AT THE END OF THE DAY

Sandhill Cranes, Green Island Preserve, Mississippi Valley, Iowa

Going out on a photo walk or drive doesn’t always lead to an image that is worth to show or sometimes no wildlife at all shows up in front of the lens. This was pretty much how it was this afternoon on either side of the Mississippi River. Coming back from the Illinois side I decided to give it another try and went back to Green Island this evening.

Earlier in the afternoon I counted 17 Sandhill Cranes but all too far away and the high temperatures created quite some heat shimmer above the ground. The air had cleared this evening and the numbers of cranes went up to at least 80 birds again, about the same as last weekend. They were spread out in five different groups in the part of the Green Island Wetlands that is a bird sanctuary. No access is allowed for this area and you have to deal with the distance the birds give you. It is so much fun to watch the migrating Sandhill Cranes and especially when they display their courtship and bonding dances in the warm light of the setting sun.

WILDLIFE IN THE VALLES CALDERA

Valles Caldera, National Preserve, New Mexico

About 1.25 million years ago, a spectacular volcanic eruption created the 13-mile wide circular depression now known as the Valles Caldera. This National Preserve is known for its huge mountain meadows, abundant wildlife, and meandering streams. The area also preserves the homeland of ancestral native peoples and embraces a rich ranching history. (source: park website) 

The Valles Caldera is not far from Bandelier National Monument and we spent a couple evenings in the area, hoping to see some wildlife. A herd of grazing elk was in the distance, but too far away for any decent photo. Near the visitor center we were lucky to see this coyote roaming around. With its wonderful fur the animal blent well in between grass and sage brush. A prairie dog colony was not very far and the coyote knew probably where to find them.

A day earlier these two Common Ravens enjoyed the rays of the last sun on top of a metal structure. I always think it is the most difficult bird to photograph. Although they sat pretty still, finding the right exposure and a point to focus on their black feathers seems always to be a challenge. Well, they gave me plenty of time to try out different settings in the camera…

ON THE GOAT PRAIRIE

At Pohlman’s Prairie, Little Maquoketa River Valley, Iowa

Only about a mile away from our home is a 23 acre site of ‘goat prairie’, a remnant and variant of tall grass prairie, mostly found in the Upper Mississippi Valley on south-southwest slopes. It is a preserve here on top of the limestone bluffs in our valley of the Little Maquoketa River, just north of Dubuque, Iowa. Only a few more miles down, the Little Maquoketa meets the mighty Mississippi.

Last week Joan celebrated her birthday and due to the circumstances we all know about, we didn’t go out for a fancy dinner but made a short hike up the slope to ‘Pohlman’s Prairie’. Too early for wildflowers on the goat prairie but the view across the valley compensates for the efforts to make this little hike. The small patch of dry grass prairie is surrounded by Eastern Red Cedars. Actually an invasive tree, but nevertheless very pretty and its berries are a great source of food during fall and winter for several species of birds.

I always loved this spot on top of the bluffs and have photographed it many times before. With nothing but overcast, I thought a black and white photo would tell the story about this day at the end of winter the best. The dark cedars in the foreground frame the river and bridge. It doesn’t matter that there are no leaves out yet, the trees on the other side of the valley are out of focus but give a sense of place. Not a photo for the next local touristic brochure but I have enjoyed making it and it pleases my sense for landscape photography.

GOING FOR THE DETAIL SHOTS

Shaft of light on a rock in the Volga River, Iowa -----

Yesterday’s photo here in the blog was all about the river, the season, and the mood of the landscape. But I always like to look for the lines and textures, and when the light or just color contrast make a subject pop I see another image. This was sometimes a challenge along the Volga River last weekend. The recent flash flood left a lot of clutter, like sticks and broken trees, along the shore and between the rocks. Keeping them out of the frame is not always possible and cleaning a few sticks up in post process is not a crime in my books.

Fern, Brush Creek Canyon State Preserve, Iowa

On our way home we briefly checked out another area, Brush Creek Canyon State Preserve, near Arlington, Iowa. The preserve contains a rugged forested gorge along the Silurian Escarpment, a prominent ridge located on the western edge of the Paleozoic Plateau landform region in northeast Iowa. We didn’t have the right boots to hike down into the canyon but want to come back better prepared another time. However, a few images were made. The fern growing out of 435 million years old Silurian dolomite didn’t have a shaft of light on it, like the rock in the first image, but the color contrast makes this photo work for me.

BACK IN BOLSA CHICA

Great Egret, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California --------  

Last Sunday, after four years of absence, I was again in the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, a wetland area near Huntington Beach in Southern California. This was my fourth time since 2010 and I never came back disappointed. It is a great place for bird watching and photography.

My strategy has been always to arrive on location before sunrise and to leave after the sun disappeared behind the horizon line of the Pacific Ocean. I took a lunch break for some much craved fresh seafood in the early afternoon, when the light is usually not at its best in Southern California, but returned for the warm light in the late afternoon.

I talked with a lot of people in the preserve, other photographers, bird watchers, or locals that were in for a walk along the shore of the laguna. Everybody was extremely friendly and helpful with hints where to find some particular birds. I was told we are kind of between seasons in Bolsa Chica. While some winter residents have already arrived, many are not there yet. However, I had a great time last Sunday in the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. Some of the birds we never or hardly ever see here in Iowa and as a result I have at least one species on my memory card that I saw and photographed for the first time. I’ll talk about this in one of my future blog posts.

The Great Egret is a bird that we see here along the Mississippi River during the summer. It was the gesture of this bird, while on the hunt for a fish, that made me choose this image for today’s blog post.