CHIMNEY SWIFTS COMING IN FOR THE NIGHT

Chimney Swifts, Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa

Tonight was a pop-up birding event, made public by Marty Corfman, a very active member of the Audubon Society, at the Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. We were able to see hundreds of Chimney Swifts circle around the tower of the seminar and finally pour into an old chimney after sunset. I’m sure everybody who joined this event enjoyed it and was touched by watching the swifts showing up one after another and entering their roost for the night. Thank you Marty for the invitation!

The Chimney Swifts will depart soon for the tropical areas in South America, where they will spend the winter. I shot a number of still images, like the one above, but also recorded a short video sequence. Feel free to click the video link below.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4

NATURE CLICKS #525 - AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN

American White Pelican, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

The weather is just right for spending time on the Mississippi River in a kayak during the evenings. A couple days ago I came across this solitary juvenile American White Pelican. Usually a larger group roosts far away, almost on the other side of the river, but this lonely guy was perched on a log right next to the entrance of the marina at Mud Lake. The bird let me come very close but kept an eye on me while I was drifting carefully around it, trying to get the sun behind my back. I shot a lot of pictures with different backgrounds but this photo was my final choice, where good light, background, and gesture of the pelican came all together in the frame.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   @ 600 mm, 1/800 s, f/8, ISO 200