Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, SB 800 speed light
We can talk about the Baltimore Oriole all day long, everybody would agree that this bird is one of the prettiest and most wonderful sounding song birds in America. The Song Sparrow may not win the beauty contest in comparison to the oriole but its singing capabilities are not far from those of the oriole.
The Song Sparrow migrates but I have seen them here in Iowa even during the winter down at the Mississippi River.
Female Purple Martin
Finding the Purple Martin is not a big problem along the Mississippi River. Most nest in colonies and use man-made birdhouses. Almost every boat landing, community, or park has them. We made another paddle tour in the Mud Lake area at the Mississippi yesterday and after the kayaks were loaded on the roof of the car I was able to photograph this species of the swallow family.
All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, tripod, gimbal head, SB 800 speed light
Although the availability for natural nest cavities has declined over the years, the increased availability of human-provided nest sites has a positive effect on population. The Purple Martin competes with European Starlings and, as in the case of Mud Lake Park, with the House Sparrows for nest cavities. They share the big birdhouse at the boat landing with the sparrows, but as you can see in the second image it is not always a friendly relationship between these two species
Male Purple Martin
None of the photos would have worked very well without using fill flash. I just threw enough light at the birds to bring out the shadows and make the colors pop. It is a fine line and can be easily overdone.
Semipalmated Sandpipers
It all happened very quickly. During our paddle tour last Saturday in the Green Island Wetlands I saw suddenly three shore birds landing on a sand bank not far from the kayak. I raised the camera, focussed, fired the shot, and right after the birds flew away. No time for a second chance. The scene had everything that could have made a good photo but I blew it. These Semipalmated Sandpipers posed nicely in their natural habitat. The low perspective is what I’m looking for when I shoot out of the kayak, and the birds are mirrored in the water. So what’s wrong? Well, the focus is on the wrong bird, the one on the left. There is no way that all three could have been in focus because the two on the right are too far behind the left sandpiper. I know I focussed on the one in the center but somehow I didn’t nail it. The problem with the picture is that the eye wants to go first to the bright spots (in this case the two other sandpipers) and second to the sharpest.
I get over a missed shot usually very quickly but this one bothered me a bit. It was the first time that I saw Semipalmated Sandpipers in the Green Island Wetlands. As you already know I shoot a lot from my car in this environment, use it as a blind, and with good success, but nothing beats the low perspective of shooting from a boat. I guess I have to try again… :-(
Lesser Yellowleg
Joan and I finally opened the kayak season yesterday (better late than never ;-) ) and spent several hours paddling in the backwaters of the Mississippi in the Green Island Wetlands. It is the time of the year when many birds incubate their eggs or have already young ones, like some of the Canada Geese. We had some wonderful wildlife encounters, like a mink swimming to shore, a Northern Watersnake, and lots of waterfowl, herons, and egrets. Not every sighting leads to a photo but it was just great to be out in the wild and enjoy the nice and warm weather
Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, SB 800 speed light
After the paddle trip we went on “bird patrol” by car to all the places in the wetlands that I visit frequently. We saw this Lesser Yellowleg foraging in the shallow water and it surprised us still seeing one of them since their breeding ground is in Northern Canada. I’m aware that my identification of a bird species can be wrong, this is especially true for shore birds, but in this matter I don’t have a better suggestion. Usually I have more images that I show here in the blog and even if they may not be always good enough to be published, but they help me quite often to identify a bird. However, if you read this and have doubts about any of my identifications, I will be very happy to hear from you
Wilson's Snipe
This photo of a Wilson’s Snipe was taken earlier this season, although we saw one yesterday evening. We are at the southern edge of their breeding range and so it is not a surprise to see them still around. More to come…
I’m at a conference in Minneapolis and my photo editing capabilities are limited, but this picture of a male Baltimore Oriole didn’t need much work. Beside a little contrast improvement and the usual sharpening process not much has been done to the RAW file. The photo has been made yesterday in our ”yard studio”. All what it took was a cup of coffee for the photographer and some patience until the oriole settled down on a branch. I had the Nikon SB800 speed light with flash extender mounted on camera. It wasn’t the main light source but just enough to boost the colors of the bird slightly. Despite the overcast I had exposure compensation down to -1EV and flash compensation at -5EV (-3EV at the flash light and -2EV in camera). The tricky thing is not to get one picture right, but not to forget to make changes for exposure or flash compensation if the lens is pointed to a different direction with a totally different brightness and background. And with the birds showing up everywhere they want, the mistakes are made easily… ;-)
Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak
It was a great day for bird photography today. We had a nice overcast all morning long, with even a few rain drops, but this made for a wonderful and soft natural light. No harsh contrast and highlights to deal with and in addition a very pleasant temperature.
I showed you some images of the Scarlet Tanager lately and I’m glad I did, because I haven’t seen neither the male or female during the last couple days
Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak
My focus today was on another bird that arrives here every year around the first of May, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. The grosbeaks like to visit the feeders with sunflower seeds but it is not so easy to make a picture of the bird away from the feeder.
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak winters from central into northern South America. While I’m writing this blog post I just read that the female grosbeak is known to sing, unlike most songbird species (source: iBirdPro app). I have not been aware about this fact but will pay attention to it next time I watch them...
Female Scarlet Tanager
I have good news and bad news today. The good news is that I finally was able to make some photos of the female Scarlet Tanager during the last couple days. The bad news is that I didn’t like any of the pictures taken in the trees or bushes around, mostly because of light quality or sharpness. With other words, I show you my best two shots made at a suet feeder. I know, this doesn’t really say wildlife but I hope I get some better pictures during the next couple days.
The male Scarlet Tanager did a better job and landed a few times on my bird perch before it entered the feeder. I know, I showed a photo of the male a few days ago here in the blog, but both, the male and female Scarlet Tanager are too pretty for keeping these pictures in the drawer…
Male Scarlet Tanager
Female Baltimore Oriole
Although we had a couple relative cold and windy days in Eastern Iowa but it didn’t stop the migrating birds to show up here. Today I saw the first Indigo Bunting. The Scarlet Tanager keeps visiting the yard. I have seen three male tanagers but no females so far. The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and the male Baltimore Orioles are here since May 2nd. The female orioles seem to follow the males always a few days later but as you can see they arrived now as well.
With many bird species it is not easy to distinct between particular individuals, but it seems that each Baltimore Oriole, males and females, have a slightly different pattern of colors and spots, which makes it easier to count them. I don’t make a secret out of the fact that we provide orange halves for them to feed on. They take this offer especially shortly after their long journey from the south. In a few weeks they won’t touch them anymore and feed primarily on caterpillars, moths, beetles, bugs, and other insects.
Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, tripod, gimbal head, SB 800 speed light
I talked yesterday about what it needs that a picture of a less attractive bird works well. The Northern Cardinal makes it a lot easier. It is a pretty bird any time of the year and people like to see them. I don’t know about other parts of the country but here it is quite difficult to get close to this very skittish bird. Of course, I can shoot endless pictures at a bird feeder or in the grass, but I really like to make the image with the bird on a branch, or at least on a perch, like this stick in the flower bed that we use for decoration. It is the time of courtship and they move around fast, well, except when they eat at the bird feeder or in the grass below ….😉
Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, tripod, gimbal head, SB 800 speed light
The female Brown-headed Cowbird doesn’t come to mind quickly if we think about an attractive bird. It needs something different to tell a story about this bird. I used the texture of the fresh leaves in a bush of peonies to make the gray of the cowbird’s feathers stand out. The bird had just landed on the metal ring that holds the flowers together and started spreading its tail and feathers. That little gesture makes all the difference between this shot and several other ones I took with the bird hopping on the ground.
We see the Brown-headed Cowbird only occasionally. They are nest parasites and go around and lay one egg in the nest of another bird species. I read that up to thirty-six eggs are laid per nesting season. They hatch usually first and outcompete the young birds of the host. (source: iBird Pro app)
Eastern Chipmunk
The Eastern Chipmunks that call our yard and the surrounding timber home are a great subject for testing and learning everything about the new Nikon D750. They are used to my presence and as long as I move slowly they stick around and do what they want to do (mostly eating sunflower seeds dropped from the bird feeders ;-) ).
During the first two weeks since I bought the camera I pressed the shutter release button more than 3,000 times already. No, this camera is not more complicated than my beloved Nikon D300s, in fact many functions are identical or very similar, but I like to implement some of the new features into my shooting habits. One of the reasons I chose the D750 is its professional controls. Unfortunately it has some features a pro would probably never use, and neither will I, but it is easy to ignore them. However, this camera allows to control and change all the important settings, like aperture, exposure, exposure compensation, ISO, white balance, focus mode, focus sensors, flash compensation, virtual horizon, and others without taking the eye away from the viewfinder. It lets you customize the way many of the controls and buttons act, and this is where the “fun” starts. It is ok if I miss a shot of a chipmunk or one of the birds that we have here all year long. But how about if you see a bird or critter that is here only once a year and your chance to nail the shot lasts less than two seconds (like with the Scarlet Tanager from yesterday’s blog post)? Well, this is the moment when you don’t want to fiddle with your settings. The technical aspects have to become secondary because composition and background is what matters at this brief moment. If you know and understand the settings you have dialed in while waiting for a shot, it is easy to make a quick adjustment at the camera if the situation requires it. And that’s why I try to practice on a daily base, and it doesn’t matter to me if it is an “ordinary” critter like our chipmunks or squirrels
Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, tripod, gimbal head, SB 800 speed light
The first image is my favorite photo of an Eastern Chipmunk so far. It has everything I wanted. It tells the story about the critter eating in the grass below a bird feeder (nothing exciting but that’s what they do in spring after a long winter). The eye is tack sharp and the settings (1/125 s, f/8, ISO 100, FX mode, no crop) would allow for a large print without any compromise.
The second picture is the result of a situation which unfolded very quickly. While focussing on a bird I suddenly saw the chipmunk climbing up this stick in our flower bed. The flowers were obviously the dessert, because in the following photo one of the blossoms is missing. Turning the camera on tripod into a different direction, refocus, and make an adjustment to flash compensation was all necessary to make the click. The photo was cropped in post on the right hand side, not because I wasn’t close enough, but on the left hand side is a bush that would have knocked off the balance of the composition. Taking out some empty space on the right is a good compromise in my books.
One of the best treats we get in the spring here on the bluffs above the Little Maquoketa River Valley is watching the Scarlet Tanager. This beautiful bird spends the winters in northwestern South American tropical forests. Yesterday I spotted the first male of the season and today I was able to make this photo of the tanager in our big maple. They usually feed on insects, fruits, berries, and buds high up in the trees but come to the ground occasionally. They built the nest on a horizontal branch 20 - 30 feet above the ground. I will keep my eyes open for a female Scarlet Tanager during the next days. They are green-yellow colored and not so easy to spot between the fresh leaves on the trees.
Is this a shot I could have made any time during the winter season because the White-breasted Nuthatch is always present here in eastern Iowa? Perhaps, but it is the light and the colors that are different in spring. The gesture of the nuthatch, after going down on a tree trunk, is typical, but still unique. Don’t know any other bird who does it this way…
Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, tripod, gimbal head, SB 800 speed light
I was very happy to see another migrating bird in our yard this morning. A pair of White-crowned Sparrows made an appearance several times during the day. Their breeding ground is in northern Canada. We had them on our balcony below a bird feeder once in January 2010 and we have seen this sparrow before in other parts of the western US, like Colorado and California.
I was able to make several shots, most of them with the birds foraging in the grass. This was ok but I was hoping for more. When one of them flew into a bush I finally found a background I liked even better. The sparrow did me the favor and tilted its head towards me. A nice gesture which makes the white crown a part of the image. This part of the yard was still in the shade but a carefully dosed fill flash brings out the colors. I guess it’s time to replace my blurry “balcony picture” from 2010 in the BIRD GALLERY. If you haven’t checked it out yet, click on the link in the sidebar of my blog or click the COLLECTIONS tab at the top of this page.
White-throated Sparrow
I used my lunch break today for some practice with fill flash in the front yard and the local birds served as my models. Suddenly I saw a “new face” showing up and recognized immediately a White-throated Sparrow, the first one migrating through. It rested briefly in the shade of our big maple, on a boulder that sits between the spring flowers. There aren’t many birds that are better for practice and testing than this sparrow with its white throat. The bird has black and white that provides good contrast for focus and it has colors, ideal for checking the results of using fill flash for color enhancement.
Without fill flash the second photo, made in bright sun around 1PM, would not turn out the way it is. The White-throated Sparrow, which sat in the shade under a feeder, would have been very dark or the highlights of the surrounding flowers and grass would have been blown out. I hope to see this bird again in the next few days... :-)
Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, tripod, gimbal head, SB800 speed light
