ENDLESS APPETITE

Great Egret, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Here is another one from my last photo shoot with the Great Egrets in the Green Island Wetlands. No, this is not the same fish as in the last picture. The appetite of the egrets seems to be endless. This particular egret caught and ate four of them, all about the same size, within less than 20 minutes. This is great for us, who want to take storytelling pictures of these beautiful birds. Sure, the beautiful pose they make sometimes while standing motionless in the water is worth a click if the light supports it, but the catching or handling of their prey tells sometimes a more powerful story about their life and biology.

NATURE CLICKS #467 - SUCCESSFUL CATCH

Great Egret, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Most of the time you come across a congregation of Great Egrets at this time of the year you may see them standing in the water, almost motionless, and you may think, not that interesting, there is not much going on. But wait, they are there for a reason, means they hunt for fish. This egret caught and ate three of them within just fifteen minutes. If your slow approach to the birds was successful, they accept your presence and didn’t fly away, you just wait, watch the bird, consider the direction of the light (no shade on the face), and you will get your chance for the shot. The low water level in the Green Island Wetlands right now is ideal for the Great Egrets or Great Blue Herons and they will end the day with a full stomach.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 600 mm, 1/2000 s, f/6.3, ISO200

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2020 #6 - IT’S ACTUALLY TWO OF THEM

Juvenile Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, iowa

Almost a month ago I told you about my encounter with a young Bald Eagle at Mud Lake down at the Mississippi River. This photo was made the same day and as mentioned before, I usually don’t walk up that close to an eagle but the bird saw me probably long before I discovered its presence on a low branch almost above me. A few days later I checked the place again, this time staying away a little further. To my surprise I found a second juvenile eagle, looking almost identical. The parents come still in and feed them. Last night I was again in the area and heard the parents interacting with their offspring. It’s a good year for them!

BUZZING AROUND

The red Bee Balms have passed their prime but these flowers still supply nectar for our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and many butterflies.

The young hummingbirds are only a few weeks old but they are as competitive about the best food spots as the adult males. The body language says it all, someone is approaching. A second later he was buzzing around again.

LAST DAY IN THE NEST

I’m glad I created these pictures of our House Wrens yesterday morning. When the food the parents bring to the young wrens gets really big, like this moth, we know the time the offspring will leave the nest is near. I saw at least three young wrens jockey for the “window spot” and for the best meals. Well, they left the nest box yesterday evening. Unfortunately I wasn’t there when it happened. It was the second successful brood for the House Wrens in one of our nest boxes this year. But who knows what happens next? We have several pairs in our neighborhood and during some years we witnessed fledglings leaving the nest last week of August…

BEATING THE MUDDY LOOK

Going for the sun

Earlier this summer I saw this bunch of turtles warming up in the sun on a log in a pool near the Mississippi. The water had a brown color and the turtles looked a little muddy too. The reflections of dead trees and turtles created a pattern that I liked. I knew this could be worked out in a black and white version of the image and here is the result.

THE SHORT MOMENT

Ruby-throated Hummingbird at a Tiger Lily

This immature male Ruby-throated Hummingbird is gleaning for tiny insects on the Tiger Lily in the garden. The lilies don’t last very long and a lot of things have to come together for such photo. Knowing that the time was perfect and the quality of the ambient light was right is one thing, but waiting for the moment for about an hour is the less predictable part. If you miss the two or three seconds the hummer spends at the flower, well, you may have to wait for another hour…

HE LET ME KNOW…

Young Raccoon, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

If I talk about a visit in the Green Island Wetlands, south of Bellevue, Iowa, you may expect pictures of waterfowl, shore birds, or raptors, but today I have an image of an immature raccoon. While I saw many birds on the water or between the reeds yesterday, I wasn’t too excited to make the click, due to harsh light or too much distance, but often for both reasons. Some four-legged critters performed, including a white-tailed deer and this young raccoon. As soon I stopped on the opposite side of the road and put the camera in position, the little guy started growling at me. I got it, I was the intruder in his space and the raccoon had every right to let me know about it… Cute, nevertheless…!

FEEDING THE SECOND BROOD

Male House Wren (German: Zaunkönig) waiting for his turn to feed the offspring with a good size spider

Our House Wrens are currently feeding their second brood. The little wrens grow rapidly and started making noise in the nest box. The parents are great, coming in with spiders, caterpillars, and insects every few minutes. The first brood this year was successfully raised already in June and behind the house, at another nest box, is a second wren couple busy feeding their offspring. The warm weather we had lately provides an abundance of supply for the little birds and we just enjoy watching them from our porch during “cocktail hour” in the evening.

1/40 s, f/6.3, ISO 200, @ 600 mm, -1/3 EV, flash -5.0 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 #464 - IMMATURE BALD EAGLE

Young Bald Eagle from 2020, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

Normally I don’t walk right up to a raptor that close, but I didn’t see the juvenile Bald Eagle perched on a low branch in the tree until I was just in front of the bird. I showed a photo back in April of the adult Bald Eagle still sitting on the nest and probably keeping a young one warm (Click HERE if you like to see that post again). Well, less than three months later the juvenile has pretty much adult size. For the first four years of their life Bald Eagles don’t have the iconic white head and white tail feathers. I moved in slow motion after I saw the eagle and the bird accepted my presence for about fifteen minutes before it took off and flew to another tree.

For today’s “lunch walk” with our dog Cooper at Mud Lake, down at the Mississippi River, I took the long lens on camera with me. It proved to be a good decision again, although noon hour in July is often not the best time for wildlife photography. I didn’t see the parents at all today but I’m sure they still bring food to the young bird.

NATURE CLICKS #463 - RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD

There is no boring moment when watching the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds feeding on the flowers or drinking from the feeders. No doubt that the nectar of the Bee Balm is their favorite food at the moment. The flowers may have passed their prime but still deliver plenty of food. The immature birds already feed independently and there is a constant coming and going. Immature males and females look essentially the same in their first year, both resembling adult females. During the late summer many young males acquire some random red iridescent feathers on the throat.

I like to shoot with relatively long exposure because I want a nice blur of their wings. Just the same way as you can see them when they hover at a flower. The flower bed was in the shade already this evening but a hint of flash helps to bring out the iridescent colors of their feathers and helps to “freeze” the part that needs to be sharp, the eye of the hummer.

1/100 s, f/6.3, ISO 400, @ 600 mm, -2/3 EV, flash -3 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;

WEEKEND THOUGHTS

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

The story of our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds can be told in different ways and I’m very happy if I’m able to show them in their natural habitat. I have lots of photos of the hummingbird going back and forth drinking from one of our feeders. When I make a sharp picture, and of course do not have the feeder in it, I’m happy too. But is that really where to go with my photography about hummingbirds? Sure, I can fiddle forever about the technical aspects of a photo, but many technically perfect pictures lack the story about the animal. Still alright, if you contribute to the perfect bird guide book or app, but very few of us nature photographers do, and what’s left is just good storytelling about the animal. 

Thanks to Joan’s gardening efforts we have over 50 Bee Balm flowers in the front yard at the moment. Prime food for the Ruby-throated Hummingbird! They still get the most energy out of the hummingbird feeders, hanging from the edge of the porch, but for a good photo the flower environment beats anything else.

NATURE CLICKS #460 - WARBLING VIREO

Warbling Vireo, Mississippi River, Finley’s Landing, Iowa

Go out without your longest lens and you'll come back short. I forgot who quoted that in one of the books I own, but this became exactly true today. It seems I make it a habit to take dog Cooper during my lunch break and spend a few minutes at one of the boat landings or marinas along the Mississippi River. Today it was a short trip to Finley’s Landing, a public access with beach, little marina, a campsite, and a boat ramp. A small creek meets the mighty Mississippi and there is always a chance to watch some birds. 

A number of harsh “eeaahh” calls made me looking up into the canopy of the trees and pretty soon a Warbling Vireo was discovered. Now back to the long lens, which of course was left at home. 200 mm at the long end of the 70-200, f/4 was simply not enough for this photo, not even in auto crop mode (Nikon’s DX mode). Additional crop in post allows to have a picture that is ok for a blog post like this or for other social media. A real one to one print will reveal the flaw, because too much detail gets lost.

The Warbling Vireo is not uncommon during the summer but it is not a bird we see even every other day. They prefer deciduous woodlands, often along streams, and spend the winter in the tropics. I should go back and try it again, but this time with 400mm more focal length…😉

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4…@ 200mm, 1/1600s, f/5, ISO400, cropped

FRONT AND BACK

Bobolink, Dubuque, Iowa

Usually we call it a failure when we just get a shot of the backside of a bird but sometimes there is an exception from the rule…

Habitat loss is the main reason why we don’t get the Bobolink more often in front of the camera and when I have a chance I try to make a few clicks. They are one of the few songbirds that go through two complete molts each year. After breeding they change to a more camouflaged plumage.

As you can see, this male is still in full display. When they show you the front side, it is not easy to get a sharp picture from a distance. Most of the time I use the eye or the chest as my focal point, but here both are pitch-black and there is no contrast to lock focus on.

Well, here is the butt shot! Isn’t this angel-shaped pattern of a white rump and white wing patches interesting? And it is much easier to make that photo! The sensor in the camera just wants to stay on that black and white contrast…😉

A CATBIRD AT APPLE RIVER CANYON

Gray Catbird, Apple River Canyon, Illinois

I admit, we have neglected one part of the TriState-Area (Iowa / Wisconsin / Illinois) more than the two others. After more than fifteen years of living here, Joan and I finally made it to Apple River Canyon State Park in the northwest corner of Illinois today. People were fishing for trout in the river at the bottom of the canyon, a sure sign that water quality is decent, and several short hiking trails allow to explore the canyon and enjoy birds and wildflowers.

At the end of a hike we sat down in our camping chairs right at the banks of the Apple River. Our dog Cooper took a short bath and we enjoyed just watching a pair of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers bringing food to their offspring in a dead tree on the other side of the river. As we were about to leave and go home, this Gray Catbird hopped along the river banks and tried to catch some insects by jumping up into the ferns that hung down. 

I had the Nikon D750 with the Sigma 150-600 in my lap and realized after a test shot that the exposure is around 1/40-1/50s at ISO 400. Optical stabilization of the lens (Sigma calls it OS) helped to make this image. It is not tack sharp, not even close, but I love the light and the gesture of the catbird as it looks for insects and gets ready for the next jump up into the ferns.

The canyon? Well, I thought I will wait for a landscape picture until another time. Light was really harsh in the canyon and I’m sure this was not our last visit.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 600 mm, 1/50 s, f/6.3, ISO400