SPRING MOLT

American Goldfinch ---------------- 

It was an easy picture to make. This is just outside of my office window and the only challenge is the glass between the bird and the camera. I don’t do a lot of “feeder pictures” but couldn’t resist this time. The American Goldfinches are in their spring molt at the moment. It happens very fast and in a few days they all will have their new feathers and this golden-yellow color that makes it easy to identify them during the summer. Although the males sing like crazy during spring, pairs do not nest until later in the summer when seeds are available in abundance. Goldfinches eat seeds almost exclusively, from thistle, sunflower, aster, to grasses and tree seeds. We have a lot of Goldfinches here and their molt is for us another sure sign that winter is almost over.

OWL IN THE CAVE

Great Horned Owl, Dubuque, Iowa ------------------ 

Are you tired of seeing photos here in my blog taken in the wetlands along the Mississippi River lately? Well, today I have something different for you. Friends who follow my blog since several years know that at this time of the year I have reported about the breeding efforts of a pair Great Horned Owls down at the Mississippi not very far from home.

The bad news is, it isn’t happen this year. Great Horned Owls don’t really build their own nest but take possession of an old nest instead and maybe move a few sticks around. In this matter it was the nest of a Bald Eagle that the owl used for five years in a row. Well, rain, snow, and in particular wind have finally succeeded and the nest had fallen apart after the last breeding season. There are still a few branches and sticks up in the tree but it isn’t big enough to be the place for another generation of Great Horned Owls.

And here comes the good news. Thanks to a couple photography friends I learned about two other locations around Dubuque, Iowa with an active nest site. One is in a small cave and it isn’t easy to see mother owl back on the nest. I used the flash to throw some light into the hole but this wasn’t enough to make a difference, at least from what I saw on the display of the camera back. The solution for this photo was to expose all the way to the right of the histogram, but still making sure the surrounding rocks were not blown out. It is amazing how much dynamic range today’s cameras are able to capture and the RAW files can hold. Later at home in Adobe Lightroom I lowered the exposure of the rocks and lifted the shadows of the cave locally. And this revealed some detail inside the cave. I don’t know if there is an owlet deeper in the nest but will hopefully find out as time progresses.

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, 1/80s, f/6.3, ISO 400,

 

EASY IN GREAT LIGHT

Great Blue Heron, Green Island Wetlands, Mississippi River, Iowa

You know how much I like to rave about “killer light”, a term I admit I have not invented, but this is the best description of great light for nature photography I have found so far! It doesn’t matter what we call it, it is just about the best quality of light mother nature provides for us. The Great Blue Heron may migrate to the south for the winter but they are here as soon they can find open water. I have pictures with snow and ice in the background and if there is a chance the heron can catch fish, you will find them standing and waiting for prey in shallow water.

It is human nature that the eye goes first to the brightest part of an image, and second to the sharpest. If we make sure the highlights are not blown out on the head of the bird and if we have the eye in focus, it is easy to expose and make the click. For this image an exposure compensation of -0.7 EV was necessary to accomplish the task.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 600 mm, 1/500 s, f/6.3, ISO 100

NATURE CLICKS #396 - GREATER YELLOWLEG

The water level in the lakes and marshes of the Green Island Wetlands is slightly lower than it was during the last few months. This is good at least for two reasons. If it stays that way the trees and shrubs that were submerged by water have a chance to recover and new growth is possible. The water level in this area is controlled and there are probably reasons, that may have to do with the adjacent Mississippi River, to raise or lower it. As a frequent visitor I noticed during the last years that many of the bigger trees have died, maybe due to a higher water level for too long. Woodpeckers and tree swallows may benefit for a while but in a long run their habitat can be threatened if few or no new trees have a chance to grow.

The other reason, the mud banks that were covered by water appear again and this gives shore birds, like sandpipers and plovers, a chance to feed and they may use the wetlands as a stopover place during their migration. My photo library reveals that I haven’t taken a picture of a Yellowleg during the last two years in the Green Island area.

Much to my pleasure I saw a single Greater Yellowleg foraging in the shallow water and on the mud banks yesterday. Unless you are in a boat, the shooting position is always from slightly above water level, due to the topography in the wetlands, and that makes it difficult to keep mud and old plant litter out of the frame. Yes, as a photographer I prefer the environmental picture of birds and critters and having part of a mud bank in the picture is considered part of the story for me. However, having an old plant stalk sticking out of the bird’s head is not very desirable. It took me a while to get a shot that I like of this beautiful Greater Yellowleg …

This post was altered April 14, 2018. In my first version I had identified this bird as a Lesser Yellowleg. After looking closer at more of the pictures I took and after consulting with a more experienced birder (Thank you Tony!) I came to the conclusion that this might be a Greater Yellowleg. They are a little bigger and have a slightly upturned bill. Other photos show this feature more pronounced than this one.

FINALLY, SNOW GEESE!

Snow Geese, take off at Green Island Wetlands, Iowa ---------   

It was one of the best days in a long time I had this afternoon and evening in the Green Island Wetlands. The quality of light and the abundance of birds made for a fun time in these wetlands next to the Mississippi River. Several ‘first of the year’ sightings and a lot of displaying behavior, because love is in the air, made for some great observations.

The big migration wave of the geese was early this year and I saw a good number of Greater White-fronted but had absolutely no sighting of any Snow Geese. It became clear I missed the peak of the geese migration. Today, to my surprise, it came all together when five Snow Geese landed just in front of me while I looked at some ducks.

The Snow Geese gave me 43 minutes to work with them before they took off. During that time they rested, preened themselves, but didn’t feed. They probably spent a few more hours in Green Island because I saw them again just before sunset. It is mind boggling how far they still have to fly for their breeding grounds up in the arctic regions of North America.

There is only so much you can do photographically if five geese don’t move much and the shore dictates how far you can get closer, but it made me very happy to capture a couple shots in focus during their take off.

We have snow in the forecast for tomorrow and that means we will probably not drive around on slippery roads. In other words, there might be time to write about some other birds here in the blog. So, please stay tuned…

COLD BUT KILLER LIGHT

American Tree Sparrow, Mississippi River, Hawkeye Marina, Mud Lake, Iowa ---------

I know, I know, I had a photo of an American Tree Sparrow in my blog less than two weeks ago! But how could I resist? It was very windy and cold today, the air was “crisp” and clear and as a result we had great light, at least in my books. Down at the Mississippi River I counted 8 different species of ducks, Hooded and Common Mergansers, lots of American Coots, and a number of Pied-billed Grebes. But it was just before the sun disappeared behind the rocky bluffs that border the river valley, when the great light turned into “killer light”. At that time I focussed on a grove of American Tree Sparrows who searched for food between the driftwood and seemed to enjoy the last rays of sun for the day.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 600 mm (DX mode), 1/800 s, f/6.3, ISO200

NATURE CLICKS #395 - HERMIT THRUSH

Hermit Thrush, Backbone State Park, Iowa --------

Joan had to work this weekend, so I took our little dog Cooper for an Easter hike to an area that I have a little neglected during recent years. Backbone State Park is the oldest state park in Iowa, dedicated in 1919 (2001 acres, 820 ha), and it is only an hour drive west of our area. It is named for a narrow and steep ridge of bedrock carved by a loop of the Maquoketa River originally known as the “Devil's Backbone” (source: Wikipedia). I always hope to see some wildlife during a hiking tour but I didn’t want to carry the heavy 150-600 mm lens with me. Instead the 70-200 was on the camera.

Only fifteen minutes into the hike I came across this Hermit Thrush, an inconspicuous little bird, that wasn’t very shy but nevertheless kept a safe distance to Cooper and me while searching for food between leaf litter. The Hermit Thrush breeds further north and that makes me believe that this was a migrating bird.

The thrush decided to pose between thorny branches and unfortunately one of them covers part of the bird. I still decided to use this photo for today’s post because it was the closest and sharpest image I was able to make. It isn’t ideal for identification because you can’t really see the spots on its chest, but other pictures, from a wider distance, helped me to compare the field marks. The last time I had this bird in front of the camera was in April 2014 in our front yard. I guess I’ll keep my eyes open during the next days…

Nikon D750, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4G ED VR, @ 200 mm, 1/1250 s, f/4, ISO 200

THE PRINCESS AND HER LOVERS

If things don’t work out as you may have hoped for during a photo shoot in the Great Outdoors, and for example the species you may see only for a relative short period of time while migrating stay out of your way, don’t hesitate to work with the “locals”, the birds you can always have in front of your camera. I’m not advocating to make another picture of a pair, swimming peacefully side by side, but looking out for an image that tells a story about their life or the specifics of the season I think is still desirable.

Last Sunday I saw a lot of migrators, Buffleheads, Gadwalls, Ring-necked Ducks, and Mergansers, but none of them came into a range that allowed me to make a serious effort for a photo. I’m sure that most of the Mallards we can see here at the moment by the thousands will migrate further north but some are here all the time and many people don’t even look at them. The difference to other times of the year is that mating time is approaching fast and their plumage is at its best at the moment. Combine this with the quality of light in late winter or early spring and you have best conditions to make a photo that sticks.

The lady was holding her breath, she really remained in this position for a few seconds, while the boys were fighting for the grounds. Don’t tell me Mallards are boring just because there are so many…😉

NEW SNOW, BUT ALL GONE ALREADY

Song Sparrow, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa ---------

Some new snow came down yesterday, most of it west and south of us, and I was hoping to have a little bit of a reflector available during another visit in the Green Island Wetlands today. My assumption was wrong, the powerful sun and wind took care of the white stuff this morning and except for the north side of hills and slopes it was all gone. As you can see, light was nevertheless available in abundance and the Song Sparrows, who spend the winter here, enjoyed the warm rays of the sun as much as I did.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, @ 600 mm, 1/1250 s, f/6.3, ISO 200

NATURE CLICKS #394 - AMERICAN TREE SPARROW

The photo is already two days old. Life stood in the way for posting here in the blog. That is not a big deal because it was three years ago when I had the last time an American Tree Sparrow in front of the lens. Wednesday night along the waters of the Deere Marsh at the Mississippi River I found a “grove” of them. When I walk on top of the dyke towards the river with our little dog Cooper I usually take the camera with me. This location is always good for some discoveries.

The American Tree Sparrow is here only during the winter time. Their breeding range is in northern Canada and Alaska. Speaking of winter, we have some snow in the forecast for tomorrow. When the ground is covered with snow, the tree sparrows will beat tall weeds with their wings and feed on the seeds that may have fallen down. I thought this is an interesting fact, I just learned from my favorite bird identification app on the phone, iBird PRO. Enjoy your weekend!

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, @ 600 mm, 1/400 s, f/6.3, ISO 400

 

NATURE CLICKS #393 - RING-NECKED DUCK

John Deere Marsh, Dubuque, Iowa --------

Another image from my trip along the Mississippi last weekend. The prominent field mark of the Ring-necked Duck is the white ring on its bill, that makes it easy to identify them. The faint chestnut ring around their necks is very hard to see and mostly visible only at a close distance. I always wonder who gave those ducks their name…😉? The turbulent water on the left is what’s left of one of the females I had in the viewfinder as well. It just dived down in search for food while I pressed the shutter button of the camera. That’s alright, the two males were part of a team of about 20-30 ducks who used the pond at the Deere Marsh as a place for rest and feeding during their migration to Minnesota or Canada up north.

As much as I like this spot for bird watching, for photography it is not ideal. The road to the west and trail to the south are quite a bit higher than the water surface and that gives you always that unfortunate shooting angle from above, which I believe is not very flattering. Don’t even think of getting out of the car and climb down the embankment, all ducks and geese would have left the state of Iowa by the time you are down at water level… 😊

NATURE CLICKS #392 - BUFFLEHEADS

John Deere Marsh, Mississippi River, Dubuque, Iowa ---------      

If there was a prize awarded for the prettiest migrating duck, the Bufflehead would probably be ranked in the top 3. It is hard to get close to them, but it is so much fun to watch the males displaying and battling for the female’s attention. Although I just read that Buffleheads are mostly monogamous and often stay with the same mate for several years. However, they are constantly on the move and in between they also have to dive for food and will disappear from your view for a few seconds. Guess when that happens? Of course, the moment when you think you have the duck in focus for a sharp image…

It was a gorgeous weekend for bird watching and I used my time to patrol along the Mississippi River between Dubuque, Iowa and Brownsville, Minnesota. I saw thousands of migrating ducks, swans, and geese but it doesn’t mean every encounter will lead to an image. The Mississippi is several kilometers / miles wide for the most part and there isn’t always access to the water due to topography or private land ownership. As longer I live near the Mississippi Valley as more I appreciate to watch the big bird migration every year. My heart beats faster if I see thousands of little dots over the horizon, which indicates birds on the move.

Another good thing is to meet other people who enjoy bird watching as well. Yesterday, at the Brownsville, MN overlook I met Richard, another bird watcher from Iowa,. He let me look through his spotting scope and we had fun to identify birds and shared our sightings. The birds were all at a distance and I didn’t even take the camera out of the car, but spending time with like-minded people is priceless and always educating.

THE STORY ABOUT AN “ORDINARY”

Red-winged Blackbird, Green Island Wetlands -------   

I’m still smiling about my first sighting of a Short-eared Owl yesterday and just a few days ago I finally made some pictures of a pair American Black Ducks, as the avid reader of my blog may recall. It looks like I have already a good bird watching year. But more often we come back from a trip with photos of wildlife that is native to the area, stays all year long, or shows up in large numbers for the breeding season. Canada Geese, Ring-billed Gulls, Mallards, and of course the Red-winged Blackbirds belong into this group here in the Mississippi Valley.

So, how can we make the photos of the ordinary creatures special? First, they have to be sharp. If we don’t nail sharpness at least on the eye of a critter we can try it again and again. The “ordinary” birds are a great subject to improve our shooting skills. Second, light and color should play a role. Nobody wants to see, not even on Facebook, a photo of a gull, sitting still on a sheet of ice that reflects the gray from an overcast sky. This rule can be broken if there is a good story telling gesture involved. Gesture is the third ingredient to make an image of a bird that everybody knows more interesting.

I hear the photo-purists saying, Andreas, why didn’t you move a little to the side to get the swaying dried up plant out of the frame? Well, I did, I moved the “mobile blind”, as I call my car, a couple feet back. It was all good, sharpness, light, and color. The only thing missing in all the other shots was the great gesture of the male Red-winged Blackbird, when he spread his wings, called, and told all competitors around, this is my territory! For my friends in Germany and those who are not familiar with blackbirds, the appearance of this species in late winter and early spring is a good indicator that the warmer season will arrive soon. They are here probably by the millions. The males claim a territory and wait for the arrival of the females. This picture may not make it into a field guide about birds but I think it tells the story about what’s going on out in the wetlands, at the Mississippi River, and along the roads here in Iowa…

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, @ 600 mm, 1/400 s, f/6.3, ISO 200

NATURE CLICKS #391 - SHORT-EARED OWL (FIRST SIGHTING)

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, @ 600 mm, 1/125 s, f/6.3, ISO 800, photo is cropped,  ------------   

It was about time for me to get back into the Green Island Wetlands this evening. Beside the “regulars”, like Canada Geese, Bald Eagles, American White Pelicans, Sandhill Cranes (10), Mallards, lots of Red-winged Blackbirds, and the Northern Harrier, I watched the first pair of Wood Ducks this year. I also met my photography friend Kevin, who is the one who convinced me to join the Dubuque Camera Club last fall, and we shared our recent observations, discussed locations, and of course photography. As the sun went down and we said good bye, Kevin discovered this owl sitting in the top of a tree at the edge of the wetland area. First I thought it was a Barred Owl. We have them around our house and can hear their distinctive calls every night really close, but since they are mostly active at night we hardly see them and so I’m not so familiar how they look in detail. A closer look into the books at home revealed that this is a Short-eared Owl. The yellow eyes and the black triangle around each eye made that clear. Barred Owls have dark eyes and a different plumage.

This is a first sighting for me and even if the photo is cropped and a little noisy I’m very happy. I rather crop the image and keep a safe distance to an owl instead of moving in and become a threat. The safety and comfort for the bird come always first.

NATURE CLICKS #390 - AMERICAN BLACK DUCK (FIRST SIGHTING)

During a short trip to the Mississippi this evening I saw a pair of ducks that got my utmost attention. The American Black Duck is a first for me. It is not a bird you can see here in eastern Iowa every day, not even during migration. It has been on my “most wanted” list since a long time. This was a solitary pair, seen just south of the Deere Marsh behind the John Deere factory in Dubuque. This duck is not black as the name suggests but appears so at a distance.

The photography is less than mediocre but for a first sighting I will make an exception 😉. The distance between the car, which I used as a blind, and the ducks was way too big. The railroad tracks and a lot of water between us left no chance to get closer to the subject. For any other species that is more common I wouldn’t even have unpacked the camera. I don’t think I have ever cropped a photo that much to make it work. The loss of detail is obvious but the joy about today’s encounter outweighs the lament about the photographic results…