WATCHING AND LISTENING, PRICELESS!

Click photos for larger image.  --------

I always enjoy meeting with other photographers and photo enthusiast, exchanging thoughts and share little tips and locations. Last night I talked with Kevin in the Green Island Wetlands, who I met at my photo presentation in the Swiss Valley Nature Center a month ago. He loves nature photography and read about the presence of Sandhill Cranes in my blog. All I can say is that it makes me happy when people find inspiration here and get out to find the interesting things in the great outdoors. This is what this blog is about.

The main actors the last couple days were the Sandhill Cranes again and as I mentioned before, I have never seen them in such large numbers in Green Island. Yesterday I had a head count of about 90, but the cranes were scattered all over the fields and it was hard to keep track. Kevin and I positioned our ‘mobile blinds’ on the westside of the bird sanctuary and we had several opportunities to make the click. Friday night some clouds moved in front of the sun and it was a different quality of light I had to deal with. It was a different approach that required a higher ISO setting due to the lack of quality light. Even if the results can’t be always the best, it is a good opportunity to practice and hone our shooting technique. Today’s images are all from Saturday. Watching and listening to the calls of the Sandhill Cranes is anyway priceless, no matter how the photo shoot goes…

BALD EAGLE DAY

Adult Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, lock & dam #14, LeClaire, Iowa

Today I finally had a chance for the first time this winter season to travel down south to lock & dam #14 in LeClaire, Iowa for some Bald Eagle photography and for more exercise with the new Sigma 150-600 Sports lens. I like the late afternoon light at this location the best and so I took my time and visited several other locations along the Mississippi River on my way. The river has ice cover all the way down to Princeton, Iowa but it isn’t solid and there are open spots. South of Princeton I found nothing but open water, except for the bays and some backwater areas. This is unusual in January but except for the last couple weeks it was a relative warm winter. I saw lots of ducks and mergansers that just go so far south as the ice stretches.

Photographers lined up at lock #14, LeClaire, Iowa

The parking lot at #14 was completely filled when I arrived and I don’t think I have ever seen so many people with cameras in this place yet. I think it is great that more and more people go out for nature photography but I personally don’t like big crowds and try to avoid them. Well, I turned around and went across the river on Interstate 80 to the Illinois side of the Mississippi. Wow, I had it all for myself! There was nobody at the dam on this side of the river. The main reason is that shooting from the east side of the river is not always the best in the afternoon but I had my chances. The photo above shows only part of the crowd that gathered on the Iowa side. The river is here more than one kilometer wide. This is next to the exit of the lock and many photographers like this place because the eagles perch in the trees nearby, there is always open water, and you have a good chance to make a picture of a Bald Eagle catching fish.

Immature Bald Eagle, Mississippi River,dam #14, Illinois side

The bay next to the dam on the Illinois side of the river had ice and a nice snow cover. This worked like a giant reflector and the photo of this immature young Bald Eagle flying over was made without flash or bringing up much of the shadows in post process.