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.

NATURE CLICKS #427 - TRUMPETER SWAN

I still remember when I saw the first Trumpeter Swans 2010 here in eastern Iowa. A year later it was great excitement to report about the first cygnet that had just hatched in a nest at the Mill Creek Ponds near Bellevue, Iowa. Every year since I return to this location in a side valley of the Mississippi and have witnessed the restoration of a bird that was once common in Iowa, but was gone from the state by the late 1880’s.

Every time during the day is probably a good time to watch the largest waterfowl in North America. It is not uncommon anymore to see Trumpeter Swans in and around the upper Mississippi Valley. The late afternoon or early evening on a day with blue sky is definitely the best time at the Mill Creek Ponds if you like to make a photograph. The warm and low light of the sun brings some structure to the feathers without risking overexposure of the image.

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

REMEMBERED: SHOOT IT NOW!

Mississippi River, Dam #12, Bellevue, Iowa

In his book “It’s Not About The F-Stop” much admired photographer Jay Maisel says, Never go back. Shoot it now, When you come back, it will always be different. This came to mind today on my way back home from a trip along the Mississippi River. While slowly driving through the town of Bellevue, IA, I saw out of the corner of my eye this scene, the dam painted with gorgeous golden light. For a second I thought, maybe another time, I’m tired, I want to go home. I have done that at other occasions and always regretted my decision because it wasn’t the same at another time later. Today I made the U-turn, changed the lens, and zoomed with my feet in order to keep branches, lamp posts, and other annoying objects out of the frame. Any time I go to the Green Island Wetlands or other locations to the south along the river, I always look briefly at the dam #12 in Bellevue, but never had experienced such a warm light on the structure. There is only a short period of time every year when the point of sunset almost lines up with the dam.

In addition, it’s warm here, the snow from last week is mostly gone, and the Mississippi has open water even above the dams. Maybe my photo helps to tell this story too…?

SEPARATION IN THE FRAME

Trumpeter Swans, Mill Creek Ponds, Eastern Iowa

My last visit at the Mill Creek Ponds between La Motte and Bellevue, Iowa was May 21st, 2017, and at that time the Trumpeter Swans were still sitting on the nest. It is hard to believe how fast their five (yes, 5!!) cygnets have grown up to almost adult size. Sure, I have some pictures that show the whole family of seven swans but I like the intimacy of this photo the best. It seemed that the most difficult part today was not light, contrast, or too much distance, but separating the birds from each other in the frame, without cutting off body parts of another swan in the background or at the edge of the photo.

STOPPING FOR THE PEREGRINS

Peregrine Falcon Bellevue, Iowa

I had to stop for the nest of the Peregrine Falcon again last weekend below the bluffs of Bellevue State Park, Iowa. One adult was perched again on a branch near the nest box that hangs high up in the rocks, overlooking the Mississippi River. I assume the other adult sat on the nest but I can only guess, because this is not visible from the ground at the highway. I admit this is not a fair image, because I have cropped it heavily, a lot more than just a cosmetic crop. I should have put the 1.4 teleconverter on the lens to frame the shot closer but I was kinda in a hurry. Parking is not allowed at this location, although there is a big pull-out beside the highway. I just didn’t want to deal with the local cop, who seems to be always on duty when I drive through Bellevue…😉

NATURE CLICKS #326 - PEREGRINE FALCON

Mississippi Valley, Bellevue State Park, Iowa

Another very windy day here in eastern Iowa again but staying home on a Sunday in spring is not really an option, isn’t it? My birder friend Sally gave me a hint a few days ago about the presence of Peregrine Falcons in Bellevue, Iowa. I knew about this location since a few years but had never spotted a falcon. Well, today was the day! At my arrival late morning I saw a pair of Peregrines near the nest box that is mounted to the rocks on the east side of the bluffs at Bellevue State Park. What beautiful birds!! After I had my gear in place, right beside the highway below, one of them was gone and I had no clue were it went (nest box?). The other falcon perched in a tree slightly below the box.

These Peregrin Falcons were another first sighting for me. I made quite a few shots but wasn’t really happy with the outcome due to the harsh light. I decided to come back later when the bluffs would not be in direct sunlight anymore and moved on to the Green Island Wetlands.

The photo I show you today was finally made during the late afternoon. Only one bird was sitting in a dead tree below the bluffs. Good enough for me and much easier to handle without the direct sun light…

TRUMPETER SWANS, IT'S ALL ABOUT GESTURE...

Mill Creek Ponds, Iowa, September 26, 2015

I told you yesterday I was on a “wildlife mission”. Shame on me, I have not reported about the Trumpeter Swans at Mill Creek Pond, near Bellevue, Iowa, this year until now. It doesn’t mean I wasn’t there. During my first visit on June 14, 2015 I had the pleasure and excitement to see both adults taking care of five cygnets at the nest site. I saw the first Trumpeter Swans in my life 2007 in Yellowstone National Park. I watched a pair of swans at the Mill Creek Ponds since 2010 and was able to report about a first cygnet in 2011. A year later three cygnets were raised and 2013 I was able to count two young ones. I don't made any clicks in 2014 but I believe I saw two juveniles. However, it is an ongoing story...

The shot below from back in June was not so difficult to make. We had an overcast that day and the range of light, from the white in the feathers to the black bill and feet, was within what the sensor of the camera can capture without loss of detail. I expose most of the time a little more towards the blacks for the sake of richer colors and better contrast. This is my style of photography, and not just for wildlife. Sure, we all can post process an image to death and bring more light into the darkest spot. There is nothing wrong with that as long as it doesn’t take away the focus on the subject in an image.

Mill Creek Ponds, Iowa, June 14, 2015

The first photo is from yesterday. Two juveniles resting at the north shore of the pond, and a third one was with the other adult bird just outside of the frame. Although the photo was made just about an hour before sunset, the range of light was quite a challenge. I made a lot of clicks but didn’t seem to find what goes beyond a documentary shot. First, color isn’t something in this shot that ‘makes’ the image by itself, even if I like the warm tones on the heads of the young, sleeping swans. That leaves light and gesture on the table. No doubt, there was good quality light. All what it took was exposing strictly for the highlights to keep some details in the feathers. During two hours of observation the adult swans were resting most of the time or just cleaned and greased their feathers. Yep, a little boring! I knew I had something when one of the adult birds stood up and flapped its wings. Here was suddenly the gesture that made the difference, and in combination with light and the warm colors tells the story. Yes, the swans lost two cygnets sometime between June and now, but this is not unusual. Lots of predators and other, maybe weather related circumstances are a daily struggle for the adult Trumpeter Swans. They raised three cygnets again, and this by itself is a wonderful story of bird restoration here in Iowa!!

I chose both images for today’s post for the same reason, even if they were totally different in their making. It’s the powerful message of the adult Trumpeter Swans about protecting their offspring, sent out by just their sheer presence and gesture...