NATURE CLICKS #288 - FOSTER'S TERN

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

Our dog Cooper and I took a kayak trip on the Mississippi River this evening again and it felt once more like entering “wildlife paradise”. What else can you call it, if you spot during a one and a half hour tour four Bald Eagles, three Great Blue Herons, numerous gulls, pelicans, geese, ducks, blackbirds, muskrats, and turtles? This is all amazing and wonderful in the warm light of the evening sun, even if we have seen all these species many times before. 

To make a great trip perfect I discovered five Foster’s Terns sitting on logs stranded in the mud of a river bank. I have never seen Foster’s Terns here in Eastern Iowa before (only in the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in California). They were not far from a group of Ring-billed Gulls. While the gulls took off when we got closer, the terns just stayed, even when we drifted by within six feet distance. At that time the D300s was still in a waterproof bag behind my seat but the dauntless behavior of the terns made me paddling around them into a position where the light was in my favor. I took my old camera on the water and its DX sensor made for a 630 mm equivalent, with a focal length of 420 mm set at the Sigma 50-500.

I wrote before how difficult it can be to shoot with the long lens handhold from a kayak, especially if it is windy as it was this evening. I shot several bursts in continuous shooting mode and almost 200 clicks later I still wasn’t sure if I nailed it. Well, the keeper rate wasn’t too bad and finally I had quite a few images to choose from.

The photos were made on the Mississippi, just outside of the Mud Lake area, north of Dubuque, Iowa. I have seen and photographed Caspian Terns in this area last year but this is the first time that I had a sighting of a Foster’s Tern. There is still a little doubt about my identification of the species. For instance the Common Tern looks very similar, but after checking several sources I believe these were Foster’s Terns. If you are a birder or nature friend who can confirm this or have a better suggestion, I would love to hear from you.

NATURE CLICKS #287 - EASTERN KINGBIRD

The Belted Kingfisher (see yesterday’s post) and the Eastern Kingbird use sometimes the same trees and bushes when they perch and look out for food. Although their diet is totally different. They both prefer branches or trees that hang over the water or are at least near to it. While the kingfisher mainly preys on small fish that swim near the surface of the water, the Eastern Kingbird is a large flycatcher and feeds on insects and fruits. Quite often they return to the same perch after pouncing for food on the ground or on the water surface.

Last night I witnessed the take over of a tree by a kingfisher. It was actually used as a perch by a kingbird but there was no doubt who had the longer bill and ruled the area. The Eastern Kingbird took off immediately…

This shot was taken at 6:22 pm last night and the sun was already getting low. However, because of its intense power at this time of the year I had a hard time to contain the highlights. I had dialed in -1 EV for exposure compensation already but still had to bring down the highlights in post process to make this image work. This is a simple task in Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Camera RAW but I usually don’t fiddle around with tones and colors in my wildlife photography. Well, sometimes there is an exception to this self-imposed rule. I really like the gesture of this Eastern Kingbird in the photo and that’s why I show it to you today… :-)

CLOSE, BUT STILL NOT CLOSE ENOUGH

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

A gorgeous summer day with low humidity and a nice breeze fueled my desire to go down to the Green Island Wetlands for some wildlife watching this evening. This is the closest I have ever been to a Belted Kingfisher. If you are an avid reader of my blog, you may remember that this bird is high up on my “most wanted list”. They are extremely skittish and it is really not easy to get close to them. A water canal between me and the bird limited a closer approach and I finally cropped the picture in post process. I’m not there yet with the kingfisher, and the bird will still remain on the “most wanted list”, but I’m not unhappy about today’s shot...

NATURE CLICKS #286 - GIANT SWALLOWTAIL

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

It’s hot and humid, and believe me, I don’t need any other excuses for not going out shooting. Well, but I couldn’t let this opportunity pass by. I have not figured out yet what the larvas of the Giant Swallowtail feed on, because they prefer citrus plants and their relatives, but we must have something around here they like. The Giant Swallowtail has been a common visitor in our yard for many years.

The photo isn’t the perfect shot. I cropped it a little bit on the right hand side because I had the butterfly dead center. This isn’t a crop due to not being close enough to the subject but more for esthetic reasons. With other words, I still have the full amount of pixels available for my subject (so I can still print without any loss in detail) but the aspect ratio of the image has changed from 2:3 to 4:5.

NATURE CLICKS #285 - EASTERN TIGER SWALLOWTAIL

Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM, SB 800 speed light

It seems that every year is slightly different from the one before if we look at the numbers of particular butterflies. In 2010, 2011, and 2014 I took many photos of the Tiger Swallowtail, while 2013 I didn’t get a single shot. The same is true for other species, one year we have them in abundance and other years we can hardly find them. This year is another good year for the Tiger Swallowtail. We have seen them quite often, and not just here on our bluffs above the Little Maquoketa River Valley.

It is not easy to make a sharp photo in the heat of the day. The butterflies are very active and change location constantly. The chances for a good shot are higher in the evening, when temperatures come down and the swallowtails spend more time on a particular flower for feeding. This beautiful female Eastern Swallowtail was very cooperative this evening and spent quite some time on our Purple Coneflowers. 

The combination of the NIKON D750 with the SIGMA 150 mm, f/2.8 macro lens is my preferred gear for this kind of photography. It is my first time that I shot a swallowtail butterfly in full frame (FX) and I enjoy the challenge to get physically closer to the subject. No picture will make it into the “keepers” if a crop would be necessary to make it halfway decent. Yes, we can talk about improving our photography all day long, but if we don’t do the most obvious, I think all talk is pointless…

NOISY GANG

I realized the chirping noise coming from one of the nest boxes in our front yard is a lot louder than usual as soon the first light of the day appears early in the morning. It’s the place where the House Wrens currently feed their second brood. Well, both nest chambers, first and second floor, have a nest and it looks like that two females and one male House Wren feed the offspring in both nests. As my photo proofs, the size of the meals gets quite big already and pretty soon it will be quiet around here again. 

We had wrens nesting every summer since Joan and I lived here. Providing opportunities to built a nest became mandatory for us and we have never been disappointed yet. It is a wonderful way to enrich your life! The House Wrens eat insects, lots of them, but there is not much we can do to support these efforts. Hanging nest boxes around our house has helped to make some birds coming back here after the winter every year. Each species that may use a bird house may have different requirements regarding the size of the box or how big the diameter of the hole has to be. Have a look what is in your backyard or on your balcony, study about the birds you see, and draw your conclusions. It’s easy, you can do that too!!

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.

FROM GREEN TO GRAY

Nikon D300s, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM

The Gray Treefrogs are able to camouflage themselves from gray to green or vice versa, depending on the substrate they are sitting. This one was about to change quickly its color  after I found it under the tarp that covers our kayaks. Making the picture with the frog hanging on the orange or blue plastic boats, well, this is not what I really like. Putting the frog onto a tree stump gives it a much more natural setting. Being fast is key because these frogs are nocturnal and like to hide again. The photo doesn’t necessarily tell much about its size. I was pretty close with the Sigma 150 mm, f/2.8 macro lens and with a 1:1 magnification ratio you can easily fill the frame with this probably about 35-40 mm long critter.

NATURE CLICKS #284 - INDIGO BUNTING

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

I wrote a few days ago about that we haven’t seen the same numbers of certain birds, especially warblers, as last year. This is also true for the Indigo Bunting, a regular summer resident here in Iowa. They usually visit our bird feeders sometimes during the summer but this year I have seen the species only once so far in the front yard.

This photo was made last weekend in the Green Island Wetlands and before I was able to locate the bird I heard its singing efforts , which sounds really beautiful. 

Blue is my favorite color but Indigo Buntings are actually black. It is the diffraction of light through their feathers that make them look blue and this explains why males can appear in many different shades from turquoise to black (source: iBird Pro app).

YOUNG BULLHEADS (DEHAZED… ;-) !!)

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

One of my goals with this blog has always been to show you the variety and beauty of wildlife we can find here in the Mississippi Valley, but I don’t think I ever published any image of fish yet. Last weekend I saw this swarm of young bullhead catfish at one of the boat landings in the Green Island Wetlands. I have never seen this before and thought it was very interesting to watch and finally like to share it with you.

The original RAW file had a certain glare from the reflection of the sky on the water surface and I was wondering if I could overcome it in post production. I don’t have an 86 mm polarizer that would fit my long lens and that may have taken care for this problem.

A new feature in Adobe’s Lightroom CC came to my help and it worked like a charm. LR has now a Dehaze slider. I read about its usefulness for landscape photography, doing just what it says, dehazing a scene. I thought that glare on the water is almost like a haze and so I gave it a try. This is pretty much all what it took, plus a little warmer white balance and lowering the luminance of blue and purple slightly.

I hope this was not too much gibberish for you, but as you know, I write for photographers, nature lovers, and friends and people that just enjoy looking at some wildlife photos. Thank you for stopping here!

THE JINX IS BROKEN… (MAYBE… ;-)

Oh well, it took me more than two months to nail down a picture of any kind of warbler. I’m scratching my head since a while , wondering why we did not see any warblers this year? If you take the time and look at my blog posts from last year in May you may find a big variety of warblers that stopped here, at least for a snack in the trees..

I’m glad to report that I saw a male Common Yellowthroat in the Green Island Wetlands today. Joan calls them “Zorro”, and there is no question about where she got the idea from. Doesn’t the male look like “The Zorro”? The Common Yellowthroat is one of the most beautiful birds we can find here and as you can imagine this shot made my day....

NATURE CLICKS #283 - CLIFF SWALLOW

When I started shooting with the Nikon D750 back in April I wrote here in the blog that I have to get physically closer to my subject in order to use the full potential of the full frame sensor. The Cliff Swallows built their nests out of mud below a concrete bridge that crosses the Little Maquoketa River down in our valley, just a few miles upstream. Getting closer to them requires some climbing over a rocky slope, fighting the way through tall weeds, and dealing with hordes of mosquitos. This is a challenge but these extra steps are necessary to fill the frame with the nest and its master architects, the Cliff Swallows.

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, tripod, gimbal head, SB 800 speed light

There are several dozen nests under this bridge and the colony of swallows is feeding their offspring at the moment. It takes some patience to make the click if you focus on one particular nest. Sometimes the parents don’t return for several minutes. Taking the challenge of moving in closer and adding a little patience led to some rewarding images and great shooting fun today...

NATURE CLICKS #282 - MAYFLY

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

Yesterday I saw the first Mayflies at Mud Lake down at the Mississippi. You remember, they emerge from the water as adults in often enormous numbers but have a very short life span, often not even 24 hours. I don’t think this is the “big hatch” yet but last night I saw at least a few hundred of them. I made the mistake only having the 24-120 mm lens with me, not exactly a lens for a macro shot. There was good light and only moderate wind but the lens prevented me from getting close enough.

I went back today with the SIGMA 150 mm, f/2.8, my favorite lens for this kind of photography, but I found only a few Mayflies. The wind blew a little stronger and wasn’t really photographer’s friend this evening. I believe Plato said ‘Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder’ but for me the Mayfly is just a beautiful looking insect. Beside that I’m fascinated by its biology and strategy for survival.

This was the shot I liked the best at the end, although there is room for improvement…

NATURE CLICKS #281 - EASTERN BLUEBIRD

Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, tripod, gimbal head, SB 800 speed light

The moment when I saw the male bluebird hesitating and waiting I knew I was too close to its nest. There was a nest box a few yards behind me but I really thought it was not in use. I immediately backtracked away from the nest and let both parents feed their offspring. This picture of the bluebird with a grasshopper in its beak was taken later from the other side of this dead tree with a big bush between me and the nest. Both bluebirds used the dead birch as a perch before the approached the nest site. I wasn’t actually at Finley’s Landing at the Mississippi for the bluebirds this evening but had some hope to make a shot of the Belted Kingfisher. I saw the kingfisher several times but distance was too big for a decent photo. Coming back home with a photo of an Eastern Bluebird on the memory card isn’t too bad either, isn’t it?

NATURE CLICKS #280 - YELLOW WARBLER

Finally I made my first photo of a warbler this year. During migration time in May we have not seen any of them in our valley here, although I paid utmost attention to any movement in the woods. Spring 2014 was so much better and I don’t know really why. However, this evening I went to the Mines of Spain, the wooded area south of Dubuque, Iowa, and tried my luck there. Sure enough I saw an American Redstart and found this beautiful Yellow Warbler under the canopy of the trees in an area with heavy brush thicket. Using the tripod is not very practical between the bushes and trees and so I handheld the D750 with the Sigma 50-500 and SB800 speed light attached. The warbler changed location every few seconds and it is a lot easier to follow the bird without the tripod. Working this way requires some faster shutter speed and I had the ISO pumped up to 1000 to make the click at 1/320s, f/8. The flash was used very subtle, just enough to make the colors of the warbler pop.