NATURE CLICKS #326 - PEREGRINE FALCON

Mississippi Valley, Bellevue State Park, Iowa

Another very windy day here in eastern Iowa again but staying home on a Sunday in spring is not really an option, isn’t it? My birder friend Sally gave me a hint a few days ago about the presence of Peregrine Falcons in Bellevue, Iowa. I knew about this location since a few years but had never spotted a falcon. Well, today was the day! At my arrival late morning I saw a pair of Peregrines near the nest box that is mounted to the rocks on the east side of the bluffs at Bellevue State Park. What beautiful birds!! After I had my gear in place, right beside the highway below, one of them was gone and I had no clue were it went (nest box?). The other falcon perched in a tree slightly below the box.

These Peregrin Falcons were another first sighting for me. I made quite a few shots but wasn’t really happy with the outcome due to the harsh light. I decided to come back later when the bluffs would not be in direct sunlight anymore and moved on to the Green Island Wetlands.

The photo I show you today was finally made during the late afternoon. Only one bird was sitting in a dead tree below the bluffs. Good enough for me and much easier to handle without the direct sun light…

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2015 #3

I have been down at the Mississippi River in Mud Lake many times and I knew one of these days it would happen. Clouds were moving out this evening and while our little dog Cooper and I enjoyed the mood and solitude, a gap opened up and a shaft of light hit the bluffs on the Wisconsin side of the big river. I have never seen the reflections of the rocks coming all across the river with such an intensity. From all the photos I made during the brief period of time, this one is my favorite. I used the Nikkor 24-120, f/4 for this shot. Zooming in to 86 mm compresses the distance a little bit and I like that the reflections are more pronounced than in some other pictures that were made at the wider end of the lens. The foreground was all muddy drift wood and the photo benefits actually from leaving this out of the frame.

On a side note, I saw the little owlet peeking out of the nest today. Now I believe it is safe to say that we have for the third year in a row only one young Great Horned Owl in the nest. I think this is still wonderful and we look forward to see it grow up, at least until it will leave the nest in a few weeks.