MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2025 #7 - AURORA BOREALIS

Aurora borealis over Wisconsin, near Balltown, Upper Mississippi Valley, Iowa, @11:25PM

According to many posts in social media, It wasn’t the big show of the aurora borealis like as the day before, but at least we were able to get out Wednesday night and see the Northern Lights. The view goes across the Mississippi Valley over to Wisconsin. Although the area isn’t densely populated but every farm up to the horizon had their lights on and due to low humidity we had a really clear view into the sky and across the country.

I had the white balance in camera set to 3200 Kelvin. With the lens wide open (f/4) I found that exposure times between 3-6 seconds worked well. The light on the grass in the foreground was welcome and came from a car that drove by. I think it gives the photo a little more depth, even if it is just a hint of light. The most difficult part is obtaining a sharp focus in the dark. Autofocus is of course not working and with manual focus I did a number of test shots until I found the sweet spot with the stars at the infinity point.

Noise reduction for such an image is a must but I do not any noise reduction in camera. It was done in Topaz Photo AI and even some additional tweaks in Adobe Lightroom.

This photo session was a great learning experience for me and I can’t wait until I hear the next rumors about the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights from our area.

Nikon Z6 III, Nikon Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4, Nikon FTZ adapter, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, RRS BH-55 ball head,    @ 16mm, 3s, f/4, ISO 10000,

BEAVER MOON

Moonrise over the Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

Today the full moon was at its closest point to the earth this year in its orbit, making it look up to 14% larger and also brighter than a typical full moon. In November it’s called the Beaver Supermoon.

The interesting part for the photographer was the fact that moonrise and sunset were pretty close together. At the location where I made this photo moonrise was at 4:38PM and sunset was at 4:50PM. It takes about 12-13 minutes before the moon appears over the bluffs on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River, with other words it was almost identical with sunset time. Why was that important to me? It leaves some light on the landscape, at least a little glow. I exposed for the moon in order to keep the details alive and not to blow out the highlights. The woods on the other side of the river appear at first darker, but there is enough dynamic range in the RAW file to bring back the light in the trees as the human eye sees it. In this situation there is no need to make a composite out of two shots, one for the moon and another one for the rest, it all is the result of one click.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, RRS BH-55 ball head,    @ 200mm, 1/20s, f/8, ISO100

GOING FOR A BIG SNACK

Great Egret with a catch, Mississippi River, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

When you go since a long time and frequently to the same area for wildlife photography, as it is the Green Island Wetlands in the Mississippi Valley, you may start believing, I have seen it all, no big news anymore. But nature comes often up with a big surprise and I learned this lesson again a couple days ago. So here is the little story that surrounds the two photos in today’s blog post.

When I saw this Great Egret standing beside the gravel road in front of the car I didn’t even consider to make a click. An egret standing on the road and staring down the banks on the left hand side towards the lake wasn’t really a shot I was looking for. I approached the bird very slowly, even stopped, hoping it would take off and fly away before the car came close. Usually those egrets are quite skittish and don’t let you come really close. It took me a few seconds to realize that this guy was on to something and didn’t even look at me.

Suddenly the egret pushed its sharp bill into the weeds along the banks and jumped even down. Obviously it had made a catch. I expected seeing a little frog or maybe a locust in the birds bill, but surprisingly the catch was a lot bigger! This Great Egret had caught a young muskrat, one of the four-legged critters that live in the wetlands. While the bird ”handled” its prey, means it killed the muskrat, I asked myself, how is it going to eat that big snack? The critter didn’t move anymore when I shot the first image and the time stamp on my files revealed that seven seconds later the bird had swallowed the young muskrat completely. Nature can be brutal but as a wildlife photographer I try not to be biased. It was an amazing experience and I’m glad I had the camera in my lap and was ready to document the unexpected.

FOLLOWING THE CLOUDS TODAY

The whole week we had these wonderful puffy clouds here in the Mississippi Valley. Unfortunately they dissolve before the day ends. I thought it is worth a try to drive down already early afternoon today to the Green Island Wetlands, one of my favorite wildlife spots as the avid reader of my blog already knows.

I wanted to come back with some black and white images that tell the story about the landscape of the Green Island Wildlife Management area and maybe an idea what the clouds can do to enhance it. To get already a good preview into my mind how the final picture would look, I set the camera to monochrome mode and with a red filter setting applied, simulating the same way I would have photographed this scene back in the days of film. As I shoot always in RAW mode all the color information is still embedded in the file and it still allows me to tweak a certain color in post process for the final outcome.

How much impact clouds can have to emphasize a certain landscape can be comprehended by studying the work of Ansel Adams or Clyde Butcher. I admire the photography of Ansel Adams since a long time but discovered Clyde Butcher only a couple years ago through the book ”Seeing the Light” by Tom Shroder and John Barry. What an amazing life story and mesmerizing photography! I follow the Instagram posts of this renowned black and white photographer, humanitarian, and environmentalist, but if you like to just have a look, go to his website clydebutcher.com . Highly recommended!

BUTTERFLIES AT PEAK OF THE SUMMER

Sulphur, Green Island Wetlands, Mississippi Valley, Iowa

I made a trip to the Green Island Wetlands today, the first one since a few weeks. As expected not a lot of birds came close to the camera but the area had a good water level and vegetation everywhere was lush and green. I was happy to see many pollinator insects, like bumble bees and butterflies. The number of Monarch butterflies was much higher than during the last couple years, which is really a good thing since this species is in significant decline. In the very humid and hot weather we had today nobody wants to run around with a macro lens and try to get a shot of erratically moving butterflies. I thought I can tell a little bit of the story about summer at its peak by using the long lens from the shelter of an air conditioned car. I hope you enjoy!

Nikon Z6 III, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x

Monarch, Green Island Wetlands, Mississippi Valley, Iowa

AT THE MARTIN TOWERS

Purple Martin tower at Mud Lake Park

I had an opportunity this morning to watch the counting of eggs and nestlings of the Purple Martins down at Mud Lake by the Mississippi River. Together with some staff from the County Conservation and their kids we were invited to see how the nest gourds are maintained and kept clean during and after the time of incubation.

Ry, on the right, had lowered the gourd rack to the ground and then opened each one briefly. The kids helped counting and put the results in a tracking list for later evaluation. I was allowed to point the camera into the opening of one of the gourds so I can show you now how it looks inside with most of the martins already hatched.

Some of the chambers required a little more maintenance. When the nesting material was infested with bugs and possibly parasites, Ry carefully placed the young Purple Martins in a bucket for a short time, emptied the gourd, and replaced the old infested nesting material with new wood chips, or sometimes uses pine needles. This all happens calmly and relatively quick, so the gourd rack can be cranked up and the parents are able to feed the hungry bunch in the nests again.

It was an exciting experience, including some good conversation with everybody who was there. Thank you to Ry for a good explanation of the process and to Mike for inviting me!

Purple Martins at Finley’s Landing, 07/15/2025

BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER

Pair of Bald Eagles, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Shortly after I started shooting pictures of this pair of Bald Eagles the female left the tree. At that time I didn’t know it was the female. She returned after three minutes The eagles greeted each other with loud vocalization and another minute later the male seemed to understand that his partner was receptive and ready for copulation. Most Bald Eagles are monogamous and mate for life and they can live up to 30 years in the wild.

The metadata of my images reveal that it all lasted for about 13 seconds. Afterwards the pair sat together in the light of the setting sun, which is generally interpreted as a sign of strong partnership and a renewal of their bond. I never witnessed this important ritual for a healthy Bald Eagle population and I felt rewarded by watching some essential biology.

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

…@ 840mm, f/9, ISO400, 1/1000s - 1/1250s

Although I had the teleconverter already on the lens I felt it was still a little bit too far away and I cropped the final pictures by about 18% in post process.

RETROSPECTS 2024 #4 - GREAT SKIES OVER THE VALLEY

After sunset, Green Island, Upper Mississippi Valley, Iowa, February 25, 2024

While digging through my photos from 2024 I got reminded that we had quite a few days with overcast or just a boring sky. Nevertheless, we also had our good share of great sunrises or sunsets here in eastern Iowa. This day at the end of February I mad a couple shots of a Rough-legged Hawk and a Sandhill Crane flying across the Green Island Wetlands in the afternoon, but they were not filling the frame, so more less just documentary shots for myself. I stayed late in hope to see maybe an owl but this didn’t happen. The clouds and setting sun came to my rescue and after capturing a few moments during the blue hour with the Z 24-70 f/4, I changed lens quickly when the day ended with a nice glow above the rocky bluffs of the Mississippi Valley.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   @ 150 mm, 1/2000 s, f/8, ISO 1600

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,

AT THE END OF THE DAY

Sandhill Cranes, Green Island Preserve, Mississippi Valley, Iowa

Going out on a photo walk or drive doesn’t always lead to an image that is worth to show or sometimes no wildlife at all shows up in front of the lens. This was pretty much how it was this afternoon on either side of the Mississippi River. Coming back from the Illinois side I decided to give it another try and went back to Green Island this evening.

Earlier in the afternoon I counted 17 Sandhill Cranes but all too far away and the high temperatures created quite some heat shimmer above the ground. The air had cleared this evening and the numbers of cranes went up to at least 80 birds again, about the same as last weekend. They were spread out in five different groups in the part of the Green Island Wetlands that is a bird sanctuary. No access is allowed for this area and you have to deal with the distance the birds give you. It is so much fun to watch the migrating Sandhill Cranes and especially when they display their courtship and bonding dances in the warm light of the setting sun.

NATURE CLICKS #580 - INDIGO BUNTING

Indigo Bunting, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Yesterday in the wetlands I tried to capture some beautiful yellow American Golfinches, eating seeds from the plants that line the dykes between the lakes. It wasn’t a very successful effort. The goldfinches didn’t like my presence and moved on to another spot any time I stopped the car. But to my surprise another finch species posed nicely for a while in front of the camera. This was the first time I ever saw an Indigo Bunting in the grass and between the flowers on the dyke. This little guy was singing its heart out and I heard a second one nearby.Their feathers are actually black but the diffraction of light through their feathers make them look blue. One reason we can see them in many shades between turquoise and black.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG

CRAYFISH DINNER

Great Egret, Upper Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

This was a tricky shot of this Great Egret in the wetlands along the Mississippi River today. I navigated my car (the well known mobile blind!) carefully in a position where I hoped to have an unobstructed view at this bird. The size of the vegetation is enormous after the rain we had lately and there was a lot of grass and other wild plants swaying in the wind between the bird and me. Luck was on my side and just where I had anticipated a possible shot, the egret caught a crayfish and ate it right away.

It is quiet on the lakes and between the reeds at this time of the year in the backwaters of the mighty Mississippi River and it takes some efforts to get a bird in front of the camera. However, I enjoyed being back again after some busy weeks and nothing can beat the time spending in the Great Outdoors!

By the way, the neck of this Great Egret seems to show some impact and it makes me wonder, if the bird had a hard time with a predator or if it just is the result of a fight with another egret about the right to mate…?

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG,   @ 850 mm, 1/1250 s, f/9, ISO 400

NATURE CLICKS #573 - PECTORAL SANDPIPER

Pectoral Sandpipers, Upper Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Last weekend ended with a short visit in the Green Island Wetlands, the area 40 miles south of our home that includes a wildlife preserve and a mix of lakes and marshland, separated from the main channel of the Mississippi River by dikes.

I saw Wood Ducks in their best mating mood, Sandhill Cranes, some pairs of Canada Geese with little goslings, Hooded Mergansers, a number of Pied-billed Grebes, and again two migrating Greater Yellowlegs.

As the sun got ready to set, a last drive along the gravel road on the west side of the wetlands led to the discovery of 30 Pectoral Sandpipers, foraging in a big puddle at the edge of a field. Their breeding grounds are high up in the arctic tundra of Canada and they obviously stopped at Green Island for some re-fueling. Their bills probed into the water and mud with high frequency in search for invertebrates. I used my car as a blind and moved slowly in the field towards the puddle. The sandpipers didn’t seem to take any notice of my presence and kept feeding.

Moments like that keep me going and feed my passion for bird watching and reporting about it here in the blog. The Pectoral Sandpipers spent the winter down in South America and their long journey to the breeding grounds up on the arctic tundra is just amazing.

I shot this at 850 mm with the 1.4 teleconverter attached to the Sigma 150-600 S lens. A small, cosmetic crop was applied to the final image.

ANOTHER CHANCE WITHOUT WIRE

American Kestrel, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

More than once I have complained about that the kestrels mostly perch on utility wires along the road, which isn’t my preferred location for a wildlife shot. Well, the solution seems to be to drive along roads that do not have power lines next to them. Not easy to find here in Iowa! This female American Kestrel used the dead trees at the edge of a marsh for her hunting efforts. During the summer these small falcons often eat insects, like grasshoppers. Since this is not an available option right now, they are on the outlook for small mammals and birds.

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

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2024 #2 - WINTER, BUT WARM COLORS MAY HELP

Bluffs at Catfish Creek, Upper Mississippi Valley, Dubuque, Iowa

After all the snow we had here in the Midwest during the last couple weeks and the very cold temperatures that still remained today, I wanted to make one single photo that sums it all up, tells the story about winter here in the Upper Mississippi Valley. I drove around this weekend, mostly to places nearby and along the river that have the potential to deliver this kind of a story. Well, I got a few shots yesterday and recognized last night in front of the computer, nice photos but the story is not told the way it needs to be told.

So I went out again this morning with a recent blog post of acclaimed photographer Moose Peterson in mind, while thinking about my plans for the day. He called it ”Red Loves White!”. This very interesting article is about the iconic landscapes out west, Bryce, Zion, Arches NP, Grand Canyon, etc., and how these red rocks can really reveal their beauty with the addition of snow. (https://www.moosepeterson.com/blog/red-loves-white/)

I wasn’t really out for the rocky bluffs here in the Mississippi Valley and its side valleys. However, I thought how can I emphasize the presence of cold weather, snow loaded branches, or ice covered creeks in my photo? The answer I found in Moose’s blog post while thinking in reverse was, try to add some red, orange, or yellow to the wintry landscape! The closest place that came to mind was the Mines of Spain, the State Recreation Area just south of Dubuque, Iowa. Catfish Creek has hollowed out this side valley of the Mighty Mississippi River and has its confluence with the big river just a couple hundred yards behind the bend in my photo. I love what I found!