PINPOINT LOCATION BY CALL

Common Yellowthroat, Mines of Spain, Iowa

Not a whole lot of time to go out and shoot birds or critters this week but who will blame me, if I post another picture from a trip the week before. I learned again how great of a benefit it can be, if we can identify a bird by its call. I know quite a few but with warblers there has been always an uncertainty. The Common Yellowthroat is often heard way before we can see them in the brushy prairie. That helps to pinpoint the location and have the tripod with camera in place when the bird suddenly comes out of its hiding place.

NATURE CLICKS #452 - BALTIMORE ORIOLE ♀️

Oh boy, how much I love these sunny early mornings in May! The temperature is pleasant and the quality of light is awesome. We put some orange halves out and this attracts the orioles and other birds. The goal is of course to make the click while the birds carefully approach the food source. This young oak right in front of our porch is a perfect target to focus on. The food is between 6 -10 feet away and many birds use it as an observation point before they approach the feeders or for waiting in line while others, mostly bigger birds, take their turn.

The Baltimore Oriole is a great looking bird with wonderful sounding calls. Sure, they can chatter as well, but waking up in the morning to the sound of their calls is one of the best delights in spring…

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,   @ 600 mm (DX mode 900 mm), f/6.3, 1/2000 s, ISO400,

NATURE CLICKS #411 - YELLOW-BILLED CUCOO (A FIRST, FINALLY!!)

Yellow-bellied Cuckoo, near Durango, Iowa

We hear its distinctive , rattling call almost every day during the summer, very seldom we see the bird, and I have never had a chance to aim my glass at a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Until today! This cuckoo spends its time high up in the canopy of the trees and it is very difficult to spot it, even if you know where the bird might be, because of the unique call. This morning, after walking with our little dog Cooper, I heard the bird again and finally saw it sitting high up in a tree above our driveway. Well, against all common sense rules, I shot against a gray sky, but I wanted at least a documentary shot of this bird so badly that I gave a damn about rules. Of course, this is not a quality image. I cropped this picture to death, but still think it is an honest shot because I had no chance to get any closer. Last night we had thunderstorms with much needed rain passing through, for more than 12 hours. It looks like the cuckoo tried to use the first hint of sun to dry its feathers.

NATURE CLICKS #402 - SORA

Sora, Mississippi River, Pool Slough, near New Albin, Iowa -----------

I drove to the extreme northeast corner of Iowa today, to New Albin, just south of the Minnesota border. At first came a little disappointment due to the fact that the gravel road across Pool Slough, a wildlife sanctuary in the backwaters of the Mississippi, was partly closed because of high water level. I guess the snow melt from the last few weeks comes down the river now. The road ends at a boat landing that is usually very popular among fishermen but the water made me stop a mile earlier already. With water, marsh land, and mudflats on both sides, the road is a great place for bird watching and photography not only at this time of the year. I didn’t give up and scanned the area with the binoculars. There were ducks and geese, eagles, coots, egrets, and herons but no small wading birds, as I was hoping for. The mudbanks were covered with water and that changes the food supply for sandpipers and other shore birds.

The real fun started when I heard the “whee-hee-hee-hee-hee” call of a Sora right next to me and it was answered from other places around. These rails are very small and it is not easy to spot them. For the next hour I was busy to capture the story of this little bird, how they walk with their big feet on floating debris, how they feed, and how good they can hide. The Sora feeds mainly on insects, mollusks, snails, seeds of plants, and duckweed. They rake floating vegetation with their feet and even pull it aside with their bill and search for food visually. Well, no sandpipers today, but I still have images from yesterday that I may post during the upcoming week. So please stay tuned…! 😊