IN THE MEADOWS

Dickcissel, Dubuque, Iowa

Today I have a couple bird species for you that are threatened by habitat loss. I still find them every year in a meadow that can be easily turned into commercial use. It has been developed for this purpose but so far nobody has built anything there. I hope every summer it stays this way.

Both species are beautiful songbirds and even when they are hunkered down in the grass, like yesterday afternoon, we can at least hear them. I waited patiently and had a few moments when they left the grass, perched on a higher point, and posed for my camera.

Bobolink

Male Dickcissel

FRONT AND BACK

Bobolink, Dubuque, Iowa

Usually we call it a failure when we just get a shot of the backside of a bird but sometimes there is an exception from the rule…

Habitat loss is the main reason why we don’t get the Bobolink more often in front of the camera and when I have a chance I try to make a few clicks. They are one of the few songbirds that go through two complete molts each year. After breeding they change to a more camouflaged plumage.

As you can see, this male is still in full display. When they show you the front side, it is not easy to get a sharp picture from a distance. Most of the time I use the eye or the chest as my focal point, but here both are pitch-black and there is no contrast to lock focus on.

Well, here is the butt shot! Isn’t this angel-shaped pattern of a white rump and white wing patches interesting? And it is much easier to make that photo! The sensor in the camera just wants to stay on that black and white contrast…😉

NATURE CLICKS #458 - DICKCISSEL

Our little patch of grass around the house is not enough habitat for the Dickcissel. They prefer open grassland or larger weed patches. Luckily I know a place at the edge of town where it is not difficult to find this highly vocal bird. The males sing their heart out at the moment and if they are high enough from the ground, you have your chance for a shot. Well, they have nothing better to do than to eat and attract a mate. The female Dickcissel builds the nest in the grass, incubates the eggs, and even feeds the offspring all alone. Maybe that’s the reason why it is so much more difficult to get them in front of the lens? 😉

I use my car as a blind and can easily move, back and forth, if the birds fly to a different location. In this habitat I’m looking not only for the Dickcissels, but also for Bobolinks and Eastern Meadowlarks. The meadowlarks have been the least cooperative birds so far, but I guess I probably haven’t spent enough time with them… After a couple days of rain it looks like we have some nice, moderate weather coming up in the next few days. Should go back to the grasslands at the edge of town!

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 600 mm, 1/1000 s, f/6.3, ISO200, cropped in post

NATURE CLICKS #429 - BOBOLINK

Breeding male Bobolink

A year ago I wrote about my first sighting of a Bobolink at a patch of grassland at the outskirts of Dubuque, Iowa. They are in decline due to the loss of their habitat, large fields with a mixture of grasses and broad-leaved plants. Yesterday I saw at least two males and a female at the same location like last year and it looked like they were feeding their brood in a nest somewhere on the ground between tall grass and wildflowers. Bobolinks have a long journey behind them after they arrive here. They travel about 20000 km (12500 miles) from South America.

Female Bobolink. Non-breeding males look almost the same.

We had a light overcast yesterday. Beside the fact that it takes a little bit of light away, I really liked it because it allowed me to point the lens to the southwest in the afternoon. If you have tried to take a picture of a black bird you know already it can be a challenge to balance the black feathers and a light environment. While shooting again from the car I was able to get really close this time. Wind was probably the biggest problem. The grass and plants swayed the whole time and the birds don’t sit still either. With other words, lack of sharpness was the main reason for throwing out some of my photos at the end of the day.

NATURE CLICKS #407 - BOBOLINK (FIRST SIGHTING)

Male Bobolink, near Dubuque, Iowa

I promised you yesterday another bird encounter and first sighting. The Bobolink has been on my “most wanted list” since a long time. They feed mostly on the ground and in low vegetation and their habitats include prairie and grasslands. Before I saw them I could hear them and it was not very often that a Bobolink was visible between the grass and wildflowers on this patch of grassland just at the edge of town.

Same bird as above but showing its white wing patches and rump

Yesterday evening I saw several males and two females but never got really close to the ladies. I wasn’t really thrilled with my photos from the male Bobolinks and so I went back again today to give it another try. The only chance to get close to a bird is by staying in the car and use it as a blind and invest some time and a lot of patience. There was no easy click to make this time. Many factors play a role for getting a sharp image. The grass is swaying in the wind and so does the bird. If you just see one doesn’t mean you have a clean view and moving the car in the right position was important. The roads in this area have no or very little traffic. They were built for future economical development, which I seriously hope will never happen. Larger areas with undisturbed prairie or grassland are a scarce commodity here in Iowa and if these remaining areas become a big parking lot with a store behind it, these habitats will be gone forever and so will the birds.