MINNESOTA NORTHWOODS - #13

Common Merganser, Bear Head Lake, Minnesota

On almost every lake we paddled last month up in Minnesota we found this bird species, the Common Merganser. We see them here in eastern Iowa during winter as long there is open water on the Mississippi River, and of course during migration. Most of their breeding grounds is higher up in Canada but the lakes in northern Minnesota are called home as well.

They are pretty tolerant when approached slowly with a kayak and they let us come quite close sometimes. So it is not a ”one time opportunity”, as it probably was with the River Otters. This gave me much better time to wait for a backgrounds that was not so busy. There is a lot of fallen trees lined up along the lake shores and as natural as it is, it’s not always a flattering background. The mergansers hunt mostly for fish underwater and if they do it right in front of you, you just know, the bird has accepted your presence and they don’t feel threatened.

QUICK MEAL

Common Merganser, Mississippi River, Le Claire, Iowa ----------

It often surprises me how big of a prey some animals are able to swallow in comparison to their own body size. The first image still shows almost the whole fish in the bill of this Common Merganser. The fish is dinner size for a human adult. The second photo was shot two seconds later according to my time stamp in the picture’s metadata. Nature is always amazing!

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,

NATURAL LIGHT AT ITS BEST

Male Common Merganser, Mississippi River, Le Claire, Iowa

I felt a little like an oddball among all the photographers that gathered yesterday in Le Claire, Iowa. Almost everybody there seemed to focus on one subject only, the eagles. This is somehow understandable and I’m happy for everybody that travels to Iowa to see a Bald Eagle, maybe for the first time in their life. The return of the Bald Eagle is a great success story in North America. However, only a few people realized that we had a great light situation coming up, very beneficial for every bird that swims on the water, as the sun got lower and lower in the late afternoon. The presence of hundreds of mergansers, ducks, pelicans, and other waterfowl on the water right in front of us was probably noticed by some, but only a few people took advantage of the high quality natural light. To make this a little more clear, the Bald Eagles sit quite often in a tree and not much happens for long periods of time. Everybody waits for them to get into hunting and fishing mood and if one the eagles takes off and soars overhead, the rattle of camera shutters is the dominant noise in the air. At the other hand, there is a constant battle going on between gulls, ducks, mergansers, and pelicans about the best fishing grounds and none of these birds come ever to a stand still. Combined with just gorgeous light from the low sitting sun we had an abundance of photo opportunities even if the eagles decided to have a break.

My observations from previous years proved that the Common Mergansers can be found always close to the edge of open water. A little further north ice had jammed up the Mississippi, but here in Le Claire, Iowa was enough open water and plenty of fish for them to have a happy life. I shoot birds quite often with the support of flash light to overcome the gray of an overcast and bring out the colors of their feathers. Yesterday, with this gorgeous natural light in the late afternoon I didn’t even think about to get the flash light out of the bag…

NATURE CLICKS #341 - COMMON MERGANSERS

Marie Louise Lake, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada --- 

During our travel around Lake Superior we had the pleasure to watch over 30 bird species. I was of course not able to photograph all of them, but the best opportunities came while on the water. We had our kayaks with us and made some nice paddle tours on lakes that surround Superior. 

This family of Common Mergansers had actually ten members but they didn’t always stay close together for having them all in the frame. Mergansers are a lot more tolerant with humans than ducks. Several times we just paddled with them, always keeping a safe distance, and when they sticked their heads under water to look for fish, we just knew that they had accepted us.

Shooting with the long lens from a kayak in windy conditions can be quite a risky maneuver. My practice here at home on the Mississippi River helped me a lot to learn how to handle the boat in the wind and work with the camera at the same time. It is important to keep an eye on the birds and watch the direction of the light, but also make sure your own safety and equipment is not at risk. It is easy to get stuck between rocks or on a log in shallow water.

As you can imagine it takes a few more clicks to get a sharp shot. The first day on Marie Louise Lake in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park we spent over an hour with the mergansers. We tried the same the next day but got distracted by some other birds. But this is for another story later…

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2016 #3

Bald Eagle, Ice Harbor, Dubuque, Iowa

We had a nasty gray overcast for most of the day. Although good for some photography, it makes for very unflattering light if birds are your subject. The colors just don’t come out well and flash isn’t always an option.

There was a lot of activity on the Mississippi River. I saw the first barges passing through lock #11 in Dubuque today. I don’t think I have seen the river open for navigation that early in any year before since we live here.

Canvasbacks, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

Hundreds of ducks, most of them Canvasbacks, were present in the Mud Lake area near mile marker 589.7 . They stayed pretty much in the main channel of the river, too far for any close up shots. But I think the image tells the story of their migration. I saw also about 30-40 Ring-necked Ducks, 6 Hooded Mergansers, and about a dozen Common Mergansers.

Bald Eagles could be seen almost everywhere along the river today. The shot I like the most was made on the south side of Ice Harbor, just across from the Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque, Iowa.

Common Mergansers, Mississippi River, dam #11, Wisconsin