FEEDING TIME

Any kind of insects and spiders live a dangerous life at the moment in our yard and the surrounding woods. Our House Wrens feed their second brood in one of our nest boxes.

The little wrens peek out from the entrance hole ones in a while and they make a lot of noise to let their parents know that they want more food. I have seen two juveniles for sure but it is possible that even three or four occupy the nest. Well, at least they make noise for four…😉  We expect them to leave the nest within the next few days.

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Nikon SB 800 speed light, Better Beamer flash extender,

I just checked my photo archive from the last years. The first brood is usually raised in June and a second one is due in late July or early August. So they are right on schedule this year so far. In some years we saw them feeding as late as August 17, sometimes due to the loss of their eggs in July. We have a very active raccoon mother with two baby raccoons roaming around here… We will see what happens next. I hope you enjoy!

SCARLET TANAGER AND THE AMBIENT LIGHT

The Scarlet Tanager is a very secretive bird but sometimes the males show up at our suet feeders for a brief moment. Usually they also disappear very quickly again after getting a few peanuts. It is not so difficult to make any feeder pictures but it takes a lot more to make the click while they are in the trees around our house. The thick and lush canopy of our trees here swallows up a lot of light and locking in the focus can be a challenge. As always in these kind of situations I use the speed light only for flash fill, for boosting the colors and not as my main source of light. This means to shoot with slow shutter speeds (1/60s for this photo). The ambient light plays a big role for the environmental portraits I’m aiming for in my wildlife photography and using the full power of the flash light would just not deliver the results I’m looking for. Not having every single feather of the bird tack-sharp is the small price I have no problem to pay in this matter.

KNOWING THE LOCAL RESOURCES

Male House Wren

Sometimes time and the circumstances in our lives don’t allow to go the extra nine yards to make the next great image. Over the years I learned that for these situations it helps to know the local resources, work with well known subjects, and still be able to produce some interesting pictures.

At this time of the year the female House Wrens sit on their second clutch of eggs in one of our nest boxes and the males support and protect them from any kind of intruders. I have made many pictures of the little wrens over the years, so what can I still aim for? It is the gestures that never repeat one to one and that make the difference between the bird just sitting on a perch and a more interesting pose. So, here is the male, preening its feathers and guarding the nest. As soon the offspring is hatched the parents will be busy feeding the young House Wrens, and this is another good time to make a few clicks with very little efforts, even if the available shooting time is very limited…

A DRINK FROM THE BEE BALM

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Joan has managed to grow over 35 Bee Balms this year in our front yard, more than we ever had so far. It’s not only good looking, it also attracts the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that spent the time between early May (sometimes late April) and the end of September here in our neck of the woods. We have quite a few hummingbird feeders out there but the nectar of these flowers is probably hard to beat as a source of food. All what it took to make this shot was patience and some consideration for the background.

NATURE CLICKS #338 - AMERICAN REDSTART

When this warbler, an American Redstart, landed on the dead branch, hanging down from a tree, quick decisions had to be made. The bird was there only for about two seconds. I knew immediately when I saw this in the viewfinder that it was all about luminosity for this shot, and not so much about detail or what else might be interesting for my friends in the “birder camp” or for the “technical purists”. The male American Redstart can be easily identified by the color pattern on its tail. Having the yellow side bands of its tail against the tree trunk in the background is for me the story telling element in this photo. It says it all, yes, I’m pretty, I’m spending the summer here in Eastern Iowa, I see you and the girls see me… ;-)… Yep, its artsy-fartsy, but I hope you can tell that I liked the moment and finally the photo that came out of it…

NATURE CLICKS #337 - COMMON WHITETAIL

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens

The Common Whitetail or Long-tailed Skimmer (Plathemis lydia) is a common dragonfly across much of North America (Wikipedia). Only the males have this white body. The females have a brown body and a different wing pattern. This dragonfly hawks for mosquitoes and other small flying insects. They often return to the same perch, like this spot on a rock, which makes getting a shot quite predictable and not so difficult.

I was hoping to point my lens actually at some birds along the Mississippi between Harpers Ferry and Lansing, Iowa, when this opportunity for a shot came up. Not enough time to go back to the car and change lenses, so I just stepped a few feet back and used the Sigma 150-600 for this photo. I can’t rave enough how pleased I am how this lens performs, even handheld.

NATURE CLICKS #336 - WARBLING VIREO

Warbling Vireo, Mines of Spain, Dubuque, Iowa

Today I watched a pair of Warbling Vireos in the Mines of Spain, the big recreation area south of Dubuque, Iowa that includes woods, prairie, and wetlands. I worked with the birds for almost two hours and it was just a good feeling to go out shooting again after mostly traveling during the last five weeks. The vireos were busy catching spiders and insects for their offspring always in the same tree. Finally I saw one juvenile just before I left the area. It flew from the tree down into the grass and waited to be fed. It obviously had just left the nest. The parents were in constant call contact with the young bird the whole time. They were catching a lot of insects and I was wondering if there was even more than just one juvenile.

It is always a great feeling if a picture of a particular species in my BIRD GALLERY can be replaced with a new and better one. In most instances it means there was improvement in my photography. Previous photos I made over the years of the Warbling Vireo had way too much distance between the camera and the subject, so they had to be cropped. Not good! This time I started with still a safe distance but didn’t really move the tripod much the whole time. As a result the birds got very quickly used to my presence and came closer and closer.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2016 - #6

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, 1/2500s, f/8, ISO200, @ 150 mm

When I was recently in Germany several friends were asking me to show more photos about the area where we live. Well, the recurrent readers of my blog know that I’m not a fan of the “postcard views”, the pictures that are taken just because the camera owner (sometimes referred as the photographer 😉) was at a location and had to make the click, no matter what time of the day it was and how the light effected the scene.

The subject in the photo above can be photographed several times every day during the summer here at lock & dam #11 in Dubuque, Iowa. The tugboats that move up to fifteen barges up or down the Mississippi River are a great subject for photography. The photo was made at 6:23 PM, and parts of the river had been already in the shade.

Exposing strictly for the highlights makes this image work for me. Exposure compensation had to be dialed in at -1EV. If the shutter speed is still at 1/2500 s, nothing can go wrong. You don’t even need to pan really with your camera to make this shot. The flying pelican was shot at 1/1250 s, still a fast shutter speed, but without panning this would have been a blurry mess.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, 1/1250s, f/8, ISO200, @ 600 mm

While in California last week a conversation with one of my customers came up about the Mississippi River. We both agreed that the river looks always muddy, no matter what time of the year. It is no secret that the top soil of the former prairie erodes away, left and right of the river’s path to the south. If you zoom in closely at my first image, you can see the real color of the water at the back of the vessel, stirred up by the ship’s propellor. At the other hand, the surface of the river has an almost intriguing blue color. We all know it is just the reflection of the sky. Knowing about our light source, direction, reflection, and what ever else may influence our image can make the difference between just wasting time or come back with the photo we have in mind.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2016 - #5

American White Pelicans - Mississippi River, Dubuque, Iowa, lock & dam #11

This photo is almost a week old and all what I can say is that my work duties kept me on the road, in the air, in hotels and printing shops, and finally from using my camera lately. American White Pelicans are among my favorite birds and if a shaft of light creates some magic on the Mississippi River, I can’t help but have to make the click.

TAKING A BREAK

I just thought I let you know I will be out of the country for a little while. I’m not sure if I have much time to post here in the blog while traveling, but the camera goes with me and maybe I find a few interesting things… 😉

NATURE CLICKS #335 - RED-HEADED WOODPECKER

It took me 3 years and 12 days to make an image of the Red-headed Woodpecker again here in our neck of the woods. Today I finally saw an adult at a tree trunk, eying one of our suet feeders. At this time of the year the camera with long lens is always mounted on the tripod and ready to be used immediately. I didn’t get the shots the first time but the woodpecker came back a couple more times. The light was changing constantly from bright sun to slight overcast and back, and my index finger was switching between the button for exposure compensation and the shutter release all the time.

The Red-headed Woodpecker is supposed to be in our part of Iowa all-season but we have seen it only in May for short periods of time, the last time in 2013. All of the sources I use for identification and education about birds report a severe decline in the past half-century because of habitat loss and changes to its food supply. The good thing is, within the last two months we have seen all seven woodpecker species we had recorded before here on the bluffs above the Little Maquoketa River.

THE LOUD AND THE SECRETIVE

Female Baltimore Oriole

I promised you a few days ago I would show some more pictures of birds that have arrived here on the bluffs above the Little Maquoketa Valley. The Baltimore Orioles start singing beautifully already early in the morning but when they approach our bird feeders they chatter mostly loud. Both, females and males, love to eat from the halves of oranges we put out for them and also drink from our hummingbird feeders to gain strength after their long migration. Later in the summer, during the breeding process, they hardly show up again near the feeders. Their nests are usually high up in the taller trees and their diet consists of caterpillars, moths, beetles, ants, bugs, and aphids.

Male Baltimore Oriole

Female Scarlet Tanager

The Scarlet Tanager is a lot more secretive. It is not easy to make a photo away from the suet feeder, because most of the time they fly in very quiet and land right on the feeder. After their short meals they fly away immediately.

Male Scarlet Tanager

NATURE CLICKS #334 - AMERICAN TOAD

The American Toad (Bufo americanus) is one of the sixteen frog species that can be found in Iowa. They are abundant in the state, especially in forested areas. Every year we find a few in our yard, mostly in the flower beds or between ferns and shrubs.

Yesterday Joan called me down from my office while she was planting and doing yard-work. Usually the toads we saw in the past were a lot darker and more grayish but this one looked different. I put the Sigma 150 mm / f2.8 macro lens on the D750 and stretchedout in the wet grass on my stomach. Shooting this slow moving critter from above is really not an option for a decent image… 

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

MORE BIRD ARRIVALS

Male Indigo Bunting

Before I post a few more pictures from our trip to Las Vegas I like to give you an update on more bird arrivals here on the bluffs above the Little Maquoketa River Valley. This morning I saw the first Indigo Bunting in our woods this year. This small blue looking finch is easy to identify. We don’t see very many up here on our ridge but down in the valley near the edge of the woods they are more common.

Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak

The first Rose-breasted Grosbeak showed up already two weeks ago. Now we can see several males and at least two females that use our sunflower seeds to gain strength again after their long migration from South America.

Other birds have arrived as well and I may show more photos later this week.

Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak -- All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, tripod, INDURO GHB2 gimbal head, Nikon SB 800 speed light, Better Beamer flash extender

AGAINST THE RULES

Canada Geese, Green Isand Wetlands, Iowa

The Hooded Merganser wasn’t the only bird taking care for their offspring last weekend in the Green Island Wetlands. I saw several pairs of Canada Geese with little goslings, mostly between 2 - 4. The female goose incubates the eggs, but other than the mergansers both parents are involved in the care taking for the young ones. Canada Geese mate for life.

This family had just crossed the road in front of me, from one pond into the next lake. I know, butt shots are supposed to be rude but Ansel Adams said already, there are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs…

I saw the story in this photo when I made the click. One parent was leading the way, the other one kept an eye on me and made loud warning noises. Fill flash helped again to bring out the colors of the goslings and to overcome the gray of the overcast. There are only a few reflections of the sky on the water and the green of the algae infested water dominates the background. Many things came together in this image and that’s why I like it.