MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2015 #8

Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4

Joan, I, and the dog went out this evening for a nice long walk into the Deere Marsh, a wetland area between the Mississippi River and the big John Deere factory north of Dubuque, Iowa. We had a fresh and clear day with a few puffy clouds in the sky, but unfortunately they all had disappeared before the evening.

Joan likes to shoot wildflowers and plants and this area had still plenty to offer for her. I just brought my favorite “walk around” lens, the Nikkor 24 - 120 / f4, and was hoping to chase some good light.

We had what I call a “dirty sunset”, a little hazy and not too pretty, nothing really special about it. But after the sun disappeared behind the ridge of the Mississippi Valley things started to unfold. Hundreds of Red-winged Blackbirds were flying above us towards a grove with tall trees, located on a small island in the river. They obviously spend the night there after feeding on insects and seeds during the day between the water lilies and arrow heads that grow in the backwaters of the river. I would not have made any picture of the sunset because I didn’t have a middle-ground with an interesting silhouette, but the blackbirds took care for that and became the story telling element in this photo.

TURKEY RIVER (THE ONLY SHOT)

I’m sorry, it does not happen very often that I can’t choose from many pictures during a weekend filling event. Joan and I paddled the Turkey River here in Northeast Iowa, and of course, “kayak dog Cooper” was in the boat too. For the local visitors of my blog, we did the stretch between Elgin and Motor Mill, Iowa in three stages. Our last take out was at Motor Mill, between Elkader and Garber, and that is the location the photo was made. The Turkey River isn’t really difficult to paddle but I decided to leave the camera at shore this time. We stopped counting Bald Eagles sitting in the trees along the river after a while. They are here in Iowa in abundance and I think it is one of the best stories about bird restoration that is worth talking about. Many other birds, like Belted Kingfishers, Eastern Kingbirds, Cedar Waxwings, and several unidentified flycatchers drew our attention. We saw the biggest White-tailed Deer buck I have ever seen and many fawns told the story about a new generation of deer growing up this summer. With other words, wildlife in abundance.

Sure, this sounds like a lot of missed opportunities but in reality shooting out of a fast floating kayak, with hardly any way to stop, may most likely not lead to a good photo.

However, here is the shot I made after the kayaks were back on the roof of the car. Motor Mill is an old Wheat Mill, built in 1864, and in a very good state of preservation. It is listed on the National Register of Historical sites. 

FINDING A COMPOSITION

My fascination for great clouds, especially big thunderheads, is unbroken. A few days ago we had plenty of them. All what it took was going down to the big river and find a composition. There is some water between me and the reeds in the background but I kept it out of the frame. The eye has no choice but going straight to the cloud, and that is how it was meant...

SAILING AND SOARING IN THE EVENING BREEZE

Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, at 85 mm

The Mississippi River is a great place for all kinds of recreation and during the summer many people use it for fishing, paddling, or just running their speed boats. Seeing a sail boat with all sails set is not an everyday occurrence and the puffy clouds on the Wisconsin side of the river made for a nice background.

Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, at 420 mm

The guy handled his boat actually very well in the evening breeze. The photos were made just below lock and dam #11 in Dubuque, IA and the river is here only about 400 meters wide.

Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, at 420 mm

The soaring pelican may explain why I had the long lens on the camera during the little walk with our dog Cooper along the river. Unfortunately this was the only one we had within shooting range. Including part of a cloud was key for this image.

CLOUDS AND COLORS

Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4, @24 mm

This shot was not difficult to make. The train was parked aside from the main track. To be honest, if it wasn’t for the nice clouds I may have skipped this one. The blue of the sky and the red of the engine in combination with the puffy clouds drew my interest. There is constant train traffic in the Mississippi Valley but most engines look kinda worn out and are not so photogenic anymore but this one is still a beauty. The bridge in the background helps to tell the story, even if the Mississippi is not part of the picture. The same scene without the clouds and just a plain blue sky would have had a lot less impact. In this case I probably would have moved in a bit closer to keep much of the sky out of the frame. As so often, the clouds made the difference… 

LEOPARD FROG AND SUMMER MOOD

Northern Leopard Frog

Hi friends, I’m back from Sacramento, CA where I spent the week on a business trip. There was no time for photography (explains the week without a single blog post) and finally I arrived a day late because of weather issues in Denver. Good to be back home and having the weekend for what I love to do the most, being in the great outdoors and using the camera.

There is a lot going on here in our woods and yesterday I did some bird photography. But let me start with a couple of my favorite pictures from today. Both images were made in the Green Island Wetlands. Because of last week’s rain the water level in the Mississippi and the wetlands is higher than normal. Except for the Canada Geese, who already escort their offspring, you can’t see much of the waterfowl. The grass and reed is tall and hides the ducks, coots, and mergansers pretty good.

I like to make the shot with some gesture of the critter but the Leopard Frog isn’t known for cute gestures ;-)  It just sits and waits probably for an insect to come by. Well, how do we make an image of the frog work anyway? We have to lay down and meet the critter at eye level. I tried this with two other frogs before but they didn’t like my presence and jumped into the taller grass. For this one I went down and crawled slowly towards the frog until I had it at a focal length of about 300 mm. It makes for a more interesting picture and it blurs the otherwise very busy background nicely

Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

I like the summery mood of the second shot. Everything is lush and the duck weed and algae amplify the green and yellow colors of this very humid day. The reflections on the water are my subject, even if this is not so obvious since this is not a very strong one, but the sharpness will lead the eye. On a side note, I did not realize the Great Blue Heron in the background on the right while I made the photo but I think it adds to the peaceful scene. More to come…

TELLING THE WEATHER STORY

We have this typical End-of-May-weather, with the occasional thunderstorm and quick changes between sun and rain. An open area is better suited to tell the story about it than our woods here in the Little Maquoketa Valley. The Deere Marsh, located between the big John Deere factory and the Mississippi River, just north of Dubuque, Iowa , is a place that gives a sense of the marshy backwaters and leaves enough open space to let the clouds tell the story. The Little Maquoketa River actually helped to shape this landscape. It joins the Mississippi just behind the bushes on the right in this picture.

BIG SKIES

Although we can’t compete with the iconic landscapes of the western United States here in eastern Iowa, but we do have some great skies with terrific clouds at times. This image was made earlier this week at the Mississippi River. The view goes over a marsh land, just outside of Dubuque and next to the big John Deere plant, hence the name of it, John Deere Marsh. Hundreds of ducks, geese, and other birds have their habitat here. Well, that’s why I had the Sigma 50-500 on the camera. I just hoped to make some good wildlife photos. The car was too far away to get a better suited lens for this landscape photo. The light and mood lasted only a few minutes, too short for a plan “B” ;-). The best camera (and lens) is the one you have with you and so I zoomed out to 58 mm and made the click. Not ideal in regards of sharpness (especially around the trees) but still better than coming home without the shot… :-)

SHOOT IT WHEN IT'S THERE!

Click ont he photo for larger view!

Joan didn’t have to work this evening and we were able to see today the young Great Horned Owl together at Mud Lake. The owlet sat in a different tree , much easier to spot than yesterday evening. Overall the light wasn’t really bad for anything today, but it was a different quality and the photo I show you would not have been the same. 

Last night, when I walked back to the car, with the tripod over my shoulder and a big smile on my face (see yesterday’s post if you don’t know why… :-)   ), I saw these backlit trees on the other side of Mud Lake Park. The house in the background, hit by the light of the setting sun, I just had to make the click. Well, I still had the Sigma 50-500 on camera, and even if this is not a perfect lens for landscape shots, but by zooming in to 230 mm I got what I saw in this picture. Spring is just a wonderful time…!! :-)

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2015 #5

It may not have been the right day, and definitely not the right time, to make the photos of the Sabula-Savannah Bridge that crosses the Mississippi River. No cloud in the sky and kind of a glare from the sun on everything is usually not what triggers my desire to shoot landscapes or architecture. But I heard on the radio, and later read an article on the web, that this 1932 built structure will be replaced with a new bridge,. Construction is supposed to start this summer and that’s why I made the shots while I was in the area anyway.

Shooting from the Iowa side of the bridge is only possible at the end of the causeway, where the bridge begins, because you can’t stop the car anywhere else. At least light was in my favor to render the blue color properly.

On the Illinois side it was easier to find different perspectives (and a safe parking spot ;-)  ), but shooting against the harsh early afternoon sun, well, not such a good idea. While I made the pictures I didn’t really think about black & white but later at home, in front of the computer, it appealed to me.

My engineering background makes me appreciate old steel structures probably a little more than most people. It is a pity that this old bridge has to go and different opinions about are discussed on the web. Our photographs can at least help to keep the memories about this part of the cultural heritage alive. I think we have a commitment to make the click…

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2015 #4

Nikon D300s, Sigma 10-20mm / f4-5.6, at 15 mm

During my wildlife spotting tours along the Mississippi I visit frequently Sabula, Iowa’s only island city. Beside the road bridge and causeway that connects Sabula and Savannah, Illinois there is also the Sabula Rail Bridge. This wonderful single track swing bridge was opened in 1906. During the winter, with no barge traffic, the bridge was always open for the railroad. Last weekend I saw it in its other position, open for the boats. Both sides of the pivot point are navigable. The swing span of the bridge is 364 ft (~111 m) long.

The photo shows also that the Mississippi is relatively clear at the moment. The water we see is mostly from the snow melt up north and therefor not so muddy as after heavy rain sometime.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2015 #3

I have been down at the Mississippi River in Mud Lake many times and I knew one of these days it would happen. Clouds were moving out this evening and while our little dog Cooper and I enjoyed the mood and solitude, a gap opened up and a shaft of light hit the bluffs on the Wisconsin side of the big river. I have never seen the reflections of the rocks coming all across the river with such an intensity. From all the photos I made during the brief period of time, this one is my favorite. I used the Nikkor 24-120, f/4 for this shot. Zooming in to 86 mm compresses the distance a little bit and I like that the reflections are more pronounced than in some other pictures that were made at the wider end of the lens. The foreground was all muddy drift wood and the photo benefits actually from leaving this out of the frame.

On a side note, I saw the little owlet peeking out of the nest today. Now I believe it is safe to say that we have for the third year in a row only one young Great Horned Owl in the nest. I think this is still wonderful and we look forward to see it grow up, at least until it will leave the nest in a few weeks.

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.