MINNESOTA NORTHWOODS - #2

Ring-necked Ducks, Wolf Lake, Savanna Portage State Park, Minnesota

I learned right here at the Mississippi River a long time ago that good wildlife photo opportunities often come up if you are brave enough to take the camera and telephoto lens into the kayak during a paddle trip. Yes, it is always challenging holding the heavy gear by hand in a boat and not without danger, but shooting most of the time on eye level with a bird or critter is just great photography fun.

Ducks are not always cooperative and quite often take off before they are even in the range of the lens. These young Ring-necked Ducks were very much aware of us while we drifted silently towards them, but nevertheless stayed in their spot even in relatively short distance.

FIRST TIME OUT IN THE BLIND

Pied-billed Grebe, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

As mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, I was out in the woods of the Green Island Wetlands for a first field test of the new TRAGOPAN Grouse V+ photo blind. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here is a link that leads you back a few days, showing the new photography tool while testing it in the ”front yard studio” (CLICK HERE for a brief look).

As with every new piece of equipment there is a learning curve involved. I thought I just rely on the ground stakes and go without attaching the four guy lines at the corners that are supposed to hold the tent down during a windy situation. I was wrong. It was windy yesterday afternoon and in the rugged terrain I had chosen for the first setup it wasn’t possible to use a ground stake on each corner. The last thing you want is that the wind blows the blind away and maybe into the water. Using the guy lines to secure the structure to branches or dead wood on the ground would have been a good option. Well, I managed to keep it all together and after a few minutes I sat down behind my camera and hidden from any wildlife’s eye.

As expected, several ducks flew away as I entered the area, trying to find a good spot along a pond and with an unobstructed view. It took less than half an hour until the first bird returned, followed soon by others. My first successful shot was the one above of a Pied-billed Grebe. This grebe collects most food underwater, including fish, crustaceans, beetles, and aquatic insects and their larvae. It suddenly popped up right in front of the blind and with a little bit of sun coming out, there were even some colorful reflections on the water.

Male Ring-necked Duck

The second chance came shortly after and looked even more promising. Some Ring-necked Ducks moved in and three males tried to impress a female. I got a few shots of the leading male but somehow the female duck decided to turn around and swim back in the other direction, of course, followed by all males. At least they were not flying away, which indicated that my presence wasn’t detected.

It wasn’t so much about to come back with the ultimate image this first time, but to learn what needs to be done to be successful while sitting hidden in a photo blind. There are limitations to the view and it needs patience, as with most wild life photography, but getting closer and being more often on eye level with the animals will hopefully lead to better and new exciting photos. I can’t wait to do it again…

NATURE CLICKS #393 - RING-NECKED DUCK

John Deere Marsh, Dubuque, Iowa --------

Another image from my trip along the Mississippi last weekend. The prominent field mark of the Ring-necked Duck is the white ring on its bill, that makes it easy to identify them. The faint chestnut ring around their necks is very hard to see and mostly visible only at a close distance. I always wonder who gave those ducks their name…😉? The turbulent water on the left is what’s left of one of the females I had in the viewfinder as well. It just dived down in search for food while I pressed the shutter button of the camera. That’s alright, the two males were part of a team of about 20-30 ducks who used the pond at the Deere Marsh as a place for rest and feeding during their migration to Minnesota or Canada up north.

As much as I like this spot for bird watching, for photography it is not ideal. The road to the west and trail to the south are quite a bit higher than the water surface and that gives you always that unfortunate shooting angle from above, which I believe is not very flattering. Don’t even think of getting out of the car and climb down the embankment, all ducks and geese would have left the state of Iowa by the time you are down at water level… 😊

MIGRATING DUCKS

Northern Pintail / Mallard / American Coot -- Mississippi River, Deere Marsh, Iowa -------

Our area is kinda ‘fly-over-country’ for some of the ducks I show you today. Usually they spend the summer north of Iowa. The Mississippi River is an important flyway for their long travel.

It isn’t the first time that all three species used the pond at the Deere Marsh north of Dubuque, Iowa for food supply and rest during migration in spring. The Northern Pintail is easy to identify, even if someone is not so familiar with their color or pattern in the plumage. The long tail, much longer than on other ducks, tells the story, even if they have the head under water like the one in this image.

Gadwall

I watched several pairs of Gadwalls swimming and feeding by submerging the head in the muddy water. Part of the pond had a thin layer of ice but the Gadwalls had no problem finding food.

Ring-necked Duck

The Ring-necked Duck is a diving duck and feeds mainly on aquatic plants and seeds but also snaps at insects on the water surface. Their chestnut neck ring is often hard to see from further away but the white ring on their bill is a prominent field mark and makes identification relatively easy.

I used my car as a blind to get as close as possible to the ducks. At my slow arrival they all swam away from the shore but after a few minutes they came back within the range of the lens. Not as close as I would have liked and so I have cropped the photos a little.

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