NATURE CLICKS #438 - RED-TAILED HAWK

Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

We had another gorgeous day here in eastern Iowa, with sun and temperatures way above the freezing point. Good reason to go out again and try to make some clicks. We decided to visit the Green Island Wetlands again this afternoon, after it was a good place to be already yesterday. Shortly after we entered the wetland area Joan spotted this Red-tailed Hawk. It is the most common hawk here but it is not always easy to get close. The bird took off before we even had a chance to get close. Luckily the raptor returned quickly and landed in a dead tree not far from the gravel road. We approached slowly and stopped within a good shooting range, trying not to scare the bird. The hawk was probably on a hunt for mice that were attracted by the warm sun as much as we were. The melting ice below threw some extra light from underneath. More light allows for a fast shutter speed and it wasn’t difficult to make the photo by handholding the heavy SIGMA 150-600. 

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 600 mm, 1/1600 s, f/6.3, ISO200

COULDN’T ASK FOR MORE…

Trumpeter Swans, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

The biggest difference between my last visit in the Green Island Wetlands a week ago and today was the number of Canada Geese. Many more have arrived and spread wherever there was already open water. Most of the lakes and canals have still an ice cover but with warmer temperatures ahead of us this will change quickly. The bird migration has started and during the hour before sunset I saw hundreds, if not thousands, of geese flying upstream in the Mississippi Valley. The best sign that spring is probably just around the corner was the presence of seven Red-winged Blackbirds… YEEAAH!!!

Beside Canada Geese I watched and worked this pair of Trumpeter Swans with the camera. The light was lovely and while using the car again as my “mobile blind”, the swans acted like I wasn’t even there. It all came together in this photo. Both birds were very close together for a brief moment and their heads formed the shape of a heart. Couldn’t ask for more…

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 600 mm, 1/640 s, f/8, ISO100

INTERESTING GULL

Great Black-backed Gull, Mississippi River, lock & dam #14, LeClaire, Iowa

On my way back from a business trip I stopped briefly at lock & dam #14 after crossing the Mississippi River. The pool below #14 near LeClaire, Iowa has been often a good place for watching and photographing Bald Eagles. Unfortunately the relativ mild winters during the last couple years led to a drastic decline in the numbers of eagles that spend the cold season at this location. In addition some trees, used as a perch by the eagles, have died and had to be removed. They have been replaced by some man-made wooden structures but I have not seen any eagle using them.

I saw a couple Bald Eagles, circling high up in the sky, but none of them was within the range for a photo. As always, some Ring-billed Gulls were catching fish and among them I saw two Great Black-backed Gulls. They breed in northeastern North America at the Atlantic coast but may wander inland during the winter. To make it clear, I’m never one hundred percent sure about identification of gulls but I think this one is a Great Black-backed Gull in its first winter. However, there are similarities to a young Herring Gull and if someone can give me a second opinion I will appreciate it.

So how about the photography? I only had a few minutes to make a picture and since I haven’t aimed the lens at birds in flight for a while, I was a little “rusty” and missed a number of shots.

JOIN THE PRESENTATION

Whimbrel, Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve

Tomorrow I give another photo presentation about STORYTELLING IN WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY. The Dubuque Audubon Society has invited me to be the presenter at their monthly meeting. The event is free and open to the public.

Here are some questions I like to answer:

  • How to start with wildlife photography, even with a small camera and lens?

  • Where are good locations that are easy to access in and around the Mississippi Valley ?

  • How can we become better storytellers with our photos?

  • How about safety and ethics?

  • What other locations outside of Iowa would you recommend?

I have a number of new photos that made it into the presentation. If you live in or around Dubuque and the Tri-State area, please join me tomorrow night

Thursday, February 13, 2020, 6PM @ the EB Lyons Interpretive Center at the Mines of Spain, 8991 Bellevue Heights Rd, Dubuque, IA.

I hope to see you there!

PAINTED DESERT (6) - COMMON RAVEN

Common Raven, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

How about the wildlife in the desert? Well, it’s winter and some species, like snakes and lizards are in hibernation. I saw a group of Mule Deer, but no signs of pronghorns or coyotes. Most birds are still further south, with other words, I wasn’t expecting much and didn’t pack the SIGMA 150-600 for this trip. The second day the sound of Horned Larks filled the cold morning air. They sat on rocks and enjoyed the warm sun probably as much as I did. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get close enough with just 200 mm focal length at hand.

My best photo opportunity came with several Common Ravens, a bird we don’t see in Iowa. This raven seems to greet me like an old friend, but he was actually just working on its feathers with his toes.

I tried to balance the exposure in this high contrast scene to get a little detail in some of its black feathers. Most pictures show the raven just sitting and watching but it is the great gesture with the foot in the air that makes this one my favorite.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4, @200 mm, 1/500s, f/5, ISO200, +0.33EV

NATURE CLICKS #437 - BALD EAGLE

Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, Sabula, Iowa

This is pretty much straight out of camera, just the usual treatment of the RAW file including the sharpening process. The SIGMA lens was zoomed all the way out to 600 mm and by setting the camera to DX mode (using only a part of the sensor in camera) the angle of view for the lens is equivalent to a 900 mm focal length. There was no way to get closer to the Bald Eagle. I shot this from the “mobile blind”, my trusted Subaru, in Sabula, the only town in Iowa that is located on an island in the Mississippi.

It was about time to check out again my favorite wildlife watching areas, the Green Island Wetlands and the area around Sabula. I had to go that far south to have finally an animal in front of the lens. The only thing to mention from Green Island was the presence of a Sharp-shinned Hawk, who suddenly came out of the trees and crossed the road in front of the car. No Trumpeter Swans or any four-legged critter.

The sun had just started to come out from behind a thick layer of clouds, was still a little muted, and gave the scene a nice and soft touch. Sure, I would have liked to be a tad closer and a Bald Eagle on the ice without a great gesture is not the most exciting story. But there was open water and that means business for the eagle. Waiting for the moment to hunt for a fish is the biggest part of an eagle’s day and part of the story.

NATURE CLICKS #437 - FOX SPARROW

We haven’t seen many other bird species beside our “regulars” during this winter so far. This is mainly due to the mild weather we had in December and partly even in January. There is obviously still enough food available further north , means no reason to come here for Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, or Red-breasted Nuthatch. After the last snow storm this weekend I finally spotted a couple sparrows that are not on the list of our regular visitors. A beautiful White-throated Sparrow was here briefly last Sunday but I wasn’t able to make a photo. At the same time a Fox Sparrow showed up and hasn’t left us since. This large and chubby looking sparrow is bigger than its relatives the House Sparrow or the Dark-eyed Junco that we see at the moment. This sparrow feeds on the ground and even if this photo doesn’t have the best perspective, it gives you an idea how they try to find seeds between dried up garden flowers or around bird feeders.

BRAVING A WINTER STORM

As I’m writing this a big snow storms still goes over the country and of course doesn’t spare our neck of the woods. I tried to make some storytelling photos as the storm developed during the late afternoon. All the birds that spent the winter here try to get some calories from our bird feeders and woodpeckers, cardinals, nuthatches, chickadees, dark-eyed juncos, and tufted titmice are always good candidates for a photo. 

Since about a couple years we have a gang of House Sparrows using the mountain pines around the house for protection and also benefit from food and water we provide in our heated bird baths. Today’s best storytelling photo in my books was this shot of a female House Sparrow, braving the storm. Oh yeah, the books and smart websites say, don’t use a flash if you have any kind of precipitation. I don’t disagree and there might be some  misses, but if the trails of snowflakes support a sharp image, without being “nuked” by the flash, well, the story of a tiny bird in a winter storm can be told….

NATURE CLICKS #436 - NORTHERN FLICKER

I finally was able to spend some time behind the camera this morning. With some snow on the ground bird photography is a lot of fun. The birds come more frequently to our feeders and using the extra light reflected by the snow is a great benefit. The sun wasn’t out and throwing a hint of flash at the bird brings out the colors and beats the overcast.

I’m still not sure about this Northern Flicker. I think it is a young male who’s malar stripe or “mustache” is not fully developed yet. Currently we see four flickers that visit us every day.

They usually feed on the ground, digging for insects, especially ants. This is not an option at the moment and during the winter their diet consists of seeds and berries. I’m sure our suet feeders help them to survive the winter and we are very happy to see this beautiful bird.

OUR WOODPECKER TREE #1

Male Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker at “Woodpecker tree #1”

Nature is always in a state of change. We were out of town over the weekend and when we came home yesterday we found one of the elm trees in our front yard on the ground. We knew this would happen one of these days. The tree was heavily effected by the Dutch elm disease, had more and more bare branches every year, and eventually the roots died.

This elm was an important tree for my photography. I always called it “Woodpecker tree #1”. Its location was perfect for shooting six of the seven woodpecker species that spend time in our woods but many other birds used it as well for approaching the bird feeders in the front yard.

Well, it’s not the end of the world, although I’m a little sad. A young oak tree nearby is growing fast since a few years and may take over the role as the new “Woodpecker tree #1” 😊

MEMORABLE MOMENTS 2019 (2)

Competitive moves

Most nature photos can easily live without any additional words. This one definitely could. I still like to call it ”Competitive Moves”. The month of May is usually the time with lots of new wildlife photos for me. Many birds arrive in the Upper Mississippi Valley for breeding and feeding their offspring during the summer. The Great Egrets find plenty of food in the wetlands and watching their mating approach and competitive behavior is always a great pleasure. These egrets were part of a large congregation and getting close to them with my “mobile blind” was a real treat. Oh yes, another memorable moment this year.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

Greater White-fronted Geese, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa, March 2019

When the year comes to an end I like to browse through my picture library and recall the good moments I was able to capture over the last twelve months. What did I learn, what did I miss? Sometimes I find a decent photo that didn’t draw my attention right after it was taken or shots get deleted because with hindsight I find that they are not that great.

One evening in mid March I was finally able to watch thousands of Greater White-fronted Geese flying in for the night in the Green Island Wetlands at the Mississippi River. They were on the way to their breeding grounds up in northern Canada. Before they landed the birds circled around and with the setting sun in my back, gave me the chance to make some clicks. Other years I missed this spectacle because I wasn’t there at the right time. I love moments like that, when things in nature come together, not just for a good photo but for a lasting memory.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   at 600 mm, 1/1250s, f/6.3, ISO200

AUTUMN IN MINNESOTA #14 - WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS IN LOW LIGHT

White-tailed Deer, Bear Head Lake State Park, Minnesota

I have never been a friend of shooting wildlife with an ISO setting above 250-320. But when you walk out into nature early in the morning or during a day with low light due to overcast, you have to rethink your ideas. The higher the ISO, the lower the resolving power, the more noise in the image, and the lower the dynamic range. But at the other hand, a sharp photo with a higher ISO setting is still better than capturing a blurry picture because shutter speed is too slow as a result of having the ISO settings in the basement. This is in particular true if a very long focal length is employed while handholding the camera. There is a limit where Vibration Reduction or Optical Stabilization, as SIGMA calls it in their lenses, may help you to get a sharp image. The well-disposed viewer of a photo on the web, in a blog post, on Instagram, or any other social site may not see much of a difference, but the real quality bar for a good photograph is the ultimate print.

The photo of this White-tailed Deer, up in Bear Head Lake State Park, Minnesota was shot at ISO 800. To make it clear, it wasn’t a difficult shot. As I wrote here in the blog before, the deer near a campground are not tame, but they are used to people and don’t run away as soon they see a human. Staying in or near a campground is a safety strategy that at least works during the camping season. Their predators, like wolves, avoid these places.

I have shot handheld at 500-600 mm focal length, 1/60 s, ISO 200 or even lower, but I also have deleted a lot of pictures with this kind of settings. Practice is always the key to success for sharp photos but sometimes a higher ISO can save your butt.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,   at 490 mm, 1/320s, f/6.3, ISO800

BACK IN THE GREEN ISLAND WETLANDS

I had a little break from writing here in the blog during the last two weeks. Some other projects had priority this time.

My records show that I haven’t been in the Green Island Wetlands along the Mississippi for almost three months. Some gravel roads in the wetlands are closed during the duck hunting season and I avoid the area during this time anyway. Well, today it was time to go back and see what’s out there. I was greeted by these two Trumpeter Swans, who flew across the water. They possibly joined another large group of swans that I saw later in a remote part of the area. It was too far away to count them exactly but 50 is probably not exaggerated. I hope we can see them sometime this winter at a closer distance.

The photo is not tack sharp. The Trumpeter Swans approached suddenly and very fast and I wasn’t able to get out of the car so quickly. The picture was taken from the car window and that makes it difficult to perform proper panning technique with the long SIGMA 150-600 S lens on camera.

This photo was a lot easier to make. The pair of Canada Geese posed nicely in the soft light of this afternoon. I waited patiently until the geese were very close together but did not overlap with their heads or necks. Canada Geese usually mate for life but they are gregarious and during the winter they gather and feed often in large flocks. There were larger numbers on the fields and grassland that borders the wetland on the west side. This part is actually a bird refuge and sometimes I wonder if the birds can actually read the signs…😉

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

IT HAS TO BE SPECIAL

Downy Woodpecker

With the snow now gone bird photography needs a different approach again. I could use a flash for bringing out the colors, especially on a day with an overcast or in a low light situation, like at the end of the day. I have done that many times and it works very well in a lot of situations. The Downy Woodpecker is a bird we have in our woods all year long, many photos were made over the years, and making another image has to be special. Friday evening, when the sun sent its last rays through the trees, I realized how the soft light touched the old cedar tree in the front yard and the bird resting on it. When they hold a position like this there is usually a predator around, but other birds were present, so I think the Downy Woodpecker just enjoyed this shaft of warm light as much as I did. Yeah, that’s what I mean, it has to be special…