AT THE HEIGHT OF SUMMER

Yesterday, while working with the camera at the nest box, photographing the young House Wrens, I saw out of the corner of my eye one of the Giant Swallowtails drinking nectar from our flowers. I have made hundreds of pictures over the years from that species and it isn’t really special anymore, but it was the way the light was shining through its wings that triggered my interest this time. The flash fill helped to reveal the colors of the purple cone flower and despite a very harsh overall light I was able to maintain the luminosity of the scene.

By the way, the little House Wrens left the nest today. I wasn’t there when it happened, so I will never find out how many have been in the nest. They are probably somewhere around here in the woods right now. I saw and heard the male parent bird singing this evening again and I now wonder if he already tries to attract the female again…

NATURE CLICKS #338 - AMERICAN REDSTART

When this warbler, an American Redstart, landed on the dead branch, hanging down from a tree, quick decisions had to be made. The bird was there only for about two seconds. I knew immediately when I saw this in the viewfinder that it was all about luminosity for this shot, and not so much about detail or what else might be interesting for my friends in the “birder camp” or for the “technical purists”. The male American Redstart can be easily identified by the color pattern on its tail. Having the yellow side bands of its tail against the tree trunk in the background is for me the story telling element in this photo. It says it all, yes, I’m pretty, I’m spending the summer here in Eastern Iowa, I see you and the girls see me… ;-)… Yep, its artsy-fartsy, but I hope you can tell that I liked the moment and finally the photo that came out of it…

LIGHT AND COLOR, BUT NOT WILDLIFE

Why is this post not filed in the category of wildlife photography? Good question, because most of my blog posts circling around wildlife. Why not, especially if my #1 “most wanted” bird, the Belted Kingfisher, is in the frame? The distance between me and the bird, and the water of the marina at Finley’s Landing between us, would have resulted at its best in a documentary shot. I make a lot of those, just to keep track about times and dates when I see particular birds during a year. This helps me later to draw conclusions about another photo opportunity, maybe in better light, at a later point in time.

This shot was taken not too far from sunset and it is the composition, the subtle light, and the colors that make me like this photo. I admit, I concentrated on the kingfisher but my subconscious level of attention took care for the rest. The almost identical angle of the slanted roof of this boat dock and the hill behind it, the wild flowers in the lower left corner, and the luminosity of the gravel road and the roof, reflecting the remaining day light, it all comes together in this photo. I think the picture would work somehow without the bird but the appearance of the graphical bold kingfisher puts the icing on the cake…