BIRD PRESENTATION THIS WEEK

Migrating Snow Geese, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Today I would like to invite everybody from the Tri-State area around Dubuque, who like birds or bird photography, to join us for a presentation about our feathered friends. The Dubuque Audubon Society has asked the Dubuque Camera Club to be the presenter for their January program. I’m a member of both and I’m honored to be part of this presentation, among four other nature photographers. We will show some recent work, a few of our favorite images, and will share the story behind them. I think it will be an exciting event for everybody who like birds, like to take pictures of them, or just enjoy looking at bird photography.

Date / Time: Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 6.00PM

Location: E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center, 8991 Bellevue Heights Rd, Dubuque, IA 52003

Ok, so don’t let the “cabin fever” take possession of you while you sit on your sofa 😉. Come out on Thursday, join us for the presentation, and have some fun!

OZARK MOUNTAINS (3) - THE WILDLIFE

To be honest, while traveling not very far south during our trip to Missouri and Arkansas I didn’t expect to watch a lot of wildlife during this late time of the year. Although we had forest in almost every direction all the way to the horizon in the Ozark Mountains at times, we saw very few White-tailed Deer. Luckily camping in a tent provides the great advantage to greet the first birds in the morning as soon they may appear, and say good night to the last ones (mostly the Cardinals) in the evening.

Golden-crowned Kinglet, a tiny bird I have seen only twice before. The branches of a Red Cedar are a perfect setting for making an image of this bird, but most importantly, that’s where the kinglet found little insects while gleaning quickly between branches.

The large Pileated Woodpecker seems to be more widespread in the Ozarks than here in eastern Iowa. We found a pair at every campsite. Making a picture is another story. They know how to drive a photographer crazy…

The Yellow-rumped Warbler is a bird that may not migrate as far south as many other warblers. To no surprise we found them still in southern Missouri during late November.

Female Northern Cardinal. Who needs an alarm clock if the first sound in the morning comes from the action of Northern Cardinals?

THE EXCITEMENT GROWS

Sandhill Cranes, Green Island Wetlands, March 2017

Tonight was the first meeting of the year for the Dubuque Camera Club (http://www.dubuquecameraclub.com). I’m in my second year now with the club and really enjoy the networking with other photographers. After the official program we nature photographers quite often exchange our thoughts, discuss wildlife sightings, or share locations that might be of interest for other fellow photogs. Today the question came up, when will we see the first signs of bird migration with this unusual warm weather pattern? We don’t really know yet, but I could sense that we were all excited about the upcoming season and look already forward to a hopefully busy time. The Sandhill Cranes will be part of it.

SPRING AT ITS BEST

Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4

Spring doesn’t get any better than it was last Sunday here in eastern Iowa. It was the weekend when many summer residents, like the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Baltimore Orioles, and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, finally arrived after their long migration journey. We still see wildflowers in the timber and many trees show their blossoms. The last two days were gray and rainy again and this makes us appreciate a Sunday as the last one even more...

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!! :-)