forgotten about this great photo opportunity that may occur after a period with very low temperatures. Not much water came down from Apple Canyon Lake this time but it was obviously enough for some nice built-up of ice.
Apple Canyon Lake Falls is most of the day in the shade but there is a small time window in the early afternoon when the waterfall is hit by the sun. The high contrast reveals the texture of the ice and rocks. To be honest, it took me three days to decide if I share the color version of the image or this black & white photo with you. There was a nice color contrast between the deep blue sky and the orange and yellow of the rocks but at the end I thought the ice lost a bit of its impact. Finally I opted for this monochrome version and let the ice formations stand out from the rest of the scene and tell the story of a really cold winter day.
Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head, @58mm, 1/125s, f/20, ISO100
WINTER IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY
Mines of Spain, Dubuque, Iowa. View to the Southeast. The Mississippi River is almost completely frozen over.
Up on the bluffs above the Mississippi River is the location of Julien Dubuque’s resting place and monument. He was one of the first European men to settle in this area. In 1788 the Meskwaki people that lived here gave him permission to mine lead. Dubuque was the first city in what later became Iowa and was named in honor of Julien Dubuque. (source: Wikipedia)
During winter time the road that leads to the monument is closed but I used the gorgeous weather today for a hike in the Mines of Spain and up to the monument.
I’m really not a big fan of the classic ”postcard view”, especially if there is nothing but a bald blue sky, but I have been asked by friends from other parts of the world to show how the cold winter looks like in the Mississippi Valley these days. So here we go…
Julien Dubuque Monument, Mines of Spain Recreation Area, Dubuque, Iowa
View to the North with the city of Dubuque. The Julien Dubuque Bridge connects Iowa with the state of Illinois. The road bridge to Wisconsin is behind the bend in the river and can’t be seen from this vantage point.
All images: Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S
WINTER BIRDS, LARGE NUMBERS
Dark-eyed Junco
On a clear and sunny winter day it is easy to make the click for the birds that visit our front or backyard. I love how the light bounces off the snow on the ground and hugs the birds from all sides and let the colors pop. No enhancement with a hint of flash is necessary as I often use when the sky is gray. Although today’s photos were all made at the house, I try to keep any feeder or bird bath out of the frame and make the shots while the birds are perched in a tree or bush just before they enter. The three bird species I can share with you today are here in larger numbers at these cold temperatures we still experience.
Dark-eyed Juncos are medium sized sparrows that feed mostly on the ground. They are here in eastern Iowa only during the cold season and when the last one disappears we know spring is on its way. They are hard to count but I guess 30-40 juncos are around most of the day.
American Robin
A flock of 30 or more American Robins use the berries of the eastern red cedars (Juniperus virginiana) that grow here on the bluffs of the Little Maquoketa River Valley as a food source. These juniper berries are not really a true berry but a vital food source for many bird species. Most people see the robins as a spring indicator but we are lucky enough to have them all winter long. The robins come to the house mostly for drinking out of a bird bath and probably for warming up a little bit as well. I maintain three of them and they get filled often 2 or 3 times a day.
American Goldfinch, winter male
American Goldfinches, now in their winter plumage, enjoy the ”full service” we provide, means they feed at our sunflower seed feeders or on the ground and also use the bird baths for a drink. The goldfinches share the spots at the feeders with other finches, sparrows, and cardinals.
NATURE CLICKS #618 - ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
Rough-legged Hawk, Green Island Wildlife Management Area, Iowa
Not so easy to get in front of the camera was a pair of Rough-legged Hawks I found yesterday on ”wildlife patrol” in the Green Island Wildlife Management Area. These hawks have their breeding grounds in tundra habitats of North America, way up north in Canada, but migrate to the Central United States for the winter. These opportunistic predators feed mostly on small mammals, like voles, mice, or even rabbits, but won’t refuse birds either.
AT THE OPEN WATER
Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, Bellevue, Iowa
The people that live here in the Upper Mississippi Valley know if you like to see Bald Eagles during these very cold temperatures, you have to visit the places with open water. Since the big river is almost everywhere covered with ice, you can find the eagles mostly below the locks & dams that enable the boat traffic during the warm season and are placed about every 30 miles in the Mississippi River.
Juvenile Bald Eagle
I went to Lock & Dam #12 in Bellevue today and found more than a dozen Bald Eagles soaring above the water and hunting for fish. It took a little patience and a long focal length (840 mm) to get them in the viewfinder. The sun came out for a little bit and made for nice afternoon light. At -15ºC / 5ºF warm clothes, warm boots, and gloves are mandatory if you want to have fun and enjoy the photography of these majestic birds…
OUT ON THE ICE
Fay Lake, Florence County, Wisconsin
Coming back from the annual ice fishing trip with friends I found some fresh snow covering the landscape here in the Little Maquoketa Valley yesterday afternoon. However, it was by far not as much as up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, where everything looked like a Winter Wonderland. Unfortunately the sun was covered almost the whole time by a thick layer of clouds. Ice fishing out on the lake can be very busy at times (and it really was!), but the fish did not bite always and gave us enough time to watch the development of the weather. When finally the clouds opened up for a brief moment, I took the camera out of the bag and made the click.
FRESH PLANTS EVERY DAY
Common Muskrat, Sageville Marsh, Iowa
Muskrats are not total vegetarians but about 95% of their diet is plant material, like cattails or water lilies. During the winter time their fur is thick and looks beautiful, at least when not completely wet.
I went to a pond nearby today, a habitat where I had photographed American Beavers some years ago, but there was no evidence for the presence of beavers today. As far I can remember, muskrats have always been at this pond at the Sageville Marsh, Iowa and I found this cute critter feeding on the ice what looks like the tuber of a water lily. Unlike beavers, muskrats do not store food for the winter. They need to eat fresh plants each day. The pond was still frozen for the most part but the muskrats had made a couple channels from their burrows in the banks of the pond through the mud to reach food under the ice.
Common Muskrats are beneficial for the ecosystem. They are the food source for a number of predators, like minks, and their abandoned burrows provide homes for several other species. They often create open spaces in the water that is used by waterfowl or wading birds.
Nikon Z6 III, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z TC-1.4x, Benro MSDPL46C SupaDupa Monopod, Monopod Gimbal Head @ 840mm, both photos cropped
WITH A BLUE TINT
Fog in the valley, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wildlife Refuge, Iowa
I came across this moody landscape with some fog in the Mississippi Valley today. The compression effect of the long lens, including the Z1.4 teleconverter, got me all the subtle layers of gray in the distance. The picture was processed in monochrome mode but at the end I wasn’t completely satisfied, the image seemed to be too gloomy, and maybe too depressive. I gave it a little bit of a blue tint and that changed the appearance to something I like much better, at least for today…
Nikon Z6 III, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z TC-1.4x, @ 840mm
SURPRISE IN THE MORNING
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Little Maquoketa Valley, eastern Iowa
When I get out of bed I first have always a look through the window at our bird feeders and bird baths. No birds were present this morning and that quite often means that a predator is nearby. It took a couple seconds until I realized that our Sharp-shinned Hawk, that we see here during winter time , was sitting right next to the bird feeders on a perch that I had built for our feathered friends. Some of the smaller birds were hiding in a mountain pine that grows right beside the house and some juncos and sparrows were probably under the porch. The hawk knew it and had obviously missed a surprise attack earlier. The raptor was just waiting for another chance to strike.
I grabbed the camera quickly, took off the lens hood, and tried to shoot through the glass of the window. Let me tell you, I was struggling with this situation. First I was too close to the bird and below the minimum focus distance of about 4 meters. So I stepped back about a foot and tried to shoot from a distance through the glass. Usually that doesn’t work well and focus is difficult to obtain. Second, I still had the 1.4 teleconverter attached to the lens and only had the upper part of the hawk without the tail in the frame. The Sharp-shinned Hawk still posed nicely and I quickly removed the TC.
I don’t know how I finally got that shot halfway sharp, while taking the picture under a 45 degree angle through the glass and about a foot away from the window. However, it was a great way to start my day this morning…!
Nikon Z6 III, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S
2026, GOOD START WITH MERGANSERS
Common Mergansers, Mississippi River, Sabula, Iowa
Before anything new is written here I like to thank all visitors and readers of my blog for their ongoing support in 2025! I know, there is a lot of great photography in the world wide web you can enjoy every day and I’m humbled that you spent some of your valuable time on my website last year. I wish all of you a peaceful and happy year 2026!
After quite a few gray days we had a little bit of sun coming out today. A good reason to check out the situation 40 miles south on Iowa’s Island City Sabula. During my visit last week I saw some good numbers of Common Mergansers on the open water of the Mississippi River, unfortunately too far away. With permission of the gentleman in the Island City Harbor Store I was able to drive my car out on one of their private dikes and use the car as a photo blind and work with the Common Mergansers. Here are some of my first wildlife pictures in 2026 I’m excited to share with you.
This is at the small entrance to the harbor. The edge of the ice was right there. The mergansers approach it in small groups and one after another dives down with a slight leap and swims under the ice into the frozen marina.
Quite often there is nothing in their bill when they appear again at the water surface but his female had caught a nice little fish. Common Mergansers can stay under water for up to 2 minutes but most of the time they dive for less than 30 seconds (source: allabout birds website).
Watching the birds closely is important if you like to catch the good moments, like when they lift out of the water and flap the wings and shake off water from their feathers.
Here is the bonus shot. This juvenile Trumpeter Swan just swam along the shore with some male mergansers in tow. The head is still gray but the rest of the plumage is already getting snowy white and shows that the bird will be considered as an adult soon. Trumpeter Swans need the open water for feeding aquatic plants and the ice on its bill is proof that this bird had foraged earlier this morning.
QUIET AND PEACEFUL
Mississippi River, Deere dike, Dubuque, Iowa
The warm weather of the last few days made the snow disappear and cleared the Mississippi River from its ice cover for the most part. Rain and a gray overcast kept probably most people at home today and so I didn’t meet a single soul during a hike on the Deere dike that stretches far out into the river. No trains moved on either side along the shores and so it was quiet and peaceful.
I guess I may have been too late for some fog banks above the water, but the overall mood across the Mississippi Valley made me searching for a picture that reflects exactly the peace in the valley I found today.
This navigation light in the river has been more than once my subject and anchor for the eye. Color was literally not present this morning and so it was an easy choice to process the photo as a black & white image. The view goes north, where all the water comes from, the bluffs on the left mark the Iowa side of the river, while the Wisconsin side on the right remains only as a gray band at the horizon.
As I’m writing this the winter comes back again with strong wind, snow, and a considerable temperature drop. Tomorrow things will be different…
Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200 /f4. @ 135mm, 1/400s, f4.5, ISO 200
A LAST VISIT
Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, Sabula, Iowa
Today was probably the last time in 2025 I visited the Green Island Wetlands and ”Iowa’s Island City” Sabula at the Mississippi River. The statistics in my picture library tell me that I was 20 times in this area this year. Every season is different and each visit doesn’t lead necessarily to some good photos. Sometimes it’s overwhelming and quick decisions have to be made about where to point the lens next. Other times, like today, it takes a long time to have something in the frame that is worth to push the shutter release button on the camera.
Today it was mostly raptors that showed up since all the water bodies were frozen. I saw three Northern Harriers, a couple Red-tailed Hawks, and along the road to Sabula three American Kestrels.
The click for this Bald Eagle was made right after the bird took off from the ice and flew over to a dead tree where its mate was already waiting.
Nikon Z6 III, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z TC-1.4x, @ 840mm, 1/800s, f/9, ISO 3200, image cropped
WINTER SOLSTICE
Bankston County Park, eastern Iowa
Today was the shortest day and longest night in the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice. I went out for a walk to Bankston County Park this afternoon, hoping to make some photos along the creek and using the low sitting sun that sent some rays into the valley. It’s not the prettiest place to be at the moment because some restoration measurements are in process, but of course this had to be kept out of the frame.
I wanted to challenge myself today and took only one lens with me, my old, but still fantastic Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2/35 ZF. It’s has only manual focus and I admit I have neglected this lens recently and didn’t use it very often. The second challenge I put in place was to shoot only in black and white mode, which requires a different approach to visualize the image in the head before the shutter release button is pressed. I felt it was a good choice for catching the mood I found along the river on this shortest day of the year, with no other people around. What do you think?
Nikon Z6 III, Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2/35 ZF, Nikon FTZ adapter
THEY ARE ALL HERE
Male Northern Cardinal, his size guarantees quick access to a bird feeder and respect by any finch or sparrow.
It was a cold morning (-4ºF /-20ºC) and the temperature never got higher than 9ºF /-13ºC in our neighborhood today. With still plenty of snow on the ground the birds have a high demand to eat and keep their energy level up to withstand these cold temperatures. Well, we do our share to support them and keep all bird feeders around the house filled and provide fresh water in three heated bird baths. Sunflower seed and suet feeders are heavily used by the birds and often they are waiting on a nearby perch until it is their turn.
Downy Woodpecker, waiting for its turn to access a suet feeder that was occupied by a much larger Red-bellied Woodpecker.
I spent a couple hours in my warmest winter clothing and tried to make a few clicks during the late morning. The goal is to keep the bird feeders out of the frame, but sometimes that doesn’t work and some final cropping of the picture in post process is required. I practiced with the relatively new BENRO monopod again and slowly but surely the handling becomes an unconscious task and my mind can be focussed on the story telling aspects of the photo again. Nothing spectacular today, but I hope you find some enjoyment by looking at today’s photos from a cold Sunday.
Nikon Z6 III, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, BENRO MSDPL46C SupaDupa Monopod, Monopod Gimbal Head, some images shot with Westscott FJ80 II speed light.
The best singer during the winter season, the Carolina Wren. Very happy to have a pair in the neighborhood.
A not so common guest below the bird feeders, a Fox Sparrow. They are bigger than any of the other sparrows or finches.
It’s impossible to count the American Goldfinches on a day like this. They are constantly on the move. Although in their winter plumage, the males can still win any beauty contests.