NATURE CLICKS #468 - SCARLET TANAGER

Male in its non-breeding plumage during fall migration

Since five days we have an unusual visitor at the suet feeder next to my home office window. This male Scarlet Tanager waits patiently until no woodpecker or other bird is present and takes his turn for a meal. Usually early in May we see up to a dozen tanagers after they arrive from South America. I have posted photos and have written about these beautiful birds every spring but we have never seen one during fall migration. At this time of the year the males have already traded their red feathers for green-yellow. We know that some Scarlet Tanagers breed in our woods, but they spend most of the time high up in the canopy and are hardly seen near the ground during the summer. Now we wonder if this is a bird that was here for the last few months or if he is just on his journey through to the forests in South America.

The photo was made through the admittedly not very clean window next to my desk with the Nikkor 70-200, f/4 at 175 mm. As almost always I shot in Aperture priority mode and to compensate for the bright background the exposure compensation was set to +1.66. The “Dehaze-slider” in Lightroom took care for the haze and blur effect from the window glass.

WE ONLY CAN IMAGINE…

American Bison along South Fork Sage Creek, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

We only can imagine how it was when more than 60 million of American Bison once roamed on the plaines and grasslands of North America in search for the best places to feed and to survive the impact of the weather. Today only a number of about 31,000 wild bison can be found, maintained mainly by National or State Parks.

We always know that we have arrived in the west when we see the herd of bison in Badlands National Park, South Dakota again. This time it was very special. While dinner time was already over we sat in our camping chairs and watched them across Sage Creek moving up the valley. With the setting sun in our back the light was gorgeous .

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, South Unit, North Dakota

It was quite windy five days later up in North Dakota when we saw a smaller herd in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The bison had retrieved into a small side valley but we were able to park the car safely and tried to get some shots of these majestic animals.

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

FAWNS IN THE YARD

White-tailed Deer fawn

This White-tailed Deer fawn and its sibling paid us a visit this week again. They were born this spring and we see them often along our road here in the neighborhood. I sneaked quietly onto the balcony with the camera and it took only about 300 mm focal length to get the shot. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get both in the frame at the same time. Look at its fur and you get the idea how seeds are transported from one location to the next by these little guys.

THE FERAL HORSES

Feral horses, South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

While driving on the Scenic Loop Drive in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park many visitors try to see the feral horses that live in the park. Sometimes you can watch quite a few of them and sometimes you may not be lucky at all. We spent a little time with parts of the herd again this year. Feral horses are fun to watch and there is a good chance you get carried away and make way too many clicks (oh, is there such a thing like too many clicks…? 😉).

Of course you make your safety shots that will serve as a memory, but you want to make that picture that sets it apart from the rest. I’m talking about the photo that includes a nice gesture, a background that tells the story about location, and maybe a soft light, which is not always guaranteed. The horses often stood very close together and that’s nice, but I tried to find a position with the camera where I could separate individual animals, or like in this photo a foal with its mother.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,    @600 mm, 1/1600 s, f/6.3, ISO400

NATURE CLICKS #468 - MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD

Mountain Bluebird, Little Missouri National Grassland, North Dakota

In many locations we camped or visited during our trip there was a good chance to watch some Mountain Bluebirds. Quite often they forage from a perch, like a fence, twig, or rock. They drop down to the ground to catch insects but they also hover above their prey before they make a catch. Beside insects the bluebird takes also fruits and berries.

They like to keep their distance and many photos of Mountain Bluebirds I made during previous years had to be cropped. This female was perched on a young eastern cedar in our campground, just outside of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota. The light was soft and the background far away, ideal for such an image.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 600 mm, 1/160 s, f/6.3, ISO250

PRAIRIE DOGS, HIGHLY SOCIAL

Black-tailed Prairie Dogs, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Prairie Dogs don’t know anything about today’s need for social distancing, and who want’s to blame them?. In fact, they are a highly social animal, fun to watch, and a great subject for any wildlife photographer. I like to point this out, because it is an animal ideal to work with for any camera owner, who likes to go into wildlife photography.

Since I was the first time in the Badlands about fifteen years ago we have seen a great increase in numbers of the Black-tailed Prairie Dogs. During our 2020 trip through South and North Dakota, and as well eastern Montana, we have seen quite a few prairie dog towns and most of them seem to be good locations for observation and photography. However, the easiest place on the planet for photographing prairie dogs is right at Sage Creek Campground in Badlands National Park, South Dakota. Sit in your camping chair next to your tent, maybe have an adult beverage nearby, but most importantly have the camera on eye level with the critters. Their dens are below your tent and the entrance mounds are all around your location.

At a place like that I shoot a lot of pictures, but the ones that make it to public have to tell the story about location and the typical behavior of the animal. At least one of the prairie dogs is always on the watch for predators (here the one on the left) and when they come out of the den, it doesn’t take too long before they feed or interact with each other. I always like to have the feature in my photos that gives a particular animal its name. Hence the three black-tipped tails in this photo…

STOP FOR THE PRONGHORN

Pronghorn, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

After eleven hours on the road you just want to get to the campsite, pitch your tent, and open a beer. As we entered Badlands National Park, South Dakota on the first day of the trip, this beautiful Pronghorn male stood next to the gravel road. We have been in this place many times before over the years and it felt like someone welcomed us back. You know you have arrived “Out West” when you see the first Pronghorn at close range. You gotta stop for the picture, the beer had to wait…

WATCHING THE AIR SPACE ABOVE

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

This young hummingbird didn’t pay much attention to my presence. His attention was occupied by more than a dozen other “hummers”, who all fight for the dominance at the bird feeders that hang from our roof. I love the gesture of their little heads, tilted slightly to the side for having an eye on the air space above.

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.