THE LONELY SYCAMORE

Down in our valley at the Little Maquoketa River is a lonely Sycamore tree (Platanus occidentalis) that has intrigued me many times before. It seemed in all the years I never found the right light to make a photo telling the story about this unique tree with its mottled and flaking bark, that makes the tree standing out from any other one around. Today, an hour before sunset, Joan and I went for a walk on the trail in the valley with our dog Cooper. I don’t remember a year without any snow on the ground in January but this abnormal weather situation suddenly delivered the photo opportunity I had somehow in mind. I exposed strictly for the highlights to make the almost white bark standing out. This would have not worked with a layer of snow on the ground. Although the sun was very low already, the light is not really warm and I was actually thinking of black & white when I took the picture. But I like how the crisp light strikes the scene and only the corn stalks in the foreground pick up a little bit of the warmer light.

Nikon D750, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4G ED VR

FIVE RAPTORS

CYSCO, Harris’s Hawk, hatched in captivity in 1994, excelled as a falconry bird, and came to the Schlitz Audubon Center after retirement. ------------ 

It was fun at the 30th Annual Bald Eagle Watch in the Grand River Center of Dubuque yesterday. The event that celebrates the American Bald Eagle had a very good turnout with people of all ages. We had lots of good conversations with visitors at the information desk of the Dubuque Camera Club and the other participating organizations have been very busy as well. The highlight for many guests was without any doubt the live bird program, presented several times during the day by staff and volunteers of the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, Milwaukee WI. The program was great education, not just for all the kids who got involved by Sara, who did a very good job of moderating it.

BARON VON SCREECH, Eastern Screech Owl, lost his right eye in a car accident.

It was allowed to take pictures, even with flash lights, but I decided to use just the ambient light for making some images of the raptors and the people who showed them to the audience. All photos were made handheld at f/4 between 1/20s and 1/40s. The ISO was cranked up to 1600. Shooting indoors is not my usual thing to do and dealing with white balance in very dim incandescent light had its challenges. The presenters moved around to give everybody a chance to have a close-up view of these beautiful raptors and the birds themselves move as well, with other words, not an easy task to get a sharp image.

CUTRIGHT, Peregrine Falcon, a retired falconry bird.

All seven birds of prey that were introduced to the audience (I only show five of them) are unable to make a living out in the wild for various reasons. Since I didn’t make notes (too busy fiddling with the camera 😉), the information about each bird under the photos is from the website of the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center. https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/education/raptor-program

TSKILI, Great Horned Owl, was stolen from her nest by a human who wanted her as a pet.

VALKYRIE, Bald Eagle, Was left by her parents earlier than normal. She did not have the hunting skills to survive in the wild. I like this photo because it shows the enormous size of an eagle, next to Sara, the main presenter of the program.

All images: Nikon D750, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4G ED VR

THE TWISTED TREE (2x)

This twisted American Arborvitae was sprayed by the waves from the surf of Lake Michigan every few minutes on that windy Friday after Thanksgiving. But that wasn’t what I was aiming for. It’s the killer light on the tree that made me push the shutter release button of the camera! Oh, you don’t believe me about the spray? Well, what can I say… 😊

ICICLES, BUT NOT WINTER YET

Icicles, Cana Island, Door County, Lake Michigan, Wisconsin

Happy Thanksgiving to all friends, family, and readers of my blog! Joan and I spend the long weekend up on the Door Peninsula at Lake Michigan in Wisconsin. After having a delicious Thanksgiving meal we wanted to burn some calories and took advantage of the gorgeous sunny weather up here. A visit of Cana Island Lighthouse has been always part of the program when we were up in Door County before and that’s where we did some walking and shooting pictures again today.

The photo of these iced bushes at the shore of the island suggests that it is very cold but it actually isn’t. There is no snow on the ground and the wind was moderate so far. However, it was still strong enough to create a nice surf along the shore of Lake Michigan, which probably formed the ice on the branches during the night.

WHEN LIGHT BECOMES THE SUBJECT

At Lewis Mountain campsite, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Ok, I’m jumping back and forth between actual photos, like the Tundra Swans from yesterday, and little stories and images from our tour through the mountains of West Virginia and Virginia in October.

Photography is all about light and how we use it to bring out the subject in our pictures. During an early morning walk around Lewis Mountain campsite in Shenandoah National Park I tried to work with backlit subjects, like ferns and grasses. With every minute more warm light from the low sun was pouring in and putting out some real magic. All the backlit plants are still in the frame but they play only a small role in the story. Suddenly the light itself, hitting the forest floor, became the subject. Not a bad way to start a day…

Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4, @ 35 mm, 1/25s, f/8, ISO400,

WHIRLIGIG’S DANCE FLOOR

Whirligig’s dance floor, Watoga Lake, Watoga State Park, Allegheny Mountains, West Virginia ———— 

Reading at Wikipedia website I learned that whirligig beetles got their common name from their habit of swimming in rapid circles on the water surface when alarmed. They are known for the bewildering and rapid gyrations in which they swim, and for their gregarious behavior.

I named this photo “Whirligig’s dance floor”. The crazy, dance like movements of the water bugs had shaped the open circle on the water, surrounded by pine needles and grass.

In this low light situation I shot the Nikkor 24-120, f/4 wide open at 120 mm and focused on the leaves under water to give the scene some depth. The natural light of the setting sun gave shape to all the elements that make this photo one of my favorites from our trip through West Virginia.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4, @120 mm, B+W F-PRO Kaesemann High Transmission Circular Polarizer MRC filter, @1/100s, f/4, ISO400

FALLEN BIRCHES

Fallen birches, Cranberry Wilderness, West Virginia ---------------

It’s easy to get lost and post , write, or reflect only on the great vistas and “standard views” the travel and photography websites suggest for a particular area. Sure, story telling is always important, but sometimes it is the subtle view of a detail that extracts the essence of a landscape and makes it finally a fine art print. This photo of fallen birches merges into these thoughts…

NATURE CLICKS #384 - GREEN CLEARWING

Green Clearwing, Mississippi River, Deere Dyke, Dubuque, Iowa

What do you do if you find a nice subject in great light that would require a macro lens and all what’s available is your widest lens? Some may say, enjoy the view and keep going. Well not me, I tried to get as close as possible with a 35 mm focal length, and I mean really close, only a few inches away. This still doesn’t do the trick, there is a reason that a true macro lens has at least a reproduction ratio of 1:1 and a longer focal length. I shot the beautiful Green Clearwing in a reasonable size but still way too much of its surrounding. To make this image work a pretty hefty crop was applied in post. Not my usual way to solve a problem. but hey, it’s a dragonfly in killer light… 😊

Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4, @ 35 mm, 1/320s, f/4, ISO200, B+W F-PRO Kaesemann High Transmission Circular Polarizer MRC filter

SOME STILL LOOK GOOD

We had a mild and lovely evening today and I was glad to have the camera with me during a walk with the dog down on the Heritage Trail in the Little Maquoketa River Valley. Most wildflowers have passed their prime around here as we are approaching fall but some still look good for a picture if the light hits them just right.

I’m testing a new polarizing filter (see info below) in anticipation of our vacation in October, which will hopefully lead to some good autumn photos. The B+W replaces an older 77mm Promaster filter that I never embraced 100% in regards of image quality and design. I have good experience with the 58mm B+W that I use since many years on the Carl Zeiss Distagon T*, 35mm / f2 ZF lens and I hope the 77 mm delivers the same good results.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4, B+W F-PRO Kaesemann High Transmission Circular Polarizer MRC filter,  @ 22mm, 1/250s, f/4, ISO100

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.

NATURE CLICKS #383 - ORANGE SULPHUR

An Orange Sulphur on a blooming Alfalfa plant is something pretty common here in Iowa. In order to make the picture stand out composition and background can’t be neglected. Color contrast helps to make the subject pop but sharpness has to be on the spot, no matter what.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM, @ 1/4000s, f/4, ISO200

ALL GONE NOW

It was an exciting time during the last couple days watching the young House Wrens finally leaving their nest. I tried to document as much as time allowed, hoping to catch one of the juveniles out of the nest. Read the full story:

Sunday 10:00 AM

All three young birds were still in the nest. The parents brought in food very frequently. As you can see, sometimes two insects were carried at once. I doubt that this little guy shared them with its siblings…

Sunday 1:30 PM

The parents had started calling the kids out of the box. They sat sometimes for a few minutes with food in their bill in the dead cedar tree across from the box and tried to lure them away from the nest.

Sunday 7:40 PM

At about 7:00 PM the first little wren had left the nest and flew directly into the trees of the woods. No picture was taken, it just happened too fast. The parents called the other two birds intensely but they decided to stay another night in the safety of the nest box. They received the last meal at 7:40 PM. There wasn’t enough light anymore and I used flash as my main light source, not just to fill in shadows or boost colors as usual.

Monday 9:46 AM

Early in the morning the two little House Wrens were still in the box and called for food. A quarter to ten I interrupted my work and stepped out on the porch to check out what’s going on and saw that the second bird had just left the nest box. The little guy was chirping and hopping around between our flower pots on the deck. It finally climbed up the espalier on the side of the porch where this photo was taken. Later, at about 1 PM during the eclipse of the sun, the last wren was not in the nest anymore. Here in the Durango area the sun was covered by the moon about 88.5 %. During the peak time I didn’t hear a single bird, even the hummingbirds were quiet and didn’t show up.

The wrens are still around somewhere nearby. I still heard their chatter in the woods this evening. I hope they all will make it, become mature birds, and some will return for another good summer here in Iowa. It is always a sure sign of spring when the males show up here in late April or early May and work on their reproduction again.

BEAUTY AND DRAMA

Painted Lady in Alfalfa field, near Remsen, Iowa -------

We spent most of the weekend on the family farm in northwest Iowa. Although the variety of wildlife and vegetation is not the same as here in the Upper Mississippi Valley, there are still plenty of opportunities for a nature photographer.

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM

My brother-in-law Don gave me the hint about a patch of alfalfa next to his pig nursery, where hundreds of butterflies were feeding nectar from the blossoms. Most of them were Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), one of the most widespread butterflies in North America. Adults may not survive in freezing temperatures and so most of them overwinter in the south and Mexico. Their flight and wing beats are erratic and fast and it was difficult to pre-visualize how the photos would turn out.

Spider paralyzing Painted Lady butterfly

One butterfly got my particular attention while I tried to follow it with the camera. The insect suddenly stopped moving and remained still with its wings spread out. Having a closer look revealed that the Painted Lady was ambushed by a spider. While the butterfly was in a feeding frenzy, the spider used its chance and paralyzed its victim. Well, they all have to live…