PHOTOS OF A GRAY BUT EVENTFUL DAY

As my headline already says, it was a rainy, windy, and gray day. No reason to stay home. There was a lot going on in the Green Island Wetlands. Yes, photography sucks a little bit if sky and water look gray but a number of clicks were made. 

Forster’s Tern

Shortly after arrival in the wetlands I spotted a Forster’s Tern flying at me. This is not a bird we can see every day in the Mississippi Valley, although I have photographed them before. Not the sharpest image either but I want to mention its presence.

Sandhill Crane

I saw this single Sandhill Crane twice today. No partner around. Two weeks ago we still saw a pair in this area and it makes me wonder if the other bird is on a nest somewhere between the reeds. Sandhill Cranes mate for life and both parents incubate the eggs during the day, but at night only by the female.

Barn Swallow

Hundreds of swallows have arrived. I saw Barn Swallows everywhere in large numbers, desperately hunting for insects. With the cold weather we had today, it may have been a challenge for so many birds to find enough food after the long way of migration. Among them were Tree Swallows, but this species has been here since a few weeks already, and also a few Bank Swallows were present.

Cliff Swallows (and possibly a Bank Swallow)

A kettle of at least 200 Cliff Swallows used one of the parking lots for boat trailers as a place to rest, warm up, and for catching insects all around. The Cliff Swallows build mud nests, mostly on a sheltered cliff or underneath bridges. I look forward to watch them here in the Little Maquoketa River Valley again this summer.

SAME HOMES, DIFFERENT INHABITANTS

Cliff Swallows, Little Maquoketa River, Iowa

Last Sunday I went down into the Little Maquoketa Valley and checked on the activities of the Cliff Swallows that build their artful mud nest colonies under some of the bridges that cross the river. Several new nests were built and occupied and male and female swallows took turns between feeding and sitting in the nest. They defend their completed nests by sitting in the entrances, puffing up their head and neck feathers to look larger, and lunging at intruders. (source: allaboutbirds.org).

House Sparrow in a swallow nest

And they have all reasons to defend their nests. Many House Sparrows were present again and took possession of older nests or may have kicked out the swallows before they were able to complete the nest.

House Wren, “cleaning out” a nest

And here is a third candidate who liked to attract a female to these cave light mud nests. A male House Wren pulled out grass and feathers, probably from a sparrow’s nest. They usually prepare multiple sites and the female wren chooses the one for laying the eggs.

If you are a local photographer or birder in the Dubuque, Iowa area and like to know where to have a good view, feel free to contact me. Click on the “ABOUT” page and use the contact form. Be forewarned, bug spray and stabile shoes are mandatory for this location. Don’t go there in flip-flops, they will not serve you well!

NATURE CLICKS #283 - CLIFF SWALLOW

When I started shooting with the Nikon D750 back in April I wrote here in the blog that I have to get physically closer to my subject in order to use the full potential of the full frame sensor. The Cliff Swallows built their nests out of mud below a concrete bridge that crosses the Little Maquoketa River down in our valley, just a few miles upstream. Getting closer to them requires some climbing over a rocky slope, fighting the way through tall weeds, and dealing with hordes of mosquitos. This is a challenge but these extra steps are necessary to fill the frame with the nest and its master architects, the Cliff Swallows.

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, tripod, gimbal head, SB 800 speed light

There are several dozen nests under this bridge and the colony of swallows is feeding their offspring at the moment. It takes some patience to make the click if you focus on one particular nest. Sometimes the parents don’t return for several minutes. Taking the challenge of moving in closer and adding a little patience led to some rewarding images and great shooting fun today...