NATURE CLICKS #558 - AMERICAN AVOCET

American Avocet, Maskunky Marsh, Mahaska County, Iowa

Business required me to travel this week in Kansas and Missouri but unfortunately the camera stayed in the bag due to the lack of time. On my way back to eastern Iowa today I finally stopped at the Maskunky Marsh, near Oskaloosa in Mahaska County. I was there only once before, in July 2021, and it was the first time that I saw and photographed Yellow-crowned Night Herons. I knew this wouldn’t happen today but my hope to find some other shore birds came true.

This migratory single American Avocet was feeding in the shallow water of the marsh. The bird is in its breeding plumage and it was the first time that I saw an avocet in Iowa. I read about occasional sightings by other birders but we are not in its breeding range, which is further west and northwest.

The American Avocet feeds by having the bill underwater and swinging it from side to side along the bottom. This way they stir up aquatic insects.

Both photos are heavily cropped, although the first one was even shot with the TC 1.4, extending the focal length to 850 mm. There was just no way to get any closer to this bird but for an important sighting, like this avocet, I gladly crop the heck out of the image. 😉

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG

PURE ELEGANCE

Greater Sandhill Crane, Mississippi River, Deere Marsh, Dubuque, Iowa

During my short ”lunch walks” with our dog Cooper I spotted this pair of Greater Sandhill Cranes several times during the last couple weeks. If I didn’t see them, I heard at least their distinctive calls. The marsh between the big John Deere factory and the Mississippi River is an ideal habitat for this most elegant bird. Frogs have started to send out their vocal messages and beside that I’m sure the omnivorous cranes find plenty of food. Chances are not bad that this pair of Sandhill Cranes may nest in the area.

While one of the cranes was constantly searching for food, the other one watched out for predators. One of the numerous muskrat mounds in the marsh was an ideal place for this job.

All images: Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,

The key for today’s photos was to keep the gray sky and most of the water surface out of the frame. I had the Nikon Z6II with the Sigma 150-600 S on a Blackrapid Sport sling strap around my shoulder. This allowed to move fast with the heavy lens and still have my hands free if I needed to interact with the dog.

THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE

John Deere Marsh, Mississippi River, Dubuque, iowa

The trees at John Deere Marsh, down at the Mississippi River, had a white coating after yesterday’s snowfall. The temperature had dropped quite a bit overnight (-14ºC / 7ºF) and the snow was clinging to almost everything. Part of the marsh is still very dry and doesn’t have much water, due to little rainfall last summer. Normally we wouldn’t see that much vegetation still standing and ice would cover the area up to the tree line. As so often, I document weather and climate related changes but still try to do it with an artistic touch.

I focussed on the dead tree in the middle ground with a wide open lens, knowing that foreground and background would render just graphic impressions out of focus, when suddenly the element of surprise came into play. While looking through the viewfinder and zooming with my feet, back and forth, left and right, a male Northern Harrier came buoyantly gliding into the frame. I can’t think of another bird of prey, except for certain owls, that is a better representative for the marsh and wetlands than the Northern Harrier. Their owl-like facial disk helps them with directional hearing to locate their prey. At this time of the year they rely mostly on rodents and birds

The Nikon Z6II is capable to combine multiple shots into one picture but the time was way too short to make a change in camera settings of that magnitude. However, I made three clicks, with the second one the photo you see here. In Adobe Photoshop I copied just the bird from the two other images into the final picture, at the same spots as in the originals. Now you have an idea how this story developed within one second in my viewfinder.

The detail obsessed viewer may see more in the photo. At the tree line in the back is a huge Bald Eagle nest. An eagle is guarding it and maybe we see them breeding again next year at this location.

NATURE CLICKS #378 - COMMON GALLINULE

Common Gallinule, Mississippi River, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa ----------

The Common Gallinule is often confused with the American Coot, but it is easily distinguished by the red shield-like plate above its bill. This chicken-like marsh bird has unwebbed feet but is nevertheless an excellent swimmer. They are also known under the name Common Moorhen. You may hear their loud squeaks, clucks, and screams before you even have a chance to see one. It took me several years to make my first photo of a gallinule and it wasn’t until this summer that I made a few pictures that can be shown in public without embarrassment. They spend the winter in the southern Atlantic states of the US and in South America.