Male Red-bellied Woodpecker
The woodpeckers around here are very active at this time of the year, especially the male Yellow-shafted Northern Flickers try already to get the females attention. The Red-bellied-Woodpeckers have still a little time. Their breeding season starts in early May. Its common name is somewhat misleading, as the most prominent red part of its plumage is on the head.
Horned Grebe, Mississippi River, Mud Lake
As so often these days I checked on the nest of the Great Horned Owl this evening down by Mud Lake at the Mississippi River. Nothing has changed yet, mother owl still sits on the nest. She faced the low sun and this helped to make a halfway decent photo today.
I tried to make some pictures of half a dozen Common Mergansers, feeding at the exit of the marina, but they never came close enough for a shot.
Another encounter today were several American Tree Sparrows that were hanging around in the bushes along the banks. This was the first time this winter that I have seen any. Other years I saw them more frequently along the Mississippi.
Red-winged Blackbirds are now present everywhere in the Mud Lake area. They stay here during the summer in large numbers and we have enjoyed watching them from our kayaks feeding between the reeds many times.
The sun had already disappeared behind the ridge when I finally discovered what I believe is a Horned Grebe. The bird was diving in the canal of the marina. I had the camera on tripod and used the flash extender to get at least a little color for this photo. This was the first time that I saw the Horned Grebe in Iowa. Their breeding grounds are from the Dakotas to northern Canada and Alaska.
Great Horned Owl
After the lost battle about a fish with another eagle: “What the heck did you do? We lost it !!!” 😉
Alright, there is nothing really sharp in this picture but the unique gesture makes it a good keeper.
Sometimes magic happens when you are out there shooting. This evening at Ice Harbor in Dubuque the low sun hit the last patch of ice under an angle that made it appear in a dark blue. In addition the warm colors of the building across the marina reflected in the open water between the broken floes. To make it even nicer, one of the numerous gulls landed in the right spot…
Well, it could have been a good photo, if the photographer would have paid attention to the settings in camera…!! For some reason I accidentally changed the picture quality from RAW to a low resolution JPEG. You may not see a big difference here in the blog, because the final jpg’s here are small, but good enough for posting them on the web. What’s out of consideration is a large, high quality print. The bad news is that I shot the whole day with the wrong settings. I guess some lessons can be learned only the hard way…😉
Bald Eagle, Ice Harbor, Dubuque, Iowa
We had a nasty gray overcast for most of the day. Although good for some photography, it makes for very unflattering light if birds are your subject. The colors just don’t come out well and flash isn’t always an option.
There was a lot of activity on the Mississippi River. I saw the first barges passing through lock #11 in Dubuque today. I don’t think I have seen the river open for navigation that early in any year before since we live here.
Canvasbacks, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa
Hundreds of ducks, most of them Canvasbacks, were present in the Mud Lake area near mile marker 589.7 . They stayed pretty much in the main channel of the river, too far for any close up shots. But I think the image tells the story of their migration. I saw also about 30-40 Ring-necked Ducks, 6 Hooded Mergansers, and about a dozen Common Mergansers.
Bald Eagles could be seen almost everywhere along the river today. The shot I like the most was made on the south side of Ice Harbor, just across from the Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque, Iowa.
Common Mergansers, Mississippi River, dam #11, Wisconsin
Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, Dubuque, Iowa
This photo was possible thanks to a hint from another birder (Thank you Sally, aka “PERCH 1”!). I had to go to Dubuque, Iowa for some errands today, and while driving by briefly at the 16th Street Basin I saw her taking pictures at one corner of the pond. A dead Bald Eagle lying in the water was the subject, and she just took some documentary shots. We can only speculate what caused its dead, from an electrical shock at on of the numerous power line poles that surround the pond or a collision with a car, many scenarios are possible at this busy place.
The old ice was all gone but due to the low temperatures last night the basin was frozen over with a new thin layer. Sally’s hint was to visit the marina behind the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, which isn’t far away. The marina had still a good layer of old ice but the obviously constantly running engine of the Coast Guard’s boat keeps some of the water open. And this is were at least seven Bald Eagles and numerous gulls had decided to hunt for fish today.
I hardly leave the house without my camera and today I was just glad to have it with me (and the long lens! 😊) when this eagle landed in a tree right beside me. Being prepared was all what it took for making this image…
Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4, @ 120 mm, 1/640s, f/5
Yeees, we got it all back! As you can easily see a huge area of clouds moved through here today and left us with a fresh cover of snow. With the snow came the Dark-eyed Juncos back, who had left us already during the last days with warmer temperatures. This medium-sized sparrow has twelve subspecies and can have many geographic color variations, but here we see mostly the “slate-colored”. The Dark-eyed Junco is my #1 “winter indicator”. In late fall or early winter they show up usually a few hours before we get the first snow. The juncos we see here in Iowa during the winter breed probably in Canada or northern Minnesota.
The photo was made through my office window, hence the slightly softer appearance of the bird. I have a small bird feeder next to the window and I use a deer antler for the birds to perch.
This photo ignores the fact that there were about 25 Bald Eagles sitting on the ice or in the trees nearby. But I thought it was a more story telling picture than any shot I made yesterday of eagles at the 16th Street Basin in Dubuque, Iowa. As soon a gull pulled a fish out of the water and tried to save it from its hungry relatives or the eagles, a big turmoil broke loose and never ended until finally one of the gulls had enough time to swallow the fish or an eagle just stole it from all of them...
Sandhill Cranes, Mississippi River, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa
I enjoyed shooting today with my friend Dave Updegraff, who is also an avid photography enthusiast and blog writer. We haven’t done this for a while and it was nice to catch up on things and share thoughts and news. We met in the Green Island Wetlands but I started off my photo trip in Dubuque. It got really warm today and I was surprised that the ice on the 16th Street Basin still covered the pond. I saw more than a dozen Bald Eagles and it took only a few minutes to walk away with the photo below.
There wasn’t much going on in the Green Island Wetlands in the early afternoon and Dave and I drove further south to the “Island City” Sabula, the only town in Iowa that is located on an island In the Mississippi River. Lots of Bald Eagles here as well, mostly sitting on the remaining ice or fighting about fish.
Bald Eagle, 16th Street Basin, Dubuque, Iowa
On the way back we scouted a different road along some backwaters of the river and saw in the distance Common Mergansers, Northern Pintails, and a larger number of Tundra Swans. Spring migration is in full swing already! They were all too far away for a decent photo, but nevertheless, I enjoy the bird watching part as much as the photography.
Dave had to go back home but I wanted to give the Green Island Wetlands another try. And there I found what I was hoping for today, a pair of Sandhill Cranes, foraging in the mud and shallow waters of the marshland. Another sign of a changing season was a pair of Hooded Mergansers. Again, too far away for a good picture (although I make documentary shots for tracking first seasonal appearance over the years). Finally, while on my way out of the wetlands, a huge flock of Red-winged Blackbirds landed in a tree. And this my friends, is here in Iowa for many people a sure sign that spring is knocking on the door…
Common Muskrat, Mississippi River, Goose Island County Park, Wisconsin
Many things that happen in the outdoors here have to do with the Mississippi River, one way or the other, and I will continue writing my little stories from and about the big river in 2016. Today I had a meeting with a customer in La Crosse, Wisconsin and the drive up north, mostly just parallel to the Mississippi, is one of my favorite routes. It doesn’t matter if you drive on the Iowa / Minnesota side or east on the Wisconsin side of the river, the landscape is beautiful and there is always something interesting to see. I was not surprised to see many long stretches of open water already, although there are still parts of the river covered with ice. The winter was mild so far.
All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens,
On my way back to the Dubuque area I stopped at Goose Island County Park, located just south of La Crosse, WI. This park with campsites, boat ramps, and other tourist amenities is probably busy in the summer but today I saw only a few fishermen and bird watchers.
I had the camera already in my lap when I discovered this Common Muskrat getting in and out of the water. Their dense, glossy winter fur is just gorgeous. This one used the ice floats as a feeding platform and was chewing on aquatic plants. The backwaters of the Mississippi, with its marshlands and water arms between countless little islands, are an ideal habitat for these large rodents.
Canada Geese, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa
How do we photograph the “ordinary” bird to make the picture special? I’m talking about the species that we can see every day at any time, if we just walk out the door and go to a location where they are always present. One way is making the image in extraordinary light. Well, that doesn’t always work out. Light comes and goes and most days it is just “average” and not great at all. The other way is to wait for a great gesture or pose, or to capture some action while the bird is moving.
Canada Geese are pretty much everywhere where a body of water is located here in the Midwest. After you have the first few hundred images of geese, sitting, standing, or swimming, on your hard drive it’s time to move on. Don’t take me wrong, Canada Geese are really a good subject to practice your shooting or to test and learn about your gear. The bird provides good contrast against almost any background even in nasty weather.
Last weekend in the Green Island Wetlands it was a little too early for seeing migrating birds, but coming home without any picture is not an option for me. I’m still in a phase of learning about the new SIGMA 150-600 lens and so I used every opportunity to shoot, even the “ordinary” birds…
Dubuque, Iowa, 16th Street Basin
I went back to Dubuque, Iowa again this evening but didn’t have nearly as much action on the ice of ‘16th Street Basin’ as yesterday. So, here is my favorite shot from last Sunday. I like the position of the bird in the frame, with the small strip of open water along the shore in the background. By the way, the trees laying in the water are cut by beavers. I think this is amazing because the pond is surrounded by busy roads and railroad tracks on all sides. Shooting at this location can be a challenge, if you want to keep any men-made structures out of the frame.
This immature eagle is probably in its fourth year. As you can see, its feathers on head, neck, and tail are not completely white yet, but will be probably soon. Bald Eagles can live up to 40 years in the wild.
Ok, today’s post isn’t so much about a good picture but about a first sighting for me. While working this week in Dallas, TX the temperatures have raised way above freezing here in eastern Iowa and today I went back to one of my favorite wildlife areas, the Green Island Wetlands, next to the Mississippi River and south of Bellevue, Iowa. I have not seen a Northern Shrike before and it didn’t matter that the bird was too far away for a good photo. I was just happy to see it for the first time. The Northern Shrike is supposed to be here only during the winter. Their breeding grounds reach from northern Alaska across the northern parts of Canada.
Here is another visitor of the “backyard studio”, a male Eastern Bluebird. It came actually not alone, a female joined the bird bath as well, but they sat so far apart from each other that I decided to focus on either one of them separately. We have never seen them eating at a bird feeder yet but obviously they enjoy the heated bird bath. It isn’t the first time that we saw Eastern Bluebirds here in February. I know it is silly to say that, with all the snow on the ground at the moment, but when the bluebirds show up here, spring is not that far anymore… (Can you tell we are a little tired of winter ??)…😉
White-throated Sparrow, Little Maquoketa River Valley near Durango, Iowa
Winter was telling us today that is not over yet by letting it snow pretty much all day. As a result we had a lot of activities around our bird feeders. It was a nice surprise to see a White-throated Sparrow, who visited several times. We are at the northern edge of their winter range according to my field guides, but it is the first time that we have seen one in February. Other years my earliest photos were made in April.
It’s not a tack sharp image but I thought I show it anyway, because beside photography my blog has always been about sharing wildlife encounters and locations.
