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

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2024 #5 - TUNDRA SWAN MIGRATION, AND OTHERS

Tundra Swans, Mississippi River, Brownsville, Minnesota

One highlight for bird watchers in November is always the annual tundra swan migration on the Upper Mississippi Valley. Thousands of Tundra Swans make a stop near Brownsville, Minnesota just about 10 miles north of the Iowa border, on their way from the arctic to Chesapeake Bay at the Atlantic Ocean. They rest here before they finish the last 3000 miles to their destination.

I didn’t hold a camera in my hand for a week and was eager to take the two-hour trip up north today. I was a little stunned when only a few hundred swans were present, but the friendly Naturalist who was on site told me that we haven’t seen the peak yet. With other words, most Tundra Swans are still somewhere further north. She had a display table with lots of information about the swan migration, about the food they are looking for, like the starchy bulbs of arrowhead plants, and she answered the questions of many visitors.

Beside the Tundra Swans many other birds rest and feed in pool #8 of the Mississippi River and today’s little gallery can only show a few of them.

Gadwalls

Gadwalls were present in large numbers, probably several thousand, but I saw many other ducks, like American Wigeons, Northern Pintails, Mallards, Northern Shovelers, Ring-necked Ducks, Scaups, and Wood Ducks.

American White Pelicans

A large squadron of American White Pelicans socialized together on one of the islands nearby. They were joined by this group that landed in the water shortly after they made a flyby at the Brownsville overlook.

Trumpeter Swans

Trumpeter Swans can be found among the Tundra Swans. They are slightly larger and adults do not have the yellow spot at the base of their black bill. This family of Trumpeter Swans passed by at the Hwy26 overlook, a mile further south. Their calls are different and make it easy to distinguish between both species.

Northern Shovelers, New Albin, Iowa

This photo was made near New Albin, just at the Iowa-Minnesota border. Northern Shovelers are dabbling ducks and feed predominantly at the surface of the water. These five females had a feast and hardly stopped eating despite my presence. This was shot out of the car window, almost on eye level with the birds. The photos from the overlooks are made from a much higher vantage point and even cropping can’t prevent the not always desirable look of a ”bird from above”.

All photos: Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x,

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2024 #4 - PEACEFUL SUNSET

Sunset in the valley, Mississippi River, Abel-Essman Island, Guttenberg, Iowa

I really rushed down the hill into the Mississippi Valley, hoping to reach the outlook before the shadow of the bluffs would cover the island, on my way home last night. Just as I pulled into the parking lot beside the road the shadows already crept up on the west side of the island. When I jumped out of the car with the camera in hand a small airplane just took off from the landing strip between the buildings on Abel-Essman Island. Too bad, I missed that rare opportunity but I’m happy with this peaceful sunset scene in the river valley.

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,   @ 49 mm, 1/500 s, f/10, ISO 200

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2024 #3 - REST ON A SANDBANK

American White Pelicans and Ring-billed Gulls, Mississippi River, Le Claire, Iowa

After a week of business travel it felt great to go out and enjoy nature and wildlife watching again. Yesterday’s trip along the Mississippi River led me all the way down to Le Claire, Iowa and up back north on the Illinois side to Savannah, followed by a short visit of the Green Island Wetlands on the Iowa side again.

Below lock & dam #14 in Le Claire these two American White Pelicans rested on a sandbank in company with a number of Ring-billed Gulls. They preened their feathers in the sun. It was quite a bit away from the shore and the 1.4x teleconverter was used to expand the focal length to 840 mm. People always debate the use of a teleconverter and claim it would degrade image quality. Except for the loss of light that hits the sensor (it becomes a f/9), I can’t confirm the loss of sharpness. The Nikon Z 600 f/6.3 works great with the TC-1.4x.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x

@ 840mm, 1/1000s, f/9, ISO 200, image slightly cropped

NATURE CLICKS #585 - TURKEY VULTURES

Turkey Vultures, Mississippi River, near lock & dam #11, Dubuque, Iowa

From early spring until it gets cold here they belong into the Mississippi Valley. Some people think of them only as ugly birds but they may have never watched really how elegant these vultures fly and soar in a thermal lift. I consider them as the environmental police along the Mississippi River. They feed on carrion and without their presence, often in large numbers, the Mississippi River would be at times very smelly.

I was eager to try out the new Nikon lens last Sunday along the river on both sides around dam #11 in Dubuque and over in Wisconsin. With the dam visible in the upper part of the photo I thought of an environmental portrait of the Turkey Vultures. Five of them rested on driftwood and the rocks of the flood wall. I could choose which bird I wanted to have in the frame and this one was among my favorites.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S

NATURE CLICKS #582 - BROWN-SPOTTED YELLOW-WING

The Mississippi River is still flooding and the water level is about the same as last weekend. With many frequently visited nature areas here in eastern Iowa still under water I decided to go over to the Illinois side of the river for some bird photography and drove down south to the old Savanna Army Depot, now home to the Lost Mound Unit of the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Most of this area sits a little higher and is not effected by the flood. The Lost Mound Unit has the highest (70ft / 21.3m) and longest (7.5 miles / 12 km) sand dune along the Mississippi River in Illinois.

I saw a number of different woodpeckers but the light sucked and I didn’t even bother to aim the glass towards their locations. While looking with binoculars at the trees that grow on the sand dune and also in the opposite direction across the sand prairie, this dragonfly caught my attention. I haven’t seen a Brown-spotted Yellow-Wing for a while and being me, I could not pass this opportunity without making a few clicks with the camera. With the macro lens at home on the shelf, <sigh>, I tried my luck with the Sigma 150-600. It was clear that the image needed a crop since I wasn’t able to get much closer, but hey, it’s better than coming home without a picture…😉

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

IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE MOOD

Mississippi River, Black Hawk Bridge, Lansing, Iowa

One of my favorite drives here in the Driftless Area is going up north the Great River Road along the Mississippi and my favorite view is this look with the city of Lansing, Iowa on the left and the old Black Hawk Bridge across the river in the background. I have photographed from this vantage point at the Driftless Area Visitor Center in Lansing many times before. A good reason to stop there these days is the fact that the beautiful cantilever bridge, built in 1931, will be replaced and construction of a new bridge has started already. The cranes on the Wisconsin side and in the river tell the story.

The ice on the river was not very thick and if the warm weather continues, the river may have open water very soon. It was again quite foggy this morning and my choice was black & white for the photo. Several hours later, on the way back, the bright sun had taken over but the mood of this scene did not speak to me anymore…

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2024 #1 - JANUARY, ALREADY UNUSUAL

Mississippi River, Bellevue, Iowa

Of course, I will continue publishing photos right from here, the Upper Mississippi Valley, and will try to tell the story about this beautiful place with my images again in 2024! I will hopefully let you participate how seasonal changes at the big river may appear and how climate change effects the nature I try to photograph. I’m much aware, I may end up with photos that are sometimes totally different than during the last twenty years, taken at the same time of the season.

It is tempting to let the shoreline cut through the image right in the middle of the photo and make it an artsy-fartsy image, mirroring the landscape, but it was more important to me to make it a photo of the day and as I really saw it.

So here we are, January 6, 2024, and the main channel of the Mississippi River is completely free of ice. There is a little snow dust in the woods, but that’s about it for winter so far! Well, we now have a snow storm in the forecast for early next week but, maybe I can now finally put the swimming trunks away…😉

However, it makes me happy if you follow again the MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES in my blog and as always, let me know your thoughts about any photo you see. Your opinions are highly appreciated!

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.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2023 #11 - A TOUCH OF MELANCHOLY

Mississippi River, John Deere Marsh, Dubuque, Iowa

I guess I’m finishing my Mississippi River stories of 2023 at the same location where I started them this year, at the end of the dyke that protrudes far into the river, near the big John Deere factory north of Dubuque, Iowa. It’s the fog that tells today’s story. Cooler water comes slowly down from the north while the air temperature is way too warm for this time of the season. With almost no wind today there were no ripples on the water and the fog had a chance to stay in the valley. Some thin sheets of ice had piled up on a mud bank lately, but it was the only white spot around. The scene had a certain melancholy and proofed what I have said often before, the Mississippi River is never twice the same…

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2023 #10 - BLUE MOON, A FOURTH FULL MOON DURING THE SEASON

It was a little less haze in the air today and I decided to chase the full moon, the second one during the month of August, also called a ”Blue Moon”, due to the fact that it is the fourth full moon during a season. As mentioned in my last blog post yesterday, the moon would rise even further to the east and having a photo with the moon low above the water of the Mississippi River wasn’t really an option around here. I wanted to do something different and chose the location for the camera much closer to the city of Dubuque, and just a bit above water level this time. Moonrise was exactly half an hour later than yesterday, sunset about fifteen minutes earlier, and making the click and process the image in post was a different kind of challenge as I found out in front of my computer. What you see in the photo is the romance I felt when the moon showed up above this island in the river. The green of the leaves in the trees is still lush, despite the heat we had recently. There were quite a few boats making a ”full moon river cruise” on the Mississippi. I was happy to keep them all out of the frame and enjoyed having the end of the dike, that protects Dubuque, Iowa from flooding, just for myself…

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2023 #9 - MOONRISE, SUNSET, AND AFTERWARDS

Mississippi River, Mines of Spain, Dubuque, Iowa

It wasn’t full moon today, this will be tomorrow night, but the waxing moon was at 98.3%, good enough for making photos over the Mississippi River. The overlook on top of the bluffs at the Julian Dubuque Monument in the Mines of Spain, just south of downtown Dubuque, was the place where I put the legs of the tripod in the ground. The moon was supposed to rise at 7:26 PM over ”Island Two hundred Twenty Eight” on the left side of the big river. Sunset was 7:42 PM and my hope was to have a hint of daylight on the water at moonrise. The photo below was shot exactly at sunset time but the moon just became visible from behind some haze at the horizon. Moody, but not dramatic.

The photo above was shot at 7:53 PM. It is important to change the white balance to a colder temperature for the feeling of the blue hour during the time after sunset. I underexposed up to 2 f-stops so the moon is not blown out and brought the shadows in the foreground back a little bit.

At sunset time, the moon just became visible in the haze.

As already mentioned, tomorrow is full moon. Sunset is 7:40 PM and the moon will raise at 7:56 PM. It will have its largest size 39 minutes later. The moon will raise 9º further to the east, which means it will be much higher above the water from the same vantage point in the Mines of Spain and I’m not sure if the reflection on the water will work the same way.

All images: Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, RRS BH-55 ball head,

1.   @ 170 mm, 1/8 s, f/8, ISO 100

2.   @ 112 mm, 1/13 s, f/8, ISO 100

POOL FULL OF LIFE

Little pool full of life in a creek

Basswood Creek is a small tributary that meets the Mississippi River at Finleys Landing, a small marina and campsite not far from home here in eastern Iowa. The last few hundred yards of this creek are on the same level as the Mississippi and sometimes flooding of the big river has an impact on the water level of this little creek. The water was pretty low for most part of August and in Basswood Creek nothing but clear water came down this small side valley. It can be very muddy after a heavy rain, when the water pours down from higher elevations, with tons of runoff from the fields, but it wasn’t this time. Tadpoles and small fish used the little pools and deeper parts in the creek as a habitat.

A photo like this can be made even at the height of the day, when light is awful for any other pictures out in the Great Outdoors. It was very hot that day and just looking at the life in a creek is a welcome change. Well, our dog Cooper did not develop the same sense of visual appreciation, he just lies down in the water and calls it a day… I can’t blame him when it’s so hot as it was!