THE BONUS - A RED-TAILED HAWK

Red-tailed Hawk at Julien Dubuque Monument, Mines of Spain, Dubuque, Iowa

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head.   @ 600mm, 1/640s, f6.3, ISO800, image slightly cropped

This morning the Dubuque Audubon Society had invited for another birding event into the Mines of Spain State Recreation Area. Our guide Tony Moline, a very experienced birder, helped the group to find warblers, vireos, and other migrating birds and study them in the early morning sun. Most activities required binoculars for watching and identification but the distance for a decent photo was often too big. Nevertheless, it was very interesting to see at least a few of the migrators. I just read that tonight 426.7 Million birds are predicted to move south in the United States. A very impressive number!

Just before everybody was ready to say goodbye shortly after 10am we were treated with a bonus. This Red-tailed Hawk suddenly landed in a tree just in front of the group and on eye level with us. The camera was on tripod and pointed already in that direction and all what I had to do was to adjust quickly the exposure compensation for the existing light and lay down the hammer on the shutter release button. The bird gave us about one minute for that very enjoyable moment.

Thank you Tony for being such a good guide again and for sharing your knowledge with us!

NATURE CLICKS #568 - RED-TAILED HAWK

Red-tailed Hawk, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

It was already the second time this year that I visited the Green Island Wetlands. In comparison to New Year’s Day last Monday, when almost nothing was frozen over, we saw a thin layer of ice on most of the lakes and canals today. As gray as the sky was again it didn’t make sense to point the lens at any birds in flight. However, there is a number of raptors that try to make a living between the fields and wetland areas and getting a shot with a background other than just plain gray sky was at least worth a try.

As always, some local Bald Eagles perched near open water and I saw a winter guest, a Rough-legged Hawk, in one of the dead trees. North America’s smallest falcon, the American Kestrel was present but this fierce little raptor didn’t let me come close enough for a photo. Flocks of American Tree Sparrows were feeding on seeds along the dykes in the wetlands and I wonder if the kestrel was preying on them or if he just looked for little rodents.

This Red-tailed Hawk was perched in one of the big cottonwood trees near the road and had some patience with my presence. The bird holds on to the branch with just one claw while the other one peeks out between the feathers from underneath its belly. I moved in a position with as little sky as possible in the picture but a bit of snow in the tree. Is it a perfect shot? No, but I came back with a photo from my trip and that’s all what mattered under the gray sky today.

NATURE CLICKS #540 - RED-TAILED HAWK

The red-tailed is probably the most common Hawk we see here in eastern Iowa. Their plumage can be highly variable. I saw this one several times today down in the Green Island Wetlands. Shortly after this shot was made the bird landed in another tree nearby and as I came closer I realized the hawk shared this tree with probably 200-300 Red-winged Blackbirds. They didn’t seem to be too concerned about its presence and the hawk knew he was too slow to get a healthy blackbird for dinner. The hope was probably to catch a bird that struggled or wasn’t able to move as quick as the rest of the flock. The temperatures were just slightly below freezing and to me it isn’t a surprise anymore to see Red-winged Blackbirds during winter time.

It’s not my best photo of a hawk. A gray overcast is always poison for a good bird image with the sky or water as a background. The gesture of the hawk came to my rescue. It was still enjoyable to be out in the wetlands today and better times for bird photography are just around the corner…

FIRST FIELD DAY WITH NIKON Z6II

The Eastern Bluebirds will hopefully stay here all winter long.

Today I had my first real field day with the new mirrorless Nikon Z6II camera. It started in our front yard this morning with three Eastern Bluebirds taking advantage of the water in our bird baths. But the real challenge was a trip to the Green Island Preserve, the wetlands along the Mississippi River south from here. It isn’t the season when wildlife is present in abundance but a few raptors, a bunch of American Coots, and a few sparrows gave me some good opportunities to practice with the camera and to develop some muscle memory for the shooting workflow that comes with an Electronic Viewfinder. I do not like shooting with my glasses but the EVF allows me to shoot without them. The new challenge is to keep my eye at the viewfinder after a click and evaluate the results or make changes in the settings menu just right in the viewfinder. As soon I move my head away from the eye piece and look for the brilliant screen in the back of the camera, well, I need my glasses again. It may take some time to memorize not to look at the screen, at least during wildlife photography.

All images: Nikon Z6II, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, FTZ adapter

American Coots busy feeding on aquatic plants in the Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Beside Bald Eagles and a pair of Northern Harriers, the Red-tailed Hawk is another raptor that finds food in the wetlands during winter time.

AN EVENING IN THE WETLANDS

Trumpeter Swans flying in for the night, Green Island Wildlife Area, Iowa

It was about time to pay a visit to the Green Island Wildlife Area, a wetland at the confluence of the Maquoketa and Mississippi rivers. My last visit was back in September. I avoid Green Island during duck hunting season. Parts of the wetlands are closed for hunting but access is also limited for everybody else at that time. Beside that I don’t think it’s the best idea to run around and be an accidental target for those dudes who forgot their glasses at home…😉

Red-tailed Hawk,   1/125 s, f/9, ISO 400, @850 mm, Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG

As expected late in the day several raptors showed their presence. I photographed a Red-tailed Hawk in the same dead tree before earlier this year, and it might be the same one, but this time the bird was already in the shade. I tried it with the 1.4 teleconverter, making it a 850 mm focal length. The result is less tree and more bird. I braced myself against the car window to get this shot.

Bald Eagle,   1/1250 s, f/9, ISO 400, @850 mm (DX mode: 1275 mm), Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG

The compounding effect of flooding during the last ten years has left hardly any trees alive and this landscape has already changed dramatically. Who knows, this might be the last photo of a Bald Eagle on a dead branch of this particular tree. Well, the other trees around don’t look any different… Next year the tree is probably gone. To get this shot I pushed the “tools” and my abilities to their limits. Since the water was covered with ice for the most part the eagle wasn’t there for catching fish, but probably enjoyed the last rays of light yesterday evening as much as I did.

Trumpeter Swans, 1/400 s, f/6.3, ISO 400, @600 mm, Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,

The sun gets out of sight a little earlier in the Mississippi Valley than what our phone apps may tell us. After patrolling the gravel roads in the wetlands for any kind of wildlife I returned to the dike for some “after sunset” shots but another lens change came first. Wave after wave of Trumpeter Swans flew in, crossed overhead, and probably landed on the ice of Blakes Lake on the east side of the wildlife area. This bird was almost extinct in Iowa at some point in recent history and seeing so many swans congregating during the winter warms my heart… (I didn’t count but I think it was way more than 100 birds)

Green Island Wildlife Area, Iowa

Finally between the calls of Sandhill Cranes and the hoots of a Great Horned Owl I was able to make the landscape picture that was on my mind. Apple’s Steve Jobs was famous for ending his keynote speeches and then turning around and saying “One more thing…” Well, I have one more too, but will show it in my next blog post. 😊

NATURE CLICKS #438 - RED-TAILED HAWK

Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

We had another gorgeous day here in eastern Iowa, with sun and temperatures way above the freezing point. Good reason to go out again and try to make some clicks. We decided to visit the Green Island Wetlands again this afternoon, after it was a good place to be already yesterday. Shortly after we entered the wetland area Joan spotted this Red-tailed Hawk. It is the most common hawk here but it is not always easy to get close. The bird took off before we even had a chance to get close. Luckily the raptor returned quickly and landed in a dead tree not far from the gravel road. We approached slowly and stopped within a good shooting range, trying not to scare the bird. The hawk was probably on a hunt for mice that were attracted by the warm sun as much as we were. The melting ice below threw some extra light from underneath. More light allows for a fast shutter speed and it wasn’t difficult to make the photo by handholding the heavy SIGMA 150-600. 

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 600 mm, 1/1600 s, f/6.3, ISO200

OUT WEST #11

Red-tailed Hawk, North Tongue River, Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming

Two photos today that mark one of our best moments with wildlife in the Bighorn Mountains. After a long day, with early morning photography, a nice hiking tour, and scouting for moose and other critters, we stopped at the small parking lot where scenic and not very busy highway 14A crosses the North Tongue River. This is prime moose territory, with lots of small willows along the river and still full of leaves that moose like to eat. While we looked out for moose and mule deer some other hikers pointed out this Red-tailed Hawk, perching on a fence post. First the bird was too far away, but suddenly the hawk flew closer to us and perched on another post. It was clear it was on a hunt for ground squirrels or mice and didn’t pay too much attention to our presence. After a few minutes it changed location again and was even closer as before. 

The camera went on the tripod quickly and I was shooting away in the killer light before the sun sets. Although the sun was very low already the light was still very intense. I knew I had a great opportunity in front of the lens and didn’t want to screw this up. Exposure compensation was between -0.7 and -1 EV in order to keep the details on its bright chest. The hawk was concentrated on its hunting efforts and posed nicely for about thirty minutes. Ones in a while he took off but always returned to another fence post. On its last take off the Red-tailed Hawk flew right at me, as he almost wanted to tell me, you had your chance dude, I hope you used it…!

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

2017 RETROSPECT / 2

Red-tailed Hawk with roadkill

Photographs bare our memories and while looking through the images from last February I was reminded how little snow we had on the ground last winter. I had reported about this Red-tailed Hawk not giving up a dead raccoon, which was probably killed by a car, when I stopped on the other side of the road and started shooting. The hawk had a large injury on its chest but was otherwise acting very normal. I just can assume that the bird had contact with a car as well. This was the only picture where the hawk stared right at me but I like the shot just because of the direct eye contact. This is not always a good thing but I think in this matter it tells the story how the Red-tailed Hawk stood its ground.

DIDN’T SEE THE FULL STORY

Red-tailed hawk with raccoon -------------  

It was time to visit one of my favorite locations for wildlife photography along the big river again. I haven’t been in the Green Island Wetlands since last fall and today we finally were able to see the sun again. I hardly ever come back from this location with an empty memory card but this time not much was going on. A little further south, along the road to Sabula, Iowa I found this scene. This Red-tailed Hawk was all over a dead raccoon, obviously a road kill, and didn’t give up on it, even after I stopped the car and started shooting. However, it wasn’t until I looked at my photos at home on the computer that I realized that the hawk had a deep injury on its chest. I just can assume that a collision with a car caused the wound. The hawk seemed to act normal and I just can hope that this injury may not effect its ability to hunt for food. At least this raccoon was claimed…

HAWK ON THE HUNT

Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM

Everywhere where prairie dogs are present in the grasslands of the Dakotas there is also a good chance to make a photo of one of the predators that have prairie dogs on their menu. Beside coyotes, black-footed ferrets, or rattle snakes there is probably always a raptor not very far away. We didn’t see any ferrets or snakes but many birds of prey. This one here is probably a Red-tailed Hawk. There are several subspecies of the Red-tailed Hawk and the differences between an adult and immature bird can be quite remarkable. This is the reason why I don’t put this post in my “NATURE CLICKS” series. I’m simple not a hundred percent sure about the identification of this raptor. However, it is always exciting to get close and watch them, and this counts more for me than any photo in the books…