Great Crested Flycatcher, Upper Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa
Here is still a shot from our wildlife watching trip last weekend. This opportunity came up actually at the very end but it made me very happy. It’s not very often that we see a Great Crested Flycatcher. This bird is not difficult to identify due to its yellow belly.
Much of the landscape was already in the shade but the low sitting sun touched the bird just nicely. The Great Crested Flycatcher is the only eastern flycatcher that nests in cavities, like woodpecker holes. With most of the trees in the Green Island Wetlands disappearing and dying after years of high water levels I wonder what its future will be. I accidentally didn’t have the zoom lens extended to its maximum of 600 mm and decided finally to crop the photo a bit.
Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 490 mm, 1/1600 s, f/8, ISO 500