MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2025 #1 - BALD EAGLES

Adult Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, between Sabula, Iowa and Savannah, Illinois

A quick trip along the Mississippi River down to Green Island and Sabula this evening led to today’s photo. A couple Bald Eagles had perched in the dead trees along the road between the Sabula island and the bridge that crosses the main channel of the river over to Illinois. It was obvious that 600 mm focal length would not be enough to fill the frame with an eagle, but adding the Nikon Z1.4 teleconverter to the lens gave me 240 mm focal length more. I drove back to the birds with the side window down and the camera already in my lap. Made sure there was no car behind me, stopped briefly, and fired a number of shots until another car approached from behind. The light about an hour before sunset was just gorgeous for this kind of a shot. Back home at the computer I still thought I had a little bit too much ’wood’ in the frame and finally cropped the photo slightly.

Most of the Bald Eagle nests I saw today had already a pair of birds in or near the nest. It’s a big joy to see how this majestic bird bounced back from being almost extinct not that long ago.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2024 #6 - BACK TO BROWNSVILLE AGAIN

Juvenile Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, Brownsville, Minnesota

It was quite cold during the last nights and as a result the Mississippi River and all the other bodies of water started to freeze over, at least at places without much current. I had planned to go back up north to Brownsville, Minnesota again for the Tundra Swans but was wondering if the swans had taken off towards the Atlantic coast already. They will definitely do, if there is no access to food anymore due to an ice cover. Luckily my concerns were unfounded and this part of the river was not frozen over and several large schools, like the one in the picture below, were still present.

Tundra Swans on the Mississippi River. The main channel of the river is way back behind the islands at the Wisconsin side of the river, but the current of the water was still strong enough here to keep this part without an ice cover last Saturday.

I’m happy to witness this part of the great migration almost every year in November, even if the birds are too far out for a photo. Well, there are other things to look at and the most exciting were a large number of Bald Eagles. It’s always fun to watch how they chase each other after one gets a fish out of the water, drops it, and the game starts all over again. It takes a little patience because most of the hunting happens further away from the overlook, but I had my share of chances with the eagles within shooting range of the camera.

Canada Geese, Brownsville overlook, Mississippi River, Minnesota

I talked about it before already, shooting from an overlook and a bit above the water level leads not always to a desirable photo. However, it’s a good place to be if you have a flock of Canada Geese flying by and they honk at you at eye level. Great day, good times!

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

BALD EAGLES IN ABUNDANCE AND AN EARLY RETURN

Bald Eagle, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Yesterday I received a message from a friend that the water was open down at the Sabula - Savannah bridge that crosses the Mississippi River and both sides of the road that leads to the bridge were filled with eagles. As wildlife photographers we have to take the opportunities when they occur and as the ice on the river disappears, many eagles quickly move upstream. I went down south this morning and the first chance came already while driving slowly through the Green Island Wetlands. There is a big solitary cottonwood tree next to one of the dikes and this adult Bald Eagle just posed nicely against a blue sky and the unavoidable clutter of small branches. This tree has served many times as a perch for eagles and other raptors over the years but it is in bad shape and might be gone sometime soon. I moved with the camera so the white head of the bird was in front of one of the bigger branches.

Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, Sabula-Savannah Bridge, Iowa side

Down near the Sabula - Savannah Bridge were still dozens of Bald Eagles. The downside is you can’t stop and park your car along the road that connects the Sabula island with the actual bridge, except for a small pull-out right at the bridge. I was lucky, one eagle had perched within the reach of my lens and this time against a clean background. Later I had some other opportunities but this was my favorite shot.

Sandhill Crane among Trumpeter Swans, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa, February 11, 2024

Hours later, on my way back home, I made another round through the Green Island Wetlands and had an interesting discovery. The ice where nine Trumpeter Swans rested earlier had melted and they were foraging in the shallow water of a flooded field. Among them was a solitary Sandhill Crane, searching for food as well. It moved with the swans and seemed to take advantage of whatever was stirred up while they swam slowly across the water.

At home I checked my digital photo library, going back to 2007, and can confirm, February 11th is the earliest I ever saw a Sandhill Crane here in eastern Iowa. Seeing them in March is not uncommon but this early was my first time. Other birders may have made a different experience and I like to hear from you about your observations in this area.

RETROSPECTS 2023 - #4

Juvenile Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, at Savannah-Sabula bridge, February 2023

It looks like only for the second time in twenty years we will not have any snow on the ground for Christmas. Snow is a great reflector of the light and can be very beneficial for our story telling about wildlife. In January / February the Mississippi had some ice cover but not as much as other years. Open water often attracts large numbers of Bald Eagles. I found a good spot near the Savannah-Sabula bridge down south for watching the eagles catching fish.

I made the click at the third attempt of this young eagle to pick up a small fish it had dropped on the older and snow covered ice earlier. The light was nicely reflected at the bird and I also liked the reflection of trees on the thin new ice in the background.

CATCHING AND DROPPING

Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, at the bridge between Sabula, IA and Savannah, IL

Nice weather again today made many people go out this weekend and look for Bald Eagles along the big river. The break-up of the ice on the Mississippi opens new opportunities for the eagles. They like to catch fish and more open water means more opportunities. There are some places along the river that the birds obviously prefer and visitors can watch a great show of performance sometimes. This adult eagle had picked up a fish from the ice that was dropped by another bird before.

This 2-3 years old juvenile had dropped a fish several times before finally claiming it. Dropping the catch often leads to a total loss because countless Ring-billed Gulls wait for their opportunity to steal a fish from the eagles.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S

SITTING, FLYING, SWIMMING, WALKING…

One of many Bald Eagles at the bridge across the river between Sabula, IA and Savannah, IL.

Short post today. Here are a few photos from today’s trip to different locations along the Mississippi River. 

More than fifty Trumpeter Swans shared the ice and open water at the Green Island Preserve.

Always a sure sign that spring is near, migrating Sandhill Cranes. (counted ~30 today)

Again, thousands of Greater White-fronted Geese are still around. Wave after wave flew up the Mississippi Valley and then turned west and followed the Maquoketa River. I still haven’t found out where they roost for the night.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2022 #4 - SIGNS OF SPRING?

American White Pelicans, Mississippi River, Lock & Dam #14, Le Claire, Iowa

In search for the first signs of spring I went down south today to lock & dam #14 in Le Claire, Iowa, where Interstate 80 crosses the Mississippi. Driving on both sides of the river (Iowa and Illinois) gave me different perspectives and direction of light during this road trip. Up here in Dubuque, around lock & dam #11, everything was still covered with ice. South of lock & dam #13 in Clinton, Iowa the river had mostly open water. In the distance I saw hundreds, if not thousands, of ducks and mergansers. It will become much warmer in the next few days and the ice will break shortly, means these birds will move north as the ice is in retreat.

Lock & dam #14 in Le Claire was well known over the years for being a good spot to photograph Bald Eagles during the winter months. This has changed in the last few years, due to mild winters, some loss of perching trees, and probably busy construction and other activities in the area. 

I went there for spotting a particular species of gulls, found it, and will write about in another blog post. With the relatively new Nikon Z6II I still try to learn and find out the best way to focus on fast moving animals. Gulls are one of the best subjects to practice handholding and panning with the long lens. It was a good feeling to refresh the ‘muscle memory’ for this kind of shooting today. I could tell, I’m out of shape and need a lot more practice to regain my skills.

On the way back to the car I suddenly saw the shadows of many big birds crossing in front of me. Looking up, silently about 80+ American White Pelicans soared elegantly overhead and gave me another chance to practice with the long lens. Sign of spring? You bet!

 

BALD EAGLES, LOTS OF THEM

Juvenile Bald Eagle in all its glory, probably in its 2nd or 3rd year. The bird flew by with something (little fish?) in its bill. 

Yesterday a call from my photography friend Kevin made me aware that a large number of Bald Eagles is present at lock & dam #11 in Dubuque, Iowa. The Mississippi is finally frozen over almost everywhere and the eagles come south to find open water, so they can eat and hunt for fish. Below the dams is always some open water and that’s where they concentrate and strive for the best fishing spots. I estimate we saw about 40-50 Bald Eagles at and around the lock & dam in Dubuque, Iowa today. It is the highest number we have seen since quite a few years.

Adult Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, Lock & Dam #11, Dubuque, Iowa

I was excited to explore some of the new focus modes and tried to get a grip on shooting birds in flight with the new Nikon Z6II. Oh boy, the best tools can’t help you much if the handholding skills are not very well developed. I haven’t practiced panning with the long lens for quite some time, but it is an essential skill that needs practice if you want the focus lock on the fast flying subject. The focus tracking capabilities of the camera work very well, better than with any digital camera I ever owned before. If you pan very smooth and follow the subject, you can really concentrate where to position the bird in the viewfinder without loosing the focus and just decide when to press the shutter button. The new tool is great but I guess I have to practice some more and work again on my skills to have a higher keeper rate than what was produced today…

My favorite gesture of the day, the moment when the eagle went from smooth gliding into a sudden dive down.

All images: Nikon Z6II, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, FTZ adapter

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2021 #7 - APPROACH BY KAYAK

Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, near Mud Lake, Iowa

Daylight becomes shorter a little bit every day but the evenings are still long enough for a paddle trip on the Mississippi River. It was a very quiet evening today on the river. Birds and other wildlife is not as present as earlier in the season but we had some good moments. Many Bald Eagles nest along the river and this one is a local in the Mud Lake area. This log, stranded on a mud bank at the main channel of the river, was obviously a good perch for the eagle. It seemed to enjoy the setting sun as much as we did, but had surely an eye on the fish that comes near the surface. While I took some time to approach the eagle slowly with the camera, Joan had moved on and was rewarded with the brief sighting of an adult and a young river otter. Otters are not uncommon but we haven’t seen one in our area for quite some time.

Green Heron, Mississippi River, Backwaters of Mud Lake, Iowa

The backwaters of Mud Lake were not as easy to paddle as the main river this evening. Lots of aquatic plants, tons of duck weed, and some algae slowed us down quite a bit. This little Green Heron fits right into this habitat. They are not as common as the Great Blue Heron and having an opportunity to aim the lens at this bird is always a great treat.

All photos: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S

CLOUDS, EAGLES, AND COOTS

Green Island Preserve, Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4, B+W F-PRO Kaesemann High Transmission Circular Polarizer MRC filter

At arrival in the Green Island Wetlands today I was greeted with some nice puffy clouds. Usually I approach the area with the long lens already attached to the camera, ready to use, but this was a good reason to get the wide angle lens and polarizer out of the bag. Last year’s vegetation is rotting away and pretty soon new growth will dominate the lakes, ponds, and marsh land in the Mississippi Valley. 

Immature Bald Eagle

While driving deeper into the wetlands I found a large congregation of Bald Eagles, more than 30 birds that were perched on trees or logs in the water. Seeing a few is always guaranteed but I couldn’t figure out why so many at this time of the year? Some were messing with each other but most just sat still on their perch, like this immature eagle. It had to do something with food. They mostly feed on fish and the fish population certainly didn’t grow in the wetlands since last week. So, why so many at the same place?

American Coots, Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S

And maybe here lies the answer. Large shoals of American Coots, thousands of “marsh hens” occupied the lakes within the wetlands. They kept very close together while moving in the shallow water and feeding on plant materials, aquatic invertebrates, or worms. I have seen Bald Eagles sitting in a tree and feeding on dead coots at other times before and maybe the large numbers attract more eagles than we see usually in Green Island along the Mississippi.

NATURE CLICKS #484 - JUVENILE BALD EAGLE

It was about time to make a trip along the Mississippi River again. Despite the warm weather we had last week, the river is still frozen almost everywhere and most fields and marshes are snow covered. Food sources are still limited for many birds and it took me a while to find an animal that triggered my desire to make a photograph. However, it was a sunny and relatively warm day and it was just nice to be out and about.

This juvenile Bald Eagle was perched in a tree next to the boat landing in Bellevue, Iowa. This is just below the lock and dam and was one of the few few spots on the river without ice cover. It takes the Bald Eagle about four to five years to acquire adult plumage, with their distinctive white head and tail feathers. This one looks like it is in its second year, with some white mottling on its breast and belly already present.

After a few ‘safety shots’ I zoomed with my feet , back and forth, left and right, and tried to find a spot where no branch cuts through the eagles head. Not paying attention to this kind of detail is a mistake I made way too many times in the past during bird photography. The eagle was very cooperative, turned its head around a few times, but stayed in the same position and gave me all the time I needed to make the photo you see today.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   1/400 s, f/8, ISO 100, @600 mm, shot in FX mode but cropped in post for DX dimensions.

RETROSPECTS 2020 - #7

Juvenile Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

I work out of a home office, no matter what, and with not much business or leisure travel this year it is easy to get symptoms of the “cabin fever”. Usually this feeling occurs during long winter months and not in July and so I made it a habit to take our dog at lunch time and walk him at a place in nature. With the Mississippi only a few miles away and many other river valleys, little canyons, or patches of prairie not far either, it is just a matter of deciding where to go. As the avid readers of my blog already know, Mud Lake Park is one of my favorite places. Not only the closest spot to the mighty Mississippi from our home, but always with a chance to see wildlife or weather related drama in the sky. It hit me by surprise when I found this juvenile Bald Eagle sitting on a branch right above me.  A few days later I learned that the parents were actually feeding two young birds but that day I only saw one.

RETROSPECTS 2020 - #4

White-faced Ibis, Green island Wetlands, Iowa

April is another great month for bird photography. Many species use the Mississippi Valley as a migration corridor. One of my most memorable moments this year was a first sighting and an extensive shooting session with a congregation of eleven White-faced Ibises. I found them feeding along the banks of a dike in the Green Island Wildlife Area on a gray overcast day.

The Ibis probes with its long curving bill in the mud along shores and in wet soil, searching for earthworms and other invertebrates. This was probably one of the more difficult wildlife shootings I have done, although I shot from the comfort of my car, using it as a blind.

The “elements” were not favorable that day. Gray sky made for low light and muted colors. The worst thing to face was heat shimmer, very common at that time of the year in the wetlands. The water is still very cold while the air above is warmer and that creates heat waves, resulting in soft images and inaccurate autofocus. The long lens compresses this effect and if you are not aware about it, it makes you wonder why none of the pictures is sharp.

Although I made several hundred clicks that afternoon in April, the photo above is among my favorites. It is all about the gesture the ibis makes, with its eye turned up towards the sky and looking at a Bald Eagle. While the birds were busy probing their bills into the mud and feeding whenever they found something, every half an hour a Bald Eagle would circle above, probably looking for a good snack as well. When that happened the ibises would stop, freezing motionless for a little while, and finally take off and fly a circle to distract the eagle. After the eagle had enough and flew away, the eleven White-faced Ibises returned to the dike and continued searching for more food.

This year I had five first sightings of bird species that are now also part of my photo library, but the three hours I spent with the White-faced Ibises was one of the best times behind the camera. The Wildlife Management Biologist of the Iowa DNR for this area confirmed by email that they were very rare visitors in this area. I was back on site the next day but the birds had moved on.

RETROSPECTS 2020 - #2

Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, Sabula, Iowa

The last winter was relatively mild and short but in February was ice on the Mississippi River and some snow on the ground. Bald Eagles use open spots in the river to hunt for fish and that’s where I always look for birds in nearby trees or on the ice. A clean shot without any debris on the ice isn’t always possible but at that occasion it all came together. The darker ice and water puddle create some lines that make the picture more interesting but don’t distract and let the magnificent bird still stand out .