MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2025 #3 - OPENING THE SEASON

After taking many pictures of Greater Yellowlegs during this spring season I finally found a Lesser Yellowleg within the reach of the lens.

Today we used the nice weather with mild temperatures and sun and opened the paddle season. The kayaks were launched on the Mississippi River in the backwaters of Mud Lake, only a few minutes away from home. What was supposed to be a short trip became an all afternoon journey with lots of wildlife encounters. I have written here before how much I love to shoot from the kayak because of the ability to have the lens real low above the water, much better than driving by car on top of a dyke. Beside the usual suspects, like egrets, herons, geese, ducks, pelicans, and muskrats, we watched three different sandpiper species, a number of eagles, and even heard the Sandhill Cranes in the reeds.

All images: Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S

Many Painted Turtles had climbed on driftwood logs and used the sun to warm up after a long winter season.

This adult Bald Eagle had just eaten something, probably a fish, and didn’t seem to be bothered by me drifting by with my kayak. Six or seven other eagles were nearby, maybe hoping to pick up some leftovers.

If this Solitary Sandpiper plans still to reach the breeding grounds in the northland regions of Canada, it better gets on its way for the rest of the long distance. They spend the winters from central Mexico to South America.

NATURE CLICKS #602 - WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW

White-crowned Sparrow, Ophir Beach, Oregon, Apr 11, 2025

White-crowned Sparrows are not seen very often here in the Little Maquoketa Valley in eastern Iowa. They spend the winter in the states south of here and have their breeding grounds high up in Canada and Alaska. With other words, we are migration territory. The photo below was shot a couple days ago and the bird spent a few minutes on a small tree in our yard. During our recent trip to Oregon we saw White-crowned Sparrows in abundance. At the coast they are present year-round.

At both occasions I tried to make an environmental portrait. Giving the picture a sense of place or season is my preferred way to photograph wildlife. Including the ocean and the surf in the background let us know that the sparrow was perched right behind the beach. The second photo is totally different. The bird was hiding in a dense tree with lots of little branches and that could be anywhere. No chance to have such a clean background as on Ophir Beach. But the buds had just opened and small leaves showed their fresh green, telling the story about spring migration of the White-crowned Sparrow.

Both photos: Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x, @840 mm

White-crowned Sparrow, Little Maquoketa, Valley, eastern Iowa, May 1, 2025

SHORT SPRING BIRD REPORT

Baltimore Oriole, This male arrived yesterday, 4/29/2025. They spend the winter either in Florida, along the southern Atlantic coast, or in southern Mexico.

What’s going on in our woods here? It’s the most exciting time of the year with the arrival of many bird species from the south. All photos were made during the last seven days, except for one, which is from the last week in April 2024. Beside what I can present today, other birds showed up as well, like the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, White-throated Sparrow, or the Eastern Whip-poor-will, but not every sighting or sound in the woods leads to a photo. I also like to include in my little bird report some local residents because mating and preparation for nesting puts a spin on their behavior as well. I hope you enjoy today’s images!

Baltimore Oriole, The first female followed today, 4/30/2025

House Wren, Usually they are the first bird that arrives after the winter, 4/18/2025, Several males sing their heart out from early morning until late evening, but the females are still not here yet.

Chipping Sparrow, They arrived from the south a day after the House Wren, 4/19/2025, and a pair is feeding together on the ground since. Their fast-pulsing song is always a sure sign of spring for me. I didn’t get a decent shot so far but present an image that was made last year, 4/28/2024.

American Robin, While many people celebrate their arrival in early spring, we have seen them here in our woods occasionally during the winter. This female had obviously an early start and was collecting already nest material in the front yard

Female American Goldfinch, By a complete molt of their body feathers goldfinches change from winter plumage to breeding plumage in spring. It is the only finch species that have this second molt. This female had obviously still a few feathers of its winter dress left.

Brown-headed Cowbird, This pair showed up 4/24/2025 and visited one of our feeders several times since. Nobody really wants to see them because they are brood parasites and deposit their eggs in nests that belong to other bird species. They typically hatch earlier than their host’s eggs, which gives them an advantage over the other hatchlings.

Male American Goldfinch, He is done molting and looks gorgeous in his breeding plumage. The previously mentioned Brown-headed Cowbird may lay an egg in a goldfinch nest, but the hatchling may die because the seed-based diet provided by the parents cannot support the cowbird.

Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Several male birds arrived 4/25/2025 and refuel with sunflower seeds after their long journey from Central or maybe even South America. The first two females followed yesterday.

NATURE CLICKS #601 - CALIFORNIA QUAIL (FIRST SIGHTING)

California Quail, Arizona Beach area, Oregon

The California Quail was a lifer for me. Several males and females moved quickly through the grass while feeding near Arizona Beach at the Oregon Coast. The topknot above the head of this male looks like a single feather, but it is actually a cluster of six overlapping plumes. (source: iBird Pro App)

This is such a pretty bird but unfortunately we watched them only for a few minutes until they disappeared between the thick underbrush again.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S

Female California Quail

THE SLIGHT DIFFERENCE

Bald Eagle, Cape Arago State Park, Oregon

Making a photo of a Bald Eagle here in the Upper Mississippi Valley isn’t really such a difficult task anymore. This species was delisted from the endangered species list in 2007 after a remarkable population recovery due to conservation efforts like habitat preservation and captive breeding programs. At or near the Mississippi River or even at many tributary rivers you most likely can see them. When they perch you may find them in a dead tree or on a branch in a deciduous tree. During our recent trip to the Pacific Northwest I wanted a different shot, a Bald Eagle perched in a coniferous tree. Their population is not as dense as here in eastern Iowa, but I finally found a bird that would become part of my story telling. We don’t have really many conifers where an eagle could perch but at the Oregon coast I found the difference I was looking for.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,    @ 840mm, 1/2000s, f/9, ISO 400, image slightly cropped,

NATURE CLICKS #600 - PINE WARBLER (FIRST SIGHTING)

Pine Warbler, Little Maquoketa Valley, eastern Iowa

”Nature Clicks #600” had to be a special one and mother nature didn’t disappoint this time again. I’m very happy to present today my first sighting of a Pine Warbler. It was shot through the dirty glass at my office window. Suet sprinkles from the nearby feeder haven’t been removed yet and the time I spent in post process to clean this photo reminded me that spring cleaning should start sometime… 🙄

I saw the bird already briefly a day before (April 18th), hoping it would come back again, and had the camera on my desk with just the 24-70 lens attached the next day. I shot this at 70 mm in horizontal orientation due to the position of the log on top of the bird feeder but cropped the photo vertical at the end.

Pine Warblers spend the winter in the southern states and as the name suggests they prefer pine forests, which we don’t really have here in eastern Iowa.

NATURE CLICKS #599 - ROUGH-SKINNED NEWT

Rough-skinned Newt, Pacific Coast, John Dellenback Dunes, Oregon

It started raining when we left the parking lot for a hike on the John Dellenback Dunes Trail, a protected part of the 40 miles stretch of the Oregon Dunes. No off-road vehicles are allowed in this part of the landscape. Before you can climb the sandy part of the dunes  to reach the Pacific Ocean the trail leads through a wooded area. With a dark overcast sky and the dense vegetation of the forest there was hardly any light for a photo by handholding the camera.

Well, we got all excited when we saw a newt crawling through the mud on the trail. You may think a newt is a slow mover, but for making a photo of this critter it seemed to be still quite fast. I really wanted its picture and did something I have never done before. I cranked up the ISO in the camera to 20000 (Yikes!) and ended up with an exposure of 1/250s @ f/6.3. The Nikkor Z 24-70mm opens up to f/4 but I really wanted a little more depth of focus, so not only the head of the newt would be sharp, but also part of the body.

The photo is sharp but the question remained, how much detail is left after digital noise removal in post process at crazy ISO20000? The de-noise tool in ’TOPAZ Photo AI’ came to my rescue. I think ADOBE made some good progress with their AI noise removal in ’ADOBE Lightroom Classic’ lately, the software I use for my post processing most of the time, but I still like the control over the process and the results with TOPAZ better.

The Rough-skinned Newt was a first sighting for us and I’m very happy to add this critter to my wildlife photo library. It is known for the strong toxin exuded from its skin. If you like to find out more about its interesting biology, check out the entry at Wikipedia.

Oregon Dunes

The Oregon Dunes are a unique area of windswept sand. They are the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America and are the home of native plants that are vital for this ecosystem. Many bird species live in the different habitats and need attention for future survival. It’s too bad that not all parts of the dunes are under protection. Finding the Rough-skinned Newt near a creek at the foothills of the dunes was a real treat for us.

SPECTACULAR SEA LION CAVE

View to the north from the old entrance of Sea Lion Cave, located between Yachats and Florence, Oregon

An elevator takes you down to America’s largest sea cave. It is home of a herd of Steller sea lions, that find protection against weather and rough seas in the cave mostly during fall and winter. Other than their cousins, the California sea lions, they don’t bark but really have the loud roar of lions. It was a spectacular experience for all senses. A photo alone cannot capture the sound of the crushing waves, the roar of the sea lions, the smell of the ocean mixed with the smell of the animals, but it might give you a sense of scale in this cave. We were told approximately 75 Steller sea lions were present in the cave that day.

I was a little skeptical if being in the sea cave would lead too a good shot, but another opening in the cave, which used to be the old main entrance for visitors, gave us a fantastic view to the Pacific Coast of Oregon. The clouds had just opened up and a little bit of sun came through, touching the mossy rocks and the waterfall on the right, and shed some light onto Heceta Head Lighthouse in the background on the cliff. I’m not a big fan of ”tourist traps”, and Sea Lion Cave at the Oregon coast is definitely one, but the experience there was worth a visit.

A stone wall and metal bars keep sea lions and visitors safely separated from each other. The Nikkor Z 24-70 f/4 just barely fits through the gaps in the metal grid but allowed me to point the lens down and capture this image of the sea cave with its residents.

BACK AT THE OREGON COAST

Oregon Dunes, near Florence, OR

We are back from our spring adventure this year. As already in 2024 we explored the Pacific Coast of Oregon, this time the central and southern part all the way down to the California border. I like to share a few scenic views and some wildlife encounters with you during the next few weeks. The weather wasn’t always as nice as during the first day on our way from Portland to the coast but even the days with some rain led to a few photos for the memories. The beauty of the Oregon Coast is stunning, the seafood we ate almost every day was just delicious, and boy, they know how to make a good beer in this part of the country… 😊

Harbor Seals, Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, near Newport, Oregon

SLOW MOTION APPROACH

Bald Eagle, Green Island Road, Iowa

We are in full preparation for our next adventure but I still try to find the time for a blog post from last weekend. While approaching this Bald Eagle I made a few ”safety shots” from a larger distance. The eagle seemed to ignore me and I moved the car closer to the tree where the bird was perched. This happened very slowly and my movements with the camera are done in almost slow motion so the bird doesn’t see me as a thread. When I was right below the eagle it was easy to compose and fill the frame while handholding the camera.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x.   @840mm, 1/2000s, f/9, ISO5000

NATURE CLICKS #597 - THE FASTEST

Peregrine Falcon, Mississippi Valley, Bellevue State Park, Iowa

I read that the 17 nest sites of Peregrin Falcons were observed in Iowa and 36 young falcons hatched and were raised last year. As many birds of prey the peregrine was affected by DDT and other biocides in the 1950s and remained an endangered species in Iowa until 2010. The Peregrin Falcon is the fastest bird on record and may reach speeds of 320 km/h, about 200 miles per hour, as it drops towards its prey.

One of the nest boxes is attached to a rock wall in the Mississippi Valley, just south of Bellevue, IA and next to highway 52. Any time I drive by on my way to the Green Island Wetlands I raise my head and have a look if I see any activities at this time of the year. A couple days ago both adult falcons were present, one in the nest box and the other one higher above in a tree. A good reason to stop and take the camera out. Sure, this is not a perfect wildlife photo and I hope to have another chance sometime in April.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x.   @840mm, image cropped

SHOREBIRD ARRIVALS

Every year in late winter I’m in joyful anticipation for the arrival of migrating shore birds. It is fun to watch them how they search for food in the shallow water and on the mud banks. Creating some pictures of the birds can be very tricky at this time of the season, as I had to experience again yesterday afternoon. The biggest challenge is often heat shimmer above the water or the ground, which makes obtaining a sharp focus sometimes even impossible. I go out early, even if the light is sometimes not the best in the early afternoon, but I like to have time to scout the location and see who is there and where is the best chance to make a decent image maybe later in the day.

In addition to the bird species I’m able to present here were also a couple Pectoral Sandpipers in the Green Island Wetlands, but they were too far away for a usable photo. All images were made between 5.19PM and 5.46PM, when the sun had slowed down and the heat shimmer was not an issue anymore. And of course, the light on the birds had a warm touch and was by far not as harsh as still during the mid afternoon.

Wilson’s Snipes. I have never seen so many of this species in the Green Island Wetlands and reported 28 on eBird yesterday, but I’m sure there were even a few more. Counting birds and making photos at the same time doesn’t always go well together… 😉

They probe fast like a sawing machine with their very long bill in the mud for larval insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and earthworms.

Greater Yellowleg. This sandpiper can be watched feeding mostly in shallow water. I don’t see them often on the mud flats. Their diet consists small aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, small fish, seeds, and berries. Six Greater Yellowlegs were present yesterday evening.

The first Killdeers arrived already in February. Their call is distinctive and leaves no doubt who is present. They sometimes tap the ground with one foot to draw out prey and I watched this one doing it several times. They feed on insects and invertebrates.

All images: Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x

USING THE WINGS

Brown Creeper, getting up a tree

It was a great day of looking for birds during spring migration in gorgeous weather but I need some time to go through all of the images I shot this afternoon in the Green Island Wetlands. Instead a photo from last weekend is posted today. If you are a follower of my blog, you may know from previous articles in the past that I’m really excited about the presence of two Brown Creepers here in our woods. For my German friends, it is a cousin of the ”Baumläufer”, a tiny woodland bird that spirals up tree trunks in search for insects and their larvas.

They glean, probe, and peck at the trunk with their long, down-curved bills. Starting near the bottom of the trunk, they work their way up the tree to within several feet of the top, then fly to the bottom of another tree (or sometimes the same one) to begin again.

Source: Cornell, All about birds https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Creeper/lifehistory#food

The Brown Creeper you see here didn’t just hop up the tree trunk but used its wings to get to a higher spot. Getting any image of these very fast moving birds is already a reward, but catching them in flight is just priceless in my books…

NATURE CLICKS #594 - DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS

Double-crested Cormorants, Mississippi River, Lower Sabula Lake, Iowa

While shooting birds on or in the water it is always recommended to have at least one eye in the air from time to time. Overhead flying birds are often a good opportunity I don’t want to miss, even if they approach suddenly.

Double-crested Cormorants are very fast flyers and I wanted to make a picture like this one since quite some time. With my heavy Sigma 150-600 S it seemed to be always a matter of luck to get a sharp shot. Panning with that heavy lens is not always easy.

While working with the pelicans you may have seen in my last blog post, four cormorants crossed the river and flew rapidly towards me. The exposure compensation was quickly changed by one stop (-0.67 to +0.33EV) to retain some detail in the birds plumage. The Nikon Nikkor Z 600 f/6.3, even in combination with the Z TC-1.4x teleconverter, is so much easier to handle while following birds in flight. I know for sure now why this lens made it in my gear locker.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x.  @840 mm, image slightly cropped

COLLECTIVE EFFORTS

American White Pelicans, Mississippi River, Lower Sabula Lake, Iowa

It was so nice to see some colors again after a gray and nasty cold day yesterday. It was a good Sunday for checking out spring migration of the birds along the Mississippi again.

I have never seen so many pelicans fishing together before. This squadron contained more than a hundred birds, with many more on the water around, but choices had to be made what to leave in the frame and what not. First it looked and sounded like they all were fighting for the fish but pretty soon it was clear that it was a well organized collective effort by these American White Pelicans, as you can see in the second picture. I don’t know who was in charge to give the command, but suddenly they all took off and flew across the water to a different spot and started all over hunting for fish again.

All photos: Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x.  @840 mm