SHOREBIRD ARRIVALS

Every year in late winter I’m in joyful anticipation for the arrival of migrating shore birds. It is fun to watch them how they search for food in the shallow water and on the mud banks. Creating some pictures of the birds can be very tricky at this time of the season, as I had to experience again yesterday afternoon. The biggest challenge is often heat shimmer above the water or the ground, which makes obtaining a sharp focus sometimes even impossible. I go out early, even if the light is sometimes not the best in the early afternoon, but I like to have time to scout the location and see who is there and where is the best chance to make a decent image maybe later in the day.

In addition to the bird species I’m able to present here were also a couple Pectoral Sandpipers in the Green Island Wetlands, but they were too far away for a usable photo. All images were made between 5.19PM and 5.46PM, when the sun had slowed down and the heat shimmer was not an issue anymore. And of course, the light on the birds had a warm touch and was by far not as harsh as still during the mid afternoon.

Wilson’s Snipes. I have never seen so many of this species in the Green Island Wetlands and reported 28 on eBird yesterday, but I’m sure there were even a few more. Counting birds and making photos at the same time doesn’t always go well together… 😉

They probe fast like a sawing machine with their very long bill in the mud for larval insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and earthworms.

Greater Yellowleg. This sandpiper can be watched feeding mostly in shallow water. I don’t see them often on the mud flats. Their diet consists small aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, small fish, seeds, and berries. Six Greater Yellowlegs were present yesterday evening.

The first Killdeers arrived already in February. Their call is distinctive and leaves no doubt who is present. They sometimes tap the ground with one foot to draw out prey and I watched this one doing it several times. They feed on insects and invertebrates.

All images: Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x

USING THE WINGS

Brown Creeper, getting up a tree

It was a great day of looking for birds during spring migration in gorgeous weather but I need some time to go through all of the images I shot this afternoon in the Green Island Wetlands. Instead a photo from last weekend is posted today. If you are a follower of my blog, you may know from previous articles in the past that I’m really excited about the presence of two Brown Creepers here in our woods. For my German friends, it is a cousin of the ”Baumläufer”, a tiny woodland bird that spirals up tree trunks in search for insects and their larvas.

They glean, probe, and peck at the trunk with their long, down-curved bills. Starting near the bottom of the trunk, they work their way up the tree to within several feet of the top, then fly to the bottom of another tree (or sometimes the same one) to begin again.

Source: Cornell, All about birds https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Creeper/lifehistory#food

The Brown Creeper you see here didn’t just hop up the tree trunk but used its wings to get to a higher spot. Getting any image of these very fast moving birds is already a reward, but catching them in flight is just priceless in my books…

ICY ART, GALLERY ADDITIONS 2025

Art created by nature is the thought behind the gallery ICY ART, hosted here on my website since a few years. As every winter I try to add some pictures of ice formations that caught my attention during the cold season and triggered the desire to make a photo. Feel free to click the link right here for entering this gallery and check out the latest additions or the work from previous years: GALLERY ICY ART

NATURE CLICKS #594 - DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS

Double-crested Cormorants, Mississippi River, Lower Sabula Lake, Iowa

While shooting birds on or in the water it is always recommended to have at least one eye in the air from time to time. Overhead flying birds are often a good opportunity I don’t want to miss, even if they approach suddenly.

Double-crested Cormorants are very fast flyers and I wanted to make a picture like this one since quite some time. With my heavy Sigma 150-600 S it seemed to be always a matter of luck to get a sharp shot. Panning with that heavy lens is not always easy.

While working with the pelicans you may have seen in my last blog post, four cormorants crossed the river and flew rapidly towards me. The exposure compensation was quickly changed by one stop (-0.67 to +0.33EV) to retain some detail in the birds plumage. The Nikon Nikkor Z 600 f/6.3, even in combination with the Z TC-1.4x teleconverter, is so much easier to handle while following birds in flight. I know for sure now why this lens made it in my gear locker.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x.  @840 mm, image slightly cropped

COLLECTIVE EFFORTS

American White Pelicans, Mississippi River, Lower Sabula Lake, Iowa

It was so nice to see some colors again after a gray and nasty cold day yesterday. It was a good Sunday for checking out spring migration of the birds along the Mississippi again.

I have never seen so many pelicans fishing together before. This squadron contained more than a hundred birds, with many more on the water around, but choices had to be made what to leave in the frame and what not. First it looked and sounded like they all were fighting for the fish but pretty soon it was clear that it was a well organized collective effort by these American White Pelicans, as you can see in the second picture. I don’t know who was in charge to give the command, but suddenly they all took off and flew across the water to a different spot and started all over hunting for fish again.

All photos: Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x.  @840 mm

NATURE CLICKS #593 - YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER

Male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

I’m aware that this photo will not win me any awards, it took too many steps in post process to make it what you see here. However, it is an important picture for me because it has been two years since I saw the last sapsucker here in our woods.

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is an interesting woodpecker that we mostly have seen in April while they migrate up north to Minnesota and Canada. Beside hammering trees for insects they also create sap wells, often several in a row, to collect sap and trap insects.

There is a lack of sharpness in the original RAW file due to the fact that this was shot through the glass of the balcony door. Too make things worse I had to shoot from an angle and about five feet away from the glass because the minimum focus distance of the Nikkor Z 600/ f6.3 lens didn’t allow me to get any closer and not enough time for a lens change.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE CARDINALS

Northern Cardinal, male

With no significant success in the wetlands this evening a couple pictures from last week, when we had some fresh snow, might be a good substitute today. The Northern Cardinals often flock together during the cold season and we had about two dozen of them here during the last snowfall. It was the bird I haven’t photographed this winter until now and I was happy to see them late morning. Most days they show up before sunrise in the morning, and then again during night fall, pretty much the times without sufficient light. A slow shutter speed (1/160s) was key again to capture the snow flakes in motion and make them the story telling element in the background of the pictures. The snow? Of course, it melted away within a few hours and today I saw 22ºC (72ºF) on the thermometer. Spring is at the door step, or isn’t it?

Northern Cardinal, female

”THE REGULARS”

American White Pelican, Mississippi River, near lock & dam #14, Le Claire Iowa

Any time I go out shooting along the Mississippi River there are critters that we can see more often than others and it is easy to ignore them. Are the Canada Geese ugly birds just because we see so many and almost any time of the year? I don’t think so. Well, I do a fair share of documentary shots just for my own biological interest. I like to remember what was out there in previous years and get an idea how populations develop over time. But most of these pictures will never be exposed to the public. But I also believe if the light has a certain quality even the ”regulars” deserve their minute in the spotlight of our attention. Here are some examples what I mean.

This pelican was hunting for fish together with about another dozen. I underexposed by -1.66 f-stops to keep some details in its feathers, eye, and beak. Look at the ice on the bird’s chest and the feathers on the head. It really tells the story about a frigid and windy day during the recent polar vortex. It is my favorite shot from the recent visit to lock & dam #14 in Le Claire, Iowa.

Young Common Muskrat, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Last weekend the ice melted in the Green Island area. This young muskrat went into the water when I stopped, but after a short time accepted my presence and returned to this stick and climbed on it again. I guess sitting on. a stick wasn’t as cold as on all the ice floes around. I love how the little critter’s thick fur is presented through the light.

Canada Geese, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Making a photo of Canada Geese is not a difficult thing here in the Mississippi Valley. The pairs are getting ready to nest soon and if the light and colors are right, we can look for a gesture that shows their bond.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2025 #2 - THE ICE MAKES SOME NOISE (VIDEO)

While shooting the photos of the Trumpeter Swans I showed in my last blog post I suddenly heard a crunching noise behind me, coming from the main channel of the river. A really huge ice floe had broken loose and started moving, grinding, and crashing against the rocks at the Potosi boat landing. We had a cold snap the night before and much of the Mississippi had frozen over again.

I like the crunching noise and hit the video button on the camera to capture the powerful movement of the river. Turn your speakers on loud, click the video below, and feel free to watch the little show.

Mississippi River, Pool #11 above the lock & dam Dubuque, Iowa. Photographed from the Wisconsin side of the river

This photo was shot later a few miles further south, giving you an idea how the ice got jammed above the lock and dam in Dubuque, IA, which is located but hardly visible at the horizon line.

Photo info:

  1. Nikon Z6II, Z 600 / f6.3

  2. Video: Z6II, Z600 / f6.3

  3. Nikon Z6II, Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR, @ 19mm

ENJOYING THE TRUMPETERS

Trumpeter Swans, Mississippi River, Potosi, Wisconsin

I spent quite a bit of time on both sides of the mighty Mississippi River this weekend and like to share a some photos with you in the next few days.

This morning I saw about 25 Trumpeter Swans at the end of the John Deere dyke here on the Iowa side but all too far in the distance for a picture. A different scenario this afternoon at the Potosi boat landing on the Wisconsin side of the river, where close to 100 swans had congregated. Several family groups were feeding, resting, or socializing with each other and their loud trumpeting calls, that sound like a french horn, could not be missed.

Trumpeter Swans feed mostly with their head under water. I watched them today using their webbed feet to stir up roots. An adult swan eats up to 20 pounds (~10 kg) of food per day.

THE GEESE ARE MOVING

Greater White-fronted Geese migrating north, Green Island Wetlands, Mississippi Valley, Iowa

I had the feeling the time was right and didn’t get disappointed this evening. Spring migration has started and about an hour before sunset several hundred of Greater White-fronted Geese headed north in the Mississippi Valley. I think it’s just the beginning and the next few days may open more opportunities. If weather permits I hope to go out again and see more geese heading to the arctic regions in northern Canada.

It was the first time that I tried to photograph this nature event with the Nikkor Z 600 / f6.3 lens, which I use since about six months. Today I got the final proof that buying this lens was a great decision. With about half the weight of my older Sigma 150-600 S lens it is so much easier to track birds in flight and keep a sharp focus over a long period of time while panning with the lens. To make the challenge a bit bigger the 1.4 TC was attached, extending the focal length to 840 mm. Still, no problem to keep up with the birds.

Less than an hour later I just had to turn around for this final photo of the day.

IRRESISTABLE GRAND CANYON

Palisades of the Desert, from Navajo Point, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, 2015

When you spent the whole day behind the desk and any time you look out the window the sky is gray, well, that can put you in a gloomy mood. Today was such a day and I just wanted to post a picture that includes a little bit of sun. Digging through my archive I went back to 2015 when this photo was made at sunset from Navajo Point at the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4,    @105 mm, 1/250s, f/8, ISO400

NATURE CLICKS #592 - AMERICAN TREE SPARROW

American Tree Sparrow, Little Maquoketa Valley, Iowa

I’m glad that I was able to make a number of pictures of the American Tree Sparrow last weekend right here at the house before all the snow melted away. I said it many times before that I love how the light bouncing from the snow on the ground wraps around the critters.

American Tree Sparrows have their breeding range from Alaska all across northern Canada and so we have them in Iowa only during winter. They prefer deciduous woodlands along streams and it is not very often that we see them up on the bluffs here. Although they are called tree sparrows, they actually built their nests on or near the ground.

I know winter is not over yet, but with the snow all gone for now we have to revert to other means of lighting again for our bird photography. Each of the four seasons have their highlights and challenges. During times with snow cover finding enough light is the easiest part…😉

Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z TC-1.4x,    @ 840mm, 1/3200s, f/9, ISO 2000, image slightly cropped

BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER

Pair of Bald Eagles, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Shortly after I started shooting pictures of this pair of Bald Eagles the female left the tree. At that time I didn’t know it was the female. She returned after three minutes The eagles greeted each other with loud vocalization and another minute later the male seemed to understand that his partner was receptive and ready for copulation. Most Bald Eagles are monogamous and mate for life and they can live up to 30 years in the wild.

The metadata of my images reveal that it all lasted for about 13 seconds. Afterwards the pair sat together in the light of the setting sun, which is generally interpreted as a sign of strong partnership and a renewal of their bond. I never witnessed this important ritual for a healthy Bald Eagle population and I felt rewarded by watching some essential biology.

All photos: Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x

…@ 840mm, f/9, ISO400, 1/1000s - 1/1250s

Although I had the teleconverter already on the lens I felt it was still a little bit too far away and I cropped the final pictures by about 18% in post process.

FUN AT #14 TODAY

American White Pelican, Mississippi River, near Le Claire, Iowa

With the temperatures becoming more moderate, just slightly below the freezing point, I thought it was a good time to go down south to lock & dam #14 near Le Claire, Iowa today. While the Mississippi River is still covered with ice for the most part up here, 90 miles further down the main channel had all open water.

While most people come here for watching Bald Eagles I was wondering what else could be found this time. Beside some other birds a large squadron of American White Pelicans owned the place and provided many photo opportunities and that’s what I like to offer today.