NATURE CLICKS #542 - DOWNY WOODPECKER

Male Downy Woodpecker

It was not very busy around our bird feeders during the last three days. Spring is not here yet but warmer temperatures made the snow from last week melting quickly and the energy demand of the birds has obviously slowed down. This may change tonight and tomorrow. Another winter storm warning has been issued. The bird we can always count on to show up is the Downy Woodpecker. Up to nine ‘Downys’ have been here at the same time while we had the last cold snap. It is a great bird to practice bird photography, even for beginners. The contrast around their eyes makes it easy to focus and get a sharp picture in comparison to many other species. While males and females stay separate in fall and early winter, they form pairs during late winter. Both sexes take turns drumming loudly on dead limbs in the trees and that sound has started already around here.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2022 #4 - SIGNS OF SPRING?

American White Pelicans, Mississippi River, Lock & Dam #14, Le Claire, Iowa

In search for the first signs of spring I went down south today to lock & dam #14 in Le Claire, Iowa, where Interstate 80 crosses the Mississippi. Driving on both sides of the river (Iowa and Illinois) gave me different perspectives and direction of light during this road trip. Up here in Dubuque, around lock & dam #11, everything was still covered with ice. South of lock & dam #13 in Clinton, Iowa the river had mostly open water. In the distance I saw hundreds, if not thousands, of ducks and mergansers. It will become much warmer in the next few days and the ice will break shortly, means these birds will move north as the ice is in retreat.

Lock & dam #14 in Le Claire was well known over the years for being a good spot to photograph Bald Eagles during the winter months. This has changed in the last few years, due to mild winters, some loss of perching trees, and probably busy construction and other activities in the area. 

I went there for spotting a particular species of gulls, found it, and will write about in another blog post. With the relatively new Nikon Z6II I still try to learn and find out the best way to focus on fast moving animals. Gulls are one of the best subjects to practice handholding and panning with the long lens. It was a good feeling to refresh the ‘muscle memory’ for this kind of shooting today. I could tell, I’m out of shape and need a lot more practice to regain my skills.

On the way back to the car I suddenly saw the shadows of many big birds crossing in front of me. Looking up, silently about 80+ American White Pelicans soared elegantly overhead and gave me another chance to practice with the long lens. Sign of spring? You bet!

 

THE DAILY PRACTICE

White-tailed Deer fawn

Theoretically I could make this photo almost every day right here in front of the house when we have snow on the ground. The White-tailed Deer, who roam the area, know where to find food despite the snow cover. If you hang your bird feeders too low they may empty it within a short period of time. Usually they come for what’s dropped to the ground by birds and squirrels, but if we have really deep snow, I throw a couple extra hands full of seeds out just for the deer. This morning I saw a doe at 5am, and that was still too dark for a picture. The best time is usually in the late afternoon. We have a few fawns, born in 2020, that are brave enough and come all the way to the front porch. If I see them ahead of time and before they walk in, I can open the bedroom window and just wait for them…

I have made photos of White-tailed Deer in better light but we can’t be always choosy. We need to keep the ball rolling, even if weather, light, or other circumstances are not in photographer’s favor. If nothing else, it’s the daily practice behind the camera that counts and that may help us to make the technical side of shooting a subconscious part of the process.

AUTUMN IN MINNESOTA #14 - WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS IN LOW LIGHT

White-tailed Deer, Bear Head Lake State Park, Minnesota

I have never been a friend of shooting wildlife with an ISO setting above 250-320. But when you walk out into nature early in the morning or during a day with low light due to overcast, you have to rethink your ideas. The higher the ISO, the lower the resolving power, the more noise in the image, and the lower the dynamic range. But at the other hand, a sharp photo with a higher ISO setting is still better than capturing a blurry picture because shutter speed is too slow as a result of having the ISO settings in the basement. This is in particular true if a very long focal length is employed while handholding the camera. There is a limit where Vibration Reduction or Optical Stabilization, as SIGMA calls it in their lenses, may help you to get a sharp image. The well-disposed viewer of a photo on the web, in a blog post, on Instagram, or any other social site may not see much of a difference, but the real quality bar for a good photograph is the ultimate print.

The photo of this White-tailed Deer, up in Bear Head Lake State Park, Minnesota was shot at ISO 800. To make it clear, it wasn’t a difficult shot. As I wrote here in the blog before, the deer near a campground are not tame, but they are used to people and don’t run away as soon they see a human. Staying in or near a campground is a safety strategy that at least works during the camping season. Their predators, like wolves, avoid these places.

I have shot handheld at 500-600 mm focal length, 1/60 s, ISO 200 or even lower, but I also have deleted a lot of pictures with this kind of settings. Practice is always the key to success for sharp photos but sometimes a higher ISO can save your butt.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,   at 490 mm, 1/320s, f/6.3, ISO800

YEP, WINTER IS FINALLY HERE…

Pine Siskin, Little Maquoketa River Valley, Iowa

A couple notable things happened today. First, we got our first real snow storm of the season last night. About eight inches of the white stuff hit the ground here on our bluffs above the Little Maquoketa River Valley, followed by sunshine this morning and I bet there is no nature photographer that would complain about that. The second was ‘Eagle Watch Day’, one of my favorite educational events here in Dubuque, Iowa, and I will show some photos for this part of the day tomorrow.

With the fresh snow came all the birds to the feeders and the two bird baths we provide. Not always seen and only here in the winter is the Pine Siskin. This photo was taken in the ‘backyard studio’, to be more precise on our balcony. I didn’t scoop the snow on the deck because I want the gorgeous light from underneath for my bird photography. During the last few years we had actually an elm growing very close to the balcony in the backyard. This makes for a perfect perch for the birds before they enter any of the feeders and this fast growing tree has been quite often a great stage for bird photography. However, the little branch you see in this picture is mounted to the reeling of the balcony, right next to a bird bath and a feeder with sunflower seeds. Shameless trick? I don’t think so. The birds will come to the feeders no matter what, unless a hawk is around the house, but this little perch allows me to make a photo even through the glass of the balcony door with a good background. Ok, this may not be always exciting, but if we don’t practice long lens technique as much as we can, we will never make the click that we always hope to make one of these days…

TAKING ADVANTAGE

The last snow melted finally away today but there is more in the forecast for Sunday. I always like to take advantage of the “big reflector” and use the extra light for some shots around the house. About half a dozen Eastern Gray Squirrels (at least!) invite themselves and take advantage of the sunflower seeds at our bird feeders. They are a good subject to practice and study how the direction of light can effect the outcome. And yeah, there is always the cuteness factor that comes with these critters…🐿

PHOTO, LONG TIME IN MIND

Green Heron, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

I usually consider August not a great time for bird photography, mainly because the light may not have always the best quality. Here in Iowa it is hot and humid and most of the time with this kind of weather comes a haziness that is sometimes difficult to work with. Going out on the Mississippi River by kayak during the last hours of daylight can be a game changer, although coming back with just a good spirit and maybe a Red-winged Blackbird on the memory card is not uncommon. But this is part of the process. If you don’t practice the shooting technique with a heavy camera and lens combination, handhold from the boat, you may never be ready when the magic moment unfolds in front of you.

The photos of the Green Heron were made during such a moment. This bird is very skittish and usually takes off long before I come close. Light, background, and gestures were all there and finally I had my chance to make the environmental portrait of this bird I had in mind since a long time.

BUNNY VS. COOPER

Eastern Cottontail ------    

An Eastern Cottontail is a good critter to practice wildlife photography and to study how different light effects the fur of an animal. Even if they sit relatively still, it remains a challenge to get a sharp image of the face because they chew grass and other plants and their muscles are constantly in motion. I approached the bunny step by step, moving forward with the tripod very slowly, stop, shoot, move, stop, shoot… This was fun to do last weekend on the farm and ended only abruptly when the terrier instincts in our little dog Cooper made the cottontail run for the bushes. Cooper is a fast dog but against the bunny he had not a chance at all…

AIR SHOW PREPARATIONS

Last week the noise of airplane engines around here reminded me that the big EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin is coming up next week. As always during the last years the Dubuque Airport hosts a number of WWII airplanes and their crews to prepare for the air shows.

Aviation photography is not really my main interest but I always like to use this opportunity to practice handholding of the camera and long lens. The same skills used for shooting a moving airplane can be used in wildlife photography. All the airplanes have propeller engines and the only way to get a full circle of the prop is to shoot with about 1/60 s exposure time. This is easier said than done and the amount of garbage I have produced was much higher than during any other time of the year. Friday evening the planes used the landing strip near the observation point at the airport and this allowed for a number of pictures that filled the frame without any significant cropping. More to come…

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, @ 1/60 s

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…

NATURE CLICKS #361 - NORTHERN CARDINAL

Winter came back here in Iowa last night and a fresh layer of snow covers the ground again. Daylight saving time went into effect Sunday night and the only good thing about itis the extra hour of daylight that extends the shooting time with the camera after work. The cold temperatures and snow cover drive the birds to the feeders in larger numbers and tonight we had several Northern Cardinals visiting us. The cardinals are very shy and quite often don’t come down from the higher branches if I stand with my tripod on the front porch. The weather made them obviously a little braver and I had my chance to make a few clicks. The only way to make this photo was to use flash fill for some color, but this actually collides with the fact that there were always some little twigs between the camera and the bird. Their shadows were projected onto the feathers and put this shot into mediocrity. I didn’t pay attention to this little detail and saw it only later on the computer screen. No, the world doesn’t come to end for me because it is important to practice as much as possible and having a Northern Cardinal in front of my lens doesn’t happen every day… 😊

WEEKEND AT THE AIRPORT

Regional Airport, Dubuque, Iowa

On Monday starts the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, an annual gathering of aviation enthusiasts from all over the world with more than 10,000 aircraft. The week before the North American Trainer Association (NATA) has a gathering at the Regional Airport in Dubuque, Iowa and many of their T-6’s can be seen every year. I was at the airport Friday evening and yesterday afternoon but because of weather (we had a tornado warning yesterday) all aircraft were just parked on the tarmac.

This morning I had a chance to point my lens at some of the T-6’s and a P-51D as they finally took off and headed to Oshkosh for the big airshow next week. I shot between 1/100s and 1/125s because I wanted the prop of the planes blurred. With a hazy blue sky in the back it is not so easy to communicate fast motion but the blurred prop tells the story.

You may ask, why do you shoot aircraft as a wildlife and nature photographer? First, I have a deep respect for those who keep these old airplanes flying. They are part of our history and I believe it is important to keep it alive for the younger generation. Second, it is a great practice for shooting a moving subject and I’m certain that my wildlife photography can benefit from. And third, most old aircraft have an esthetic appeal to me, like many other historic master pieces of engineering.