4x WILDLIFE IN AUTUMN

Eastern Chipmunk

With the loss of leaves in the trees we may have quite a bit of dappled light, and that is not always desirable for making a good photo. But if we keep our eyes open, we might be able to use it to our advantage. The light in the fall can be just gorgeous and if a spotlight hits our subject in the picture just right, it adds some drama even to a simple gesture of a bird or critter. Exposing for the highlights is mostly the key for success if we don’t want to blow any colors out. If the part of the animal that is in the shade is a little too dark, we can bring back the shadows in post process easily to overcome the high contrast situation.

During the last couple days I spent some time in our front yard, using the morning light or the still intense power of the sun during the early evening. Four examples are shown today that hopefully underline my approach.

One of our Eastern Chipmunks stopped briefly to check the surroundings for any danger while digging between the leaves for food. I had followed the critter with the lens for a while already and was hoping for a moment like this.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

We still have a few Yellow-rumped Warblers around here, who may have migrated from up north. One of the birds rested briefly on a twig in a Forsythia bush and the light falling through the trees hit the front side of the warbler just right. A little underexposure helped to keep the bright parts of the bird intact, while the shadows on the backside where lifted in post process slightly.

American Goldfinch

The American Goldfinches are pretty much done with their second molt of the year and it is almost complete. Only parts of the males remain still in a bright yellow. You can see that both finches are covered in dappled light. Well, the eyes are clear, have even a catch light from the sun, and the yellow feathers are in great light and this all makes for good storytelling about the season, at least in my books.

American Robin

Very seldom do I post a picture of a bird at a feeder or on the bird bath but I couldn’t resist to make the click of this male American Robin in wonderful Sunday Morning light. Yes, the sun puts some light onto the bird, but it is the reflection from the water and the bowl that holds it that make the colors of this robin just look like at ”mating time in spring”. The exposure was set for the throat of the American Robin but it also rendered the bowl a little too bright, which was an easy fix in post process.

I hope today’s blog post gives the photographers among you some hints for your own fall bird photography and anybody else gets a kick out of the photos as well.

All photos: Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S

SEEDS FOR BREAKFAST, LUNCH, AND DINNER

Male American Goldfinch on a Purple Coneflower

It is the perfect season for American Goldfinches because food is here in abundance. They are real vegetarians in the bird world, preferring strictly a vegetable diet. They breed later than most birds, starting not before June or July when plenty of seeds are available to feed their young ones. Most of our purple coneflowers are fading away at the moment but we still leave them standing until the seeds are gone. As you can see the American Goldfinches love them and we can see them often at other places hanging on thistles or wildflowers that produce seeds.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head.   @600 mm, 1/3200 s, f/8, ISO4000, cropped

NATURE CLICKS #580 - INDIGO BUNTING

Indigo Bunting, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Yesterday in the wetlands I tried to capture some beautiful yellow American Golfinches, eating seeds from the plants that line the dykes between the lakes. It wasn’t a very successful effort. The goldfinches didn’t like my presence and moved on to another spot any time I stopped the car. But to my surprise another finch species posed nicely for a while in front of the camera. This was the first time I ever saw an Indigo Bunting in the grass and between the flowers on the dyke. This little guy was singing its heart out and I heard a second one nearby.Their feathers are actually black but the diffraction of light through their feathers make them look blue. One reason we can see them in many shades between turquoise and black.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG

A FEAST FOR THE GOLDFINCHES

American Goldfinch

I was out on the porch today with the camera for several hours and tried to capture hummingbirds in flight. My attention was suddenly pulled in a different direction when I saw this American Goldfinch feeding in our bed of wild flowers. The purple coneflowers have passed their prime but we let them stand a little longer because some birds, and in particular the goldfinches, like to feed on their seed heads. American Goldfinches breed later than most other birds. They wait until many plants have produced their seeds and there is food in abundance for their offspring. Unlike most other birds goldfinches are strict vegetarians and hardly ever swallow an insect.

It is a photo I wanted to make in our front yard since a long time. This time it came all together, light, gesture, color, and a smooth background.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Nikon SB 800 speed light, Impact Quikbox Micro Softbox,    @ 600 mm, 1/640 s, f/8, ISO 500, image slightly cropped

UNDER THE CANOPY

Female American Goldfinch, Walnut Woods State Park, Iowa

This is a late post from last weekend. We spent a relaxing holiday weekend in and around Des Moines, Iowa with friends. Not much photography this time but I had a chance to explore briefly Walnut Woods State Park, a nice wooded area along the Raccoon River in West Des Moines. There was a blind for watching birds but I placed my tripod outside of the building and practiced for a while shooting under the canopy of the trees, challenged by constantly changing light conditions.

Gray Catbird, Walnut Woods State Park, Iowa

To maintain some consistence I employed the Nikon SB800 speed light with a little dome diffuser to pull out some shadows and get better results for the colors of the birds feathers. As always, the speed light was mounted with a flash bracket above the long lens, which allows for better direction of the light and prevents unwanted reflections in a bird’s eye.

We saw mostly the same bird species that we have here in our woods and so I looked just for the best ”posers” among them. Nothing spectacular, just pure shooting fun!

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Nikon SB 800 speed light,

WITH SUMMER PLUMAGE IN THE SNOW

Male American Goldfinch with spring molt almost completed

The photo today sums it all up how we started the day. A fresh layer of very wet snow clung to trees, flowers, and bushes while more than a dozen American Goldfinches visited our bird feeders. They are in process of changing from winter plumage to breeding plumage by a complete molt of their body feathers and most male goldfinches have their distinctive summer colors already. Yesterday evening when it started snowing I was already hoping for this photo opportunity in the morning. As you can probably tell, I was not unhappy. The snow melted away during the day and spring will continue…

LOOK AT THE SKY

American Goldfinch

More snow during the last days and at times the sun came even out and made for good light. The American Goldfinch is the bird that changes plumage twice a year. The bright yellow summer plumage of the males, with the black cap on their heads, is hard to beat, but I also enjoy their not so bright winter colors and tried hard to get an image that does justice to my claim. The snow below helps again to make the yellow feathers shine. These finches don’t give the photographer much time to think about the picture. Quite often they perch on a branch for only a couple seconds or even less. I love the pose of the bird, having a glimpse to the sky and looking for predators, before jumping down to the bird bath or flying over to a seed feeder.

HOLIDAYS WITH BIRDS

I trust you all enjoyed a wonderful holiday weekend and the photographers among you had a chance to aim their lenses at something interesting or learn and play with a new piece of equipment that you found under the Christmas tree.

As mentioned in the last blog post, it was our first Christmas without snow here but the mild weather was perfect for a hike yesterday and for some shooting with the long lens in the front yard today. Seventeen bird species used the stand that holds the perches, bird feeders, and a bird bath this morning and I used their presence to make myself more familiar with the new Nikon Z6II mirrorless camera. One goal was to customize some of the camera buttons to my preference, so I can operate and change settings at the camera on tripod with the right hand only and without taking my eye from the viewfinder. The left hand can remain on top of the lens barrel, helping minimize vibrations during the shooting process.

The American Goldfinch is in its winter plumage but still very pretty. This picture is a composite, actually showing the same bird. I had this idea when I saw both photos side by side on the screen.

The American Robins stay here for the juniper berries on the red cedars that grow on the rocky bluffs of our valley. They use the bird baths frequently and the best chance for a click is right before they jump down to the water from a higher perch.

The Eastern Bluebirds is another consumer of the juniper berries. Today we had three males and one female here.

The third bird that prefers berries during the winter time is the Cedar Waxwing. They sometimes “wait in line” when other, bigger birds occupy the water source.

Today I saw the first Purple Finch during this winter. They spend the summer up in northern Minnesota and Canada and we usually see them only during the cold season. The appearance of this female is a clear message that some real winter weather may lie ahead of us.

All photos: Nikon Z6II, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, FTZ adapter, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head

GOING FOR THE COLOR CONTRAST

American Goldfinches, Maskunky Marsh, Iowa

Shortly after arrival at Maskunky Marsh last Saturday the rain clouds opened up a little bit. When I saw these two American Goldfinches in a dead tree, and in front of a dark cloud, I knew there was a picture opportunity. The distance was too long for a real detailed image but the color contrast wrote the invitation to make a click. The sun behind me just broke through the clouds and made the finches standing out nicely in front of this wall of dark rain clouds. What followed was nothing but photos of the gorgeous Yellow-crowned Night Herons. The American Goldfinch is a year-round bird here in Iowa, but as I have mentioned many times before here in the blog and during public photo presentations, don’t forget the common species! They need our attention and protection as well.

GOING FOR THE SEEDS

American Goldfinch

When Purple Coneflowers are in their prime they are a good food source for many butterflies and other insects. Later, after they are withered, they become a food source for some birds. The American Goldfinch is primarily a seed eater. There is a reason why they raise their offspring later than most of the birds we have here during the summer. Seeds are available in abundance and beside thistles the faded coneflowers are in high demand. This photo is from last weekend and while looking for hummingbirds I saw this male goldfinch feeding on coneflower seeds. He did not stop until each flower he visited was almost bare. Most of the time the head was down and it was difficult to get a clean shot. But the bird was aware about my presence and had a look at me ones in a while. These were the moments to release the shutter button of the camera…

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Nikon SB 800 speed light, MAGMOD MagBeam flash extender

BACK IN THE WETLANDS (PART 2)

Male American Goldfinch

Here is another photo from yesterday’s trip to the Green Island Wetlands. You can’t miss the goldfinches between the grasses, thistles, and everything that produces seeds. I know, I had a picture here in the blog less than three weeks ago with some facts about this late breeding bird. Click HERE if you have missed it or like to read it again.

ALL YEAR LONG

American Goldfinch, near Durango, Iowa

Goldfinches breed later than most birds in North America, mostly not before mid-summer. They are vegetarians with almost no exceptions and they rely on plants that provide seeds, like thistle, milkweed, and others. The American Goldfinches are the only finch that molts twice a year. The males get their pretty yellow feathers in late winter and it makes it very easy to identify them even over a long distance. We have them around here in eastern Iowa all year long, but it might not be the same birds that we see during the winter because they migrate.

A good way to attract them to the backyard is by providing a bird bath that is always filled and of course heated during winter time. We don’t see them actually bathing very often but they sure like to drink. Setting up a little perch helps to make a picture without the bird bath in the frame. The gesture of the finch, just ready to jump down to the water source, made me choose this photo for today’s blogpost. Nothing spectacular, but still pretty…

SHOOTING FROM A BLIND

Male House Finch

I was invited this evening by my photography friend Kevin for some photo shooting behind his house on the south side of Dubuque, Iowa. He had set up a tent that served as a blind at the edge of his woods and minutes after we entered it, and had the tripods in place, our shutters were rattling. This is a great location with an abundance of birds. We had wonderful natural light (no flash needed today), and shooting with Kevin is always a great pleasure.

Male Red-bellied Woodpecker

I only have used my car as a mobile blind so far and shooting out of a tent blind was a first for me. The advantage is, you can get really close to our feathered friends. The downside is the partly loss of peripheral vision due to the tent walls and roof over the head. Not a big deal today. We had at least 14 species of birds on site and I was able to capture nine of them during our one and a half hour photo shoot.

American Goldfinch

Kevin chose the location for the blind very wisely in regards of the incoming light and had prepared the “backyard studio” with good perch facilities for the birds. A couple feeders were placed in a way that we were able to keep them easily out of the frame. Some big trees are in the background and allow to aim the lens at woodpeckers or nuthatches that crack a seed in a gap of the bark.

A pair of House Finches

No, it is no myth, our front or backyards can be some of the best places for wildlife photography. With relatively little efforts a lot can be accomplished within a short period of time, a fact that should be considered by everybody who tries to shave off time during a busy week. Special thanks to Kevin again for this opportunity today!

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head.

NATURE CLICKS #405 - PINE SISKIN

This little finch is actually more of a winter guest here but we don’t see it very often in our woods, maybe due to the lack of conifers. However, this female hangs around with the American Goldfinches since about two weeks, who are currently present in large numbers. I don’t have very many photos of a Pine Siskin and most of them were made with the bird at a feeder or at a bird bath. I’m happy to have finally some shots without any men-made items in the frame.

SPRING MOLT

American Goldfinch ---------------- 

It was an easy picture to make. This is just outside of my office window and the only challenge is the glass between the bird and the camera. I don’t do a lot of “feeder pictures” but couldn’t resist this time. The American Goldfinches are in their spring molt at the moment. It happens very fast and in a few days they all will have their new feathers and this golden-yellow color that makes it easy to identify them during the summer. Although the males sing like crazy during spring, pairs do not nest until later in the summer when seeds are available in abundance. Goldfinches eat seeds almost exclusively, from thistle, sunflower, aster, to grasses and tree seeds. We have a lot of Goldfinches here and their molt is for us another sure sign that winter is almost over.