SANDHILL CRANES AND OTHER ENCOUNTERS

It was another great afternoon and evening along the Mississippi in the Green Island Wetlands. The big migration continues and I had a few more “first of the year” encounters today. Beside thousands of Mallards I saw about 20 Northern Pintails, 4 Northern Shovelers, and 2 American Wigeons. There are still large numbers of Greater White-fronted Geese flying in before sunset.

I was happy to see three Sandhill Cranes a couple days ago but was even happier today when a pair of cranes within shooting range foraged just in front of me. I heard some frogs earlier this week and I’m sure the cranes find what they are looking for. This photo shows a typical scene, while one bird is observing the surrounding area, the other one can search for food. These cranes are omnivorous and exploit subsurface food by probing with their bills. This is why we can see the bill covered with mud quite often. By the way, while I’m writing these lines and look at my pictures I realized how good the grasses and reeds from last year look. I guess this is due to the fact that we didn’t have huge amounts of heavy snow that pushed everything to the ground for weeks.

My excitement grew a little later, just before sunset, when another swoop of 12 Sandhill Cranes flew in for the night. Last year we had way over a hundred cranes in the wetlands in March and I hope the numbers will grow this year again.

THE PICTURES FOR OURSELVES

Greater White-fronted Geese, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Over the years I have tried to grow as a photographer and have developed some standards for myself about what goes into the trash can immediately, what stays in the library for documentary reasons, but is never seen by the public eye, and what can be printed as big as the pixel count allows. Of course, the aim is always the latter but it doesn’t always work out that way.

I made a lot of clicks last night in the Green Island Wetlands and in my post from yesterday I showed a couple photos that tell together the story of this evening. And if I want to print them, I don’t have to think twice. Well, my favorite picture is nevertheless the one I show you today. It lacks sharpness and it is heavily cropped (down to 55%), to make it work. So, what’s the point? It’s the gesture of the geese in front of that superb cloud that tells the story about bird migration and the great light last night in just a single image. Usually I keep this kind of picture (heavily cropped) for myself, but I know that some other photographers who follow my blog, try to answer the same question (Where do I stand with my image quality?). Let’s keep our favorite photos, even if the technical side is not perfect. It’s the emotional part that makes us happy!

IT WAS ABOUT TIME

Virginia Opossum -----------

It was time to go down south today. I haven’t been in the Green Island Wetlands for quite some time and understandably during the winter the expectations to see a lot of wildlife are on a lower level. I enjoyed being away from the “cabin” and just wanted to get a feeling for the landscape again. To my surprise I found some critters and one of them was this Virginia Opossum. This solitary and mostly nocturnal animal is the only marsupial found north of Mexico.

This possum was in search for food between the dry reeds and along the iced over canals in Green Island. They are opportunists and eat a wide range of plants and animals. Opossums are very resistant to rabies, most likely due to a low body temperature. They also limit the spread of lyme disease, as they successfully kill off most disease-carrying ticks that feed on them (source: Wikipedia). I wish the deer would do the same...😏

My photo library shows that the last time I had a Virginia Opossum in front of the camera was already nine years ago. With other words, it was about time to make a few clicks of this actually not so uncommon critter.

FINALLY THE CARDINALS

Male Northern Cardinal ------------

There is one bird I really wanted to make of some new photos this winter but had no opportunity until now. This changed today when we got some fresh snow fall and a conclave of Northern Cardinals occupied the elm tree in our backyard. Usually they show up not much before sunset and this is of course not a good time for aiming a lens at them. I just read that cardinals can live up to 15 years in the wild and now I wonder if there is any of them still alive who was already here when we moved in our house…

Female Northern Cardinal

Because the birds never sat in the same spot for more than 1-2 seconds I decided to shoot not in “sniper mode”, one shot at a time with the flash light and flash extender for better color rendition. I usually do that if we have an overcast but the snow reflected enough light to get some color and keep exposure between 1/100 s and 1/400 s. It is more difficult to shoot the long exposure but it renders a nicer background and the snow flakes look like trails as you can see in the photo of the female cardinal.

REVEALING THE RED BELLY

This week flew by fast and I only have been out one evening with the camera. It was warm during the last few days and the snow, the “giant reflector”, melted down quite a bit. I still like to show another photo I made last Sunday in crisp winter light. This female Red-bellied Woodpecker is one of our regulars. She was born in 2016, at least I believe it is still the same bird we see here.

This was actually my favorite shot from last Sunday. Not just because of the great light but I also like the gesture of the woodpecker and the fact that you can see the orange-red belly, that obviously played a role when the Red-bellied woodpecker received its name. Most of the time we can’t see it in our pictures because the woodpeckers hang on to a tree trunk and the belly is hidden.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Nikon SB 800 speed light, MAGMOD MagBeam flash extender, @600 mm, 1/640 s, f/6.3, ISO 200, image cropped

 

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2018 #01 - SNOW COVERED

Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa --------       

Of course in 2018 I will continue my story telling about wildlife and nature in the Mississippi Valley with some photos. It still fascinates me that the big river is never twice the same, no matter how often I drive down to the valley and visit even well known places. This evening it wasn’t as cold as during the last week and daylight lasts a lot longer already as in January.

Canada Geese, Deere Marsh, Dubuque, Iowa

The ice on the Mississippi has a solid snow cover at the moment but this can change very quickly. Nothing is static at this river. There was a spot with open water south of the Deere Marsh today and hundreds of Canada Geese used it for feeding and resting. It was a constant coming and going and I had some good opportunities to practice my panning technique.

Mississippi backwaters at Deere Marsh, Dubuque, Iowa

I only took the Nikon Nikkor 70-200, f/4 lens with me today and it was a good choice. I acquired this lens mainly for my landscape photography but it will definitely be used for wildlife as well. I love how I can now separate a scene from surrounding and distracting elements. This is where I often have seen the limits of my Nikon Nikkor 24-120, f/4. The 24-120 is a great “walk around lens” but the maximum focal length of 120 mm is quite often too short for separation. Well, I can hear you, why don’t you zoom with your feet and get closer? This is a valid question but in a terrain with natural barriers, like water between the camera and the subject or a canyon just below my feet, a longer focal length is sometimes the only way to exceed these limits. And no, I’m not a fool and walk out onto the ice of the crazy river…😉

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

SHOOTING IN LOTS OF SNOW

Winter doesn’t get much better here in eastern Iowa as we had it this weekend. Plenty of sunshine, lots of powder snow, and temperatures that were manageable. The camera was out on the tripod several times and it was fun to shoot with an abundance of light the large numbers of birds that choose our woods as their headquarter at this time of the season. So, who was here? Since a few days a single White-throated Sparrow uses the amenities we provide for the birds, water, food, and protection by bushes, trees, and shrubs. This is not an uncommon bird but usually we see them in early spring.

The Dark-eyed Juncos are here in large numbers all winter long. They prefer to feed on the ground but since competition is very high we see them sometimes picking at suet feeders as well. Because of their dark upper body it is not easy to photograph them under low light conditions. Today it was easy to make the click and many pictures made it onto the hard drive.

We always have some Mourning Doves around the house. At least one couple breeds during the summer here. This winter I have seen up to twelve doves sitting in the trees together and warming up in the sun. This one hit me by surprise and just landed in front of me while I aimed at another junco.

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Nikon SB 800 speed light, MAGMOD MagBeam flash extender

NOW ONLINE: VISUAL STORIES - THROUGH THE DAKOTAS

Castles-Slim Butte, North Dakota

Some projects take a long time to become reality and some take even a little longer…😉

I just finished a new set of VISUAL STORIES here in my blog. The collection THROUGH THE DAKOTAS is finally online and you can find it by clicking up in the “Collections”-bar or by clicking right HERE. Some of the photos about a journey through the Black Hills and different “Badland” areas in the Dakotas have been previously posted in my blog a while ago and a coffee table book “BADLANDS - North and South Dakota” has been created as well. The only thing missing was a slide show in the blog. Well, as people in Germany say, …. gut Ding will Weile haben!

NATURE CLICKS #389 - NORTHERN FLICKER (2 FORMS)

Male Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker --------     

The Northern Flicker is a woodpecker we see here mostly between October and May, although a few nest in the area. Their usual breeding range is further north in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and all over Canada. Their preferred diet is ants, other insects, berries, and fruits and it is not unusual to see them feeding on the ground. In the eastern and central part of the country the “Yellow-shafted” is common and the males are easily to identify by their black malar mark and golden yellow flight feathers and underwing linings.

Intergrade between Red-shafted and Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker

The “Red-shafted” nests in the western US and southwestern Canada. Their feathers are orange-red on the underside of their wings and the males have a red malar mark on their face. Last Saturday I saw for the first time a bird with a red malar mark near our house and learned quickly that intergrades between Yellow-shafted and Red-shafted are not uncommon. The flicker in the second picture shows clearly the red malar mark but has also the yellow feathers.

You know that I’m always raving about the great light for bird photography when we have snow on the ground. The first picture was taken yesterday while it was still snowing. A hint of flash in addition brings out the colors very nicely. Easy shot.

The second photo was made before the snow and with a gray overcast last weekend. In order to make this image, while the woodpecker was still on the tree trunk, I had to shoot through the glass door of our balcony. Understandably using flash for color improvement was not an option. I cranked the ISO up to 2000 (Yiiiks!) for this documentary shot and got at least a sharp enough image for posting here in my blog.

GUESS WHO IS STILL HERE!

Yellow-rumped Warbler, near Durango, Iowa ----------

In December 2017 I reported that we had a Yellow-rumped Warbler still coming to the bird bath and feeders despite temperatures way below freezing (http://www.exnerimages.net/blog/2017/12/31/happy-new-year). Guess what, the female warbler is still here and I saw her today eating from a suet feeder and hanging around for a little bit.

WINTER AND ITS LIGHT

Red-bellied Woodpecker -----------    

I was determined to get the camera on a tripod and practice some bird photography this weekend, but got a little frustrated on Saturday because a gray overcast and dull light just didn’t lead to any satisfying results. Of course, pilot errors played a role in the game as well… 😏

This was different today. We got some snow overnight and the sky cleared finally this morning. I call this ideal conditions and have written here in the blog before how the reflecting light from the snow can help with exposure and story telling.

The male Red-bellied Woodpecker is pretty, no matter what, but throwing a hint of bundled light through the MAGMOD MagBeam flash extender ( http://www.exnerimages.net/blog/2017/3/30/gear-talk-magmod-magbeam-wildlife-kit ) makes the red on his head just popping. I shot this with 1/160 s, more than fast enough for a sharp image and slow enough to make the falling snow part of the story telling in this image.

2017 RETROSPECT / 7

American White Pelicans -----

The collective fishing efforts of the American White Pelicans at the Mississippi River are a subject I come back to photograph every summer and working with these majestic birds in great light is always rewarding. Their gentle movements seem to be very coordinated and sometimes it feels like they follow a choreography in their efforts to catch as much fish out of the river as possible. The photo leaves room for interpretation. Is the pelican in the back the one who guides the efforts? Or is it just a novice who needs still to learn how to catch fish? Who knows, but the gestures of this pod of pelicans tell the story about some serious fishing efforts just below lock & dam #11 in Dubuque, Iowa. The best time for quality light at this location is between mid and late afternoon, but don’t even bother if the sky is gray. Your picture may tell a different story if the blue of the sky is not reflected from the muddy waters of the big river...

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, @ 600m, 1/1600s, F/8, ISO100

30TH ANNUAL BALD EAGLE WATCH IN DUBUQUE

If you live in or near the tristate area around Dubuque, here is a reminder. Tomorrow, Saturday 01/20 is the 30th Annual Bald Eagle Watch in the Grand River Center. There are live bird programs and other activities, lots of information about the eagles and other nature related things available. The Dubuque Camera Club will have a table at this free family event. I will be there as well and if you like to talk photography, wildlife, or learn about good locations for nature photography in the Upper Mississippi Valley, don’t hesitate to stop at the DCC information desk. The event is open from 9:00AM to 4:30PM. Hope to see you tomorrow!

2017 RETROSPECT / 6

For my retrospect about the month of June I have to revert to one of the best wildlife moments last year. While leaving the Green Island Wetlands at the Mississippi River the evening of June 9th I discovered four young raccoons having dinner in a mulberry tree. I have written in detail about this encounter in the blog and if you like to see the photos and read the full story I posted back in June 2017, feel free to click the link right here: http://www.exnerimages.net/blog/2017/6/10/a-gang-of-four

We photographers can talk about the technical aspects of photography all day long or get lost in overanalyzing our pixels, but it is important to have some fun while shooting, even if the results are not more than a “learning experience” sometimes. The good results will come with the passion we apply to our own photography. Watching the young raccoons was priceless and the only way to make these images was to crank up the ISO setting to 640 due to the very low light. Not my usual style for wildlife photography, but who cares if the technical side of the photo is not perfect but the story telling aspect reflects the fun I had while taking the pictures.

2017 RETROSPECT / 5

Male Orchard Oriole, 1st summer, near Durango, Iowa ----------     

May has been all about bird photography ones more for me in 2017. I don’t even have to go too far, things happen right here in our woods north of Dubuque, Iowa.

We usually see a large number of Baltimore Orioles stopping briefly on their long journey and eating from oranges we provide. Some of them stay here during the summer and raise their offspring. Not a daily event is the sighting of an Orchard Oriole. Last year we had more than ever before and it was fun to see both species at the same time. This male oriole was in its first summer and didn’t have the dark chestnut-orange color of its body yet as the adult males.