NATURE CLICKS #459 - EASTERN MEADOWLARK

Eastern Meadowlark, Dubuque, Iowa

Finally!!! It took me over ten years to make a photo of an Eastern Meadowlark that is more than just a documentary shot. I have them on utility wires, on fence posts, behind grass stems, and of course some butt shots… A photo of the meadowlark singing in its natural habitat, like a meadow, prairie, or grassy field, was simply still missing until yesterday evening.

Same area at the edge of town as the dickcissel a few days earlier. Normally I would hope for a lesser busy background. But for this image the prairie like flower meadow is perfect and becomes really part of the story.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 600 mm (DX mode 900 mm), 1/800 s, f/6.3, ISO200

AT THE BARN SWALLOWS

I had again the pleasure to follow an invitation of my photography friend Kevin this evening for shooting at an old barn he owns at the edge of town. The main attraction is several pairs of Barn Swallows that have their nests under the ceiling and feed their offspring. I heard the young birds when parents arrived with food, but they were obviously still too little and we couldn’t see them. The barn doors are open and the building is surrounded by meadows, grassland, and some weed patches. With other words, there is an abundance of insects and enough food for the little birds.

This location requires a lot of thinking about the light. Shooting in the barn required a flash as the main light source. With the open doors light pours in also from the outside and the question is, how can we use flash and ambient light solely or in combination for telling a story about the swallows and their summer habitat?

The first photo was shot through the open barn door. The swallow sits on an old rusty gate and the only light source is the low sitting sun. The trees behind the meadow are far away and provide a lovely soft background.

This bird sits on another one of the open doors. The grass in the back is in full sunlight and makes for a good background as well. A hint of flash takes care for the dark side of the swallow inside the barn.

Same location as photo #2 but for a brief moment the sun was hidden by a cloud and I chose a much shorter exposure time for the ambient light. The flash doesn’t overpower the bird and with 1/800 s I was able to nail the gesture the Barn Swallow made at that moment.

Kevin had photographed in the barn earlier this week already and today he tried to make a picture of a Barn Swallow with open wings, approaching a resting place. That is quite a challenge! He pre-focussed on a particular spot and waited for his chance but the birds did not use this place as often as earlier this week.

My thanks goes to Kevin for inviting me! I had again a great time!

NATURE CLICKS #458 - DICKCISSEL

Our little patch of grass around the house is not enough habitat for the Dickcissel. They prefer open grassland or larger weed patches. Luckily I know a place at the edge of town where it is not difficult to find this highly vocal bird. The males sing their heart out at the moment and if they are high enough from the ground, you have your chance for a shot. Well, they have nothing better to do than to eat and attract a mate. The female Dickcissel builds the nest in the grass, incubates the eggs, and even feeds the offspring all alone. Maybe that’s the reason why it is so much more difficult to get them in front of the lens? 😉

I use my car as a blind and can easily move, back and forth, if the birds fly to a different location. In this habitat I’m looking not only for the Dickcissels, but also for Bobolinks and Eastern Meadowlarks. The meadowlarks have been the least cooperative birds so far, but I guess I probably haven’t spent enough time with them… After a couple days of rain it looks like we have some nice, moderate weather coming up in the next few days. Should go back to the grasslands at the edge of town!

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 600 mm, 1/1000 s, f/6.3, ISO200, cropped in post

A LITTLE DRAMA

Black Rat Snake

Let me start this way, this Black Rat Snake was not hungry anymore…

Yesterday evening Joan called me out of the house, telling me that there was a young bird in the grass. Suddenly we saw at least one more nearby and a pair of adult Eastern Bluebirds highly excited calling them into the woods. This was near at one of our nest boxes but we didn’t know that they used the box. Actually we didn’t see a bluebird near the house since last year, not even during the winter time. That was the first surprise. While I quickly snapped a picture of one of the fledglings resting on a pile of branches in the woods, Joan discovered the snake with one of the young bluebirds already half swallowed. This explained the upset of the parents a little better. It was a sad moment but we do not interfere with the course of nature. This is so unbelievable, because the last time I had one of these powerful large constructors in front of the lens in our woods was 2013!

Eastern Bluebird fledgling

We only can guess what really happened. The Black Rat Snake probably approached the nest box and the parents panicked and called the fledglings out. Maybe they were not ready yet. However, the snake had its meal. Today I heard and saw the bluebirds again briefly in the timber. It wasn’t clear how many of the young ones made it, but it sounded like the parents were not alone…

TOO LATE!!!

Downy Woodpecker tries to deliver some food

I took a break from posting in the blog over the weekend and to no surprise at this time of the year nature stories have piled up…

Last Saturday, and still very early Sunday morning, I saw a little head peaking out of the nest cavity in our dying maple tree. Well, I guess I took too much time drinking the morning coffee and go up on the roof over the porch with tripod and camera. Finally, about 9:30AM I stood there like a week before (see my earlier post) and aimed the lens again at the woodpecker hole. After half an hour without any activities I started wondering. Don’t the little Downy Woodpeckers need any food? Where are the parents?

After 45 minutes the male downy showed up with a big insect in its bill (2nd photo). He stuck his head into the hole but came out with the food still in the beak. After several attempts he flew away. Ten minutes later he showed up again (photo #1) and wasn’t able to deliver his nice snack either. Did the lady of the house not tell him that the offspring left the nest this morning? I hope he finally found them in another tree and was able to deliver his prey. I haven’t seen any young ones yet but keep looking out for them…

NATURE CLICKS #457 - TREE SWALLOW

Tree Swallow guarding a nest, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

I have many photos of Tree Swallows in my picture library, all shot during the last ten years along the Mississippi River. Tree Swallows on branches, on wires, or on the ground but the one that really tells the story about this bird was missing. A picture of the swallow guarding its nest in a tree cavity. Last weekend during one of our paddle tours in the Green Island Wetlands we came across this swallow at the nest in a dead tree. It was not too high above the water and the bird accepted my presence in the kayak below.

I really wonder how long a photo like this will be possible at Green Island in the near future. Tree Swallows need dead trees for their nest and there are probably thousands of dead trees at the moment. The problem is that they all die at the same time and fall apart very quickly. This is probably due to the high water levels we saw in the last few years. New growth does simply not happen. I visit the Green Island Wetlands, that are separated from the Mississippi by dikes, since more than nine years very regularly. Many groves have recently already vanished or are about to. The loss of biodiversity is easy to see. Species that thrive in dead woods and need them for nesting, like woodpeckers, wood ducks, or tree swallows benefit right now, but probably not for long. Others, who breed high up in the canopy of the trees, have already lost their habitat.

TODAY’S THOUGHTS, AND A BLUEBIRD…

Eastern Bluebird ♀️, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

Before I come to the point of today’s photo I like to include a few thoughts, I hear/read a lot complains about the limitations this unique situation puts on all of us. I get it, and we all try to deal with it, but for nature photographers the doors have been still wide open, at least, if you try to do the best in your local environment. Sure, I miss traveling and miss shooting together with other photographers, like Kevin, friends that did never hesitate to call or send a text message if they found something interesting in the Great Outdoors. Safety comes first, and hey, we will be back and make up for lost opportunities!

Our dog Cooper needs his daily exercise and lately I took him a few times down to the Mississippi River during my lunch break. And here is the deal, Cooper enjoys the open area at Mud Lake Park, rolls on his back, and is just a happy dog. Me? Everybody knows the light around noon time during the summer sucks, but I take the camera anyway with me. Two days in a row this female Eastern Blue Bird left the nest box, posed in a nearby tree, and tried to pull my attention away from the nest location. Well done little lady, well done! A tree is much better than the roof of a men-made nest box…

PERFECT WEEKEND TO PADDLE

The only people we met on the water. A couple in its best age (like us! 😊) with their grandkids in a canoe.

I haven’t heard anybody complaining about the weather this weekend 😉. Moderate temperatures and lots of sun made it the perfect time to go on the water again and enjoy the Great Outdoors. Sun high in the sky creates contrast and that was pretty much the only thing that needed attention for making a few clicks while traveling by kayak.

Great Egret, Mississippi River, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa. They usually keep their distance but this one felt obviously safe while perching high up in a dead tree.

In my last blog post I published an image of a Map Turtle. The more common one here is the Painted Turtle. I loved what water and reflections do to make the photo of a very common critter a little more special…

THE LOOK

Common Grackle, Mud Lake, Mississippi River, Iowa. Shot from the kayak.

With its beak full of food, the Common Grackle gives me “the look”. Not as common as the Red-winged Blackbird and hardly standing still. With their irresistible eyes and iridescent feathers I can forget about the duck weed and the bubbly muddy water around the bird and wanted to make the photo.

AFTER THE AMBUSH

Great Horned Owl, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, iowa

Here is a photo from our second kayak trip last weekend, on Memorial Day in the Green Island Wetlands. At this time of the year it is nothing but pleasure to paddle this area, and always good for a surprise. During the heat of the summer algae usually effect the area and sometimes it is impossible to even maneuver a kayak through the thick green carpet.

On the way back to the boat ramp I suddenly saw a movement of a big bird on my left hand side. A Great Horned Owl took off from the dense grass on the dike, immediately attacked by some Red-winged Blackbirds. I made a U-turn, paddled a few meters back and saw the owl in the tree you see here. The interesting thing about this encounter is, that we have watched a Great Horned Owl in the same spot before, but several years ago. It seems they like a depression in the dike to perch and ambush for a potential prey. The photographer had a smile on his face while going back to the boat ramp… 😊

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S;    @600 mm, 1/400 s, f/6.3, ISO200

THE LOW PERSPECTIVE

Muskrat, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

We used Memorial Day weekend for two kayak trips. The first one on Sunday took us to the backwaters of the Mississippi River and we paddled in the Mud Lake area, not far from home. All photos in today’s blog post are from this enjoyable tour.

Bald Eagle

Paddling a kayak is a relaxing exercise for body, mind, and soul. Sure, it can be risky taking the gear into the small boat. Who wants to loose a camera or lens? They can sink darn fast…😉 If you are a paddling novice or need still all your attention to deal with the ins and outs of kayaking or canoeing, you don’t want to take any valuable photo equipment on a trip. If you are comfortable doing it, it will open new doors for your photography.

Map Turtle

I think the biggest advantage is the low perspective you have in a kayak, very close to the water surface, and quite often near eye level to the animals that are out there. The boat allows to approach a critter very quiet and many animals stay in place much longer than they normally do when they are approached on land.

And when you think you finally have him in the viewfinder,  the American Beaver makes a big splash with its tail and dives down again…

All photos: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S

RUBY

There is a reason why this hummingbird is called the “ruby-throated”…

A hint of flash emphasizes the iridescent color of its throat.

1/100 s, f/6.3, ISO 400,   @ 600 mm (DX mode 900 mm), -1/3 EV, flash -4 EV; with 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;

NATURE CLICKS #456 - AMERICAN REDSTART

American Redstart ♂️, Bankston County Park, Eastern iowa

After several hours shooting from the porch today, sipping on a coffee, watching some rain fall, and enjoying the birds I had already made up my mind what to post tonight here in the blog. The rain stopped in the late afternoon and we decided to drive back again to Bankston County Park and see what nature would hold for us after the rain.

No surprises today but we found the most common warbler in this area, the American Redstart, catching insects at the banks of the river. While this male redstart perched several times on small branches and waited for his chance, I had my chance to get finally the image I had in mind since a long time.

NATURE CLICKS #455 - BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO (FIRST SIGHTING)

I hope you don’t ask me for a print of this photo 😉. It is at the edge between going to the trash and keeping for the records and I admit it is not very sharp. The reason I like to show it anyway is the fact that I never have seen a Black-billed Cuckoo before and didn’t even know that we were in its breeding range during the summer.

As often during my lunch break I took the dog for a little ride to a nearby location and today I checked a meadow to see if any Bobolinks were already present (found actually three males). At the edge of the prairie-like grasslands is a little grove of cottonwoods and that’s where the Black-billed Cuckoo was discovered. We are more familiar with the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, who is present in our woods during the summer season. Although this year we haven’t seen or heard one yet. Both species are not very common and it makes me happy to add another bird to my list of sightings.

ON THE ROOF

Downy Woodpeckers

The bad thing is, the big sugar maple right in front of the house is dying, slowly but surely. Half of the canopy is already without leaves and every day another piece of bark or a branch is found in the grass below. We know we need to cut the tree down soon because there is a good chance it may fall onto the house in a storm or strong wind. It will be a sad day, no matter what.

The good thing is, the Downy Woodpeckers took the opportunity, drilled holes in one of the dead branches, and raise their offspring in the tree right now. As you can imagine, we hold the tree cutting for now.

The photographer took the ladder today and climbed onto the roof of the porch. Everything was with me, camera, long lens, tripod , gimbal head, speed light, and flash extender. Even on the roof the nest hole was still a bit higher but I found a gap between the branches to make this photo.

The Downy Woodpeckers are around here all year long and are really used to our presence. Sometimes, if I fill a feeder in the yard, they don’t fly away unless I come in a range of less than 3 feet. Both parents feed the offspring. While one is out to find food, the other one is in the nesting hole and guards it. The chance for a photo is when they have the “changing of the guard”.

Here the female downy arrives and shows the male what she had in her bill. A second later the male would leave the nest and let the female take his place. I was running out of light this evening (did I mention yet that we had another gray day with almost no sun? 😏) and the only way to shoot against the gray sky was to employ some fill flash. I left the ladder in place and maybe this weekend is another chance for some interesting moments.

1/320 s, f/6.3, ISO 400, @600 mm, +1 EV, flash -1.7 EV; with 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;