MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES CONTINUE STILL IN 2015

The only positive thing about day light saving time in my books is that it allows to shoot photos an hour longer between leaving the office and complete dark. My folks over in Germany have another two weeks before they have to set the clock an hour ahead of real time. Even if I don’t like the whole thing, I take advantage of it and spent more time outside in the evening.

Our snow melts away very rapidly and I enjoy to see the changes at the Mississippi River. At Mud Lake, our closest access point to the river, the ice had still covered up everything today, but the color of snow and ice got a lot darker. A sure sign that we will see open water soon. This island, illuminated by the setting sun, separates the main channel of the Mississippi from the backwaters, the actual Mud Lake. It provides habitat for many species, including Sandhill Cranes, muskrats, blackbirds, snakes, and turtles. I already look forward to go round it with the kayak again this summer

Nikon D300s, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM

There is a small passage between the river and Mud Lake that has always some open water, due to a strong current. I know, I just posted some pictures of a muskrat but I couldn’t resist to make the click when I saw this young critter in nice light chewing on aquatic plant material.

Nikon D300s, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM

I promised you to give you an update if I have news from the Great Horned Owl. Nothing new yet, mother owl still sits on the nest and watches every step me and our little dog Cooper do in the distance. I have been there several times recently and everything seems to be fine. We can’t be far away from the appearance of one or more owlets. I have seen the owl on the nest 26 days ago for the first time this season and with a gestation period between 28 and 35 days we might be pretty close.

VALID QUESTION AND MOOD OF AN OUTGOING WINTER

Nikon D300s, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM

A valid question to ask is what one finds out there in the Green Island Wetlands when everything is frozen and covered with snow? It’s a simple answer, it just needs a little more patience to find the critters during the winter. I don’t always come back with a good image, not even in the summer, but I never came back without seeing any wildlife.

Yesterday this beautiful Red-tailed Hawk soared above and finally landed in a tree just in front of me. I talked about the snow as a big reflector lately a few times and in this photo you can really see what I mean. The sun creates a nice catch light in its eye, but the snow below bounces the light off and makes the use of a speed light needless.

Nikon D300s, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4

On my way back home I paid a visit to the Mines of Spain, the wooded and prairie land just south of Dubuque. There wasn’t as much snow as here at home anymore but still enough to provide a nice color contrast to the almost golden looking prairie grass that swayed in the wind just half an hour before sunset. Love the mood of an outgoing winter… :-)

Finding light in the cold

The bitter cold last weekend, that by the way still persists at the moment, didn’t stop us to have a little hike down on the Heritage Trail along the Little Maquoketa River. It was about the time when the sun disappeared behind the ridge and the shadows started filling the valley. When I realized the reflections that developed on the ice in the river bed I saw my chance for a photo. I didn’t have enough reach with the 24-120 mm lens to isolate the scene as you see it here. A wire fence between the trail and the river prevented me to zoom in with my feet, means getting closer to the subject. The upper part of the slope was still in direct sunlight and so I made the click and cropped the picture in Lightroom. I hate to loose pixels, but if it makes the difference, having the shot or not, I can make a compromise. Can I? ;-)

A VEIL OF SNOW

Nikon D300s, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4; 1/45 s, f/8, ISO200

While I’m writing this blog post the states in the northeast of the US face “Juno”, a big snow storm. We had some new snow this morning as well but it was a pleasure to watch it. For a little while it came down pretty hard and the light was kinda ethereal. I tried to catch the intensity of the snow fall and the light but I don’t think I have the photo nailed yet. Several shots with different shutter speeds were made and some worked better than others. A Mourning Dove sat almost motionless during this heavy snow fall on a branch, and even if hidden behind a veil of snow, it gives the eye some anchor in this pattern of trees and snow trails.

Winter Wonderland

 

This is how the morning greeted us today. Before I swung the snow shovel for a couple hours I had. to make a few clicks from the balcony of our house. It was the wonderful pattern the snow had created in our trees that I was after. As Joan always says with a twinkle in her eyes…”Ich liebe Winter!!”… ;-)