FLYCATCHER IDENTIFICATION

Least Flycatcher

The identification of small flycatchers is not very easy in my humble opinion, although we have more tools for identification to our disposal than ever. I have three apps on my phone and the number of printed bird guides in our home library has increased over the years. If you think my selection is not correct, please let me know. I always value the input of other birders, photographers, and nature lovers.

This photo was made earlier this week in Bankston County Park. I made a few more with different poses of the flycatcher that helped with identification, but this one I liked the best.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,   @ 600 mm, 1/1000 s, f/6.3, ISO 400, photo cropped

NATURE CLICKS #401 - PECTORAL SANDPIPER

It was a very windy evening today but this didn’t stop me to visit the Green Island Wetlands once more. I knew there wouldn’t be many small perching birds around. The water level is still lower than the last couple years and this is great for shore birds and waders who need shallow-water or mudflat habitat. The wind didn’t seem to bother them much, the light was soft, and I was glad that I went out.

If you think identifying gulls is a difficult task, you haven’t tried to identify sandpipers yet! It wasn’t the first time that I had a ‘fling’ of Pectoral Sandpipers in front of the lens but other species are very similar and sometimes I have some doubts left about my findings. It helps to have a good library of bird guides, printed or digital. The Pectoral Sandpiper breeds on arctic tundra from western Alaska across far northern Canada to the Hudson Bay. They spend the winter in South America. I watched about a dozen birds in front of me feeding, bathing, and preening. At times they all took off together, flew with rapid wing beats a few rounds but returned to the same area.

SNOW GEESE, LONG WAY TO GO

Yesterday evening it was the first time that I got really close to a flock of Snow Geese in the Green Island Wetlands. I watched them for several minutes while they were feeding in a corn field before they took off and went to another spot. It is mind-boggling how far they still have to go for their breeding grounds in the Arctic regions of North America. Most of them were white morphs, but as you can see in my second photo there were also a couple blue morphs among them.

Getting ready for take-off

Some of the geese seem to have a stubbier bill, shorter neck, and rounder head and I wonder if this is just due to the perspective or if there are some Ross’s Gees among the Snow Geese? I’m always very thankful if a more experienced birder helps me out with identification questions.

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…

NATURE CLICKS #298 - TENNESSEE WARBLER

We had another wonderful late summer - early fall day, with warm temperatures and some leaves falling to the ground. I’m very busy at the moment and tied to my desk most of the day, but my office window allows to check bird traffic at the south edge of our woods. When I heard the tsit-tsit call of a warbler my alarm bells went on immediately. Sure enough, I saw at least four different warbler species foraging in the trees today. One was a first sighting for me, a Golden-winged Warbler. Unfortunately the only photo I have is not sharp enough to be presented here in the blog.

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, SB 800 speed light

I’m always very careful while trying to identify warblers. Today I made about two dozen clicks of several Tennessee Warblers, in different locations, and from different angles. Not all are perfect images but still good enough for bird identification. After consulting our guide books and the iBird Pro 7.2 app, I’m pretty sure these were Tennessee Warblers. Especially in fall they can be sometimes mistaken for the Orange-crowned Warbler. The spring migration of the warblers was a bummer for me this year, we didn’t see any here on the bluffs above the little Maquoketa River Valley. It looks like we are making up for it now…😉

A DAY ON THE WATER

Lesser Yellowleg

Joan and I finally opened the kayak season yesterday (better late than never  ;-)  ) and spent several hours paddling in the backwaters of the Mississippi in the Green Island Wetlands. It is the time of the year when many birds incubate their eggs or have already young ones, like some of the Canada Geese. We had some wonderful wildlife encounters, like a mink swimming to shore, a Northern Watersnake, and lots of waterfowl, herons, and egrets. Not every sighting leads to a photo but it was just great to be out in the wild and enjoy the nice and warm weather

Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, SB 800 speed light

After the paddle trip we went on “bird patrol” by car to all the places in the wetlands that I visit frequently. We saw this Lesser Yellowleg foraging in the shallow water and it surprised us still seeing one of them since their breeding ground is in Northern Canada. I’m aware that my identification of a bird species can be wrong, this is especially true for shore birds, but in this matter I don’t have a better suggestion. Usually I have more images that I show here in the blog and even if they may not be always good enough to be published, but they help me quite often to identify a bird. However, if you read this and have doubts about any of my identifications, I will be very happy to hear from you

Wilson's Snipe

This photo of a Wilson’s Snipe was taken earlier this season, although we saw one yesterday evening. We are at the southern edge of their breeding range and so it is not a surprise to see them still around. More to come…

NEW BIRD COLLECTION IS NOW ONLINE!!!

I’m very happy and excited to announce that my new collection BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA is finally up and online. You can explore it by clicking on the COLLECTIONS tab above. I have expanded and totally renewed the former “Iowa Bird Gallery” from my old website. The majority of photos is still from the Upper Mississippi River here in Iowa, but from now on you can find all the birds we had the pleasure to watch and photograph during our trips in the US and Canada. Each picture shows now the location where the photo was made. This collection may hopefully help you to identify your own bird encounters or maybe give you some ideas where to find a particular species. But even if this doesn’t play a role in your life, I hope you can find a photo that makes you smile and brings you some joy.

Of course, not every photo in this collection would make it into my WILDLIFE PORTFOLIO and in some cases I have put documentary value over quality. My website and blog have always been a split between the desire to create art and to share the values of nature. Sometimes it all comes together in one photo and sometimes it doesn’t. This collection will be under constant renewal and will change accordingly if new or better photos are available.

Hey all my friends out there, please check it out, write me a comment, and let me know if you find any glitches in this collection!! :-)