NATURE CLICKS #551 - CALIFORNIA THRASHER (FIRST SIGHTING)

California Thrasher, San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California

I saw this bird twice during the recent visit at the Pacific coast and it was my first encounter. Their range is limited to western and central California. Before you see the California Thrasher you may hear it, a series of musical warbled phrases. They are also known to mimic the songs of other birds, like Northern Flickers, American Robins, or Red-tailed Hawks. This thrasher was hiding most of the time in the chaparral and riparian thickets of the San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, but when he left its cover and flew up into the tree I had a brief chance to make a few clicks. I ”zoomed” with my feet and moved the tripod around several times to get at least a picture without a branch or the shadow of a branch covering the thrasher’s face. Well, happy to add the California Thrasher to the photo library and to share this encounter with you!

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, CALUMET CK8156 tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,

L,G,&C WERE MY FRIENDS TODAY

Ring-billed Gulls, Mississippi River, SAbula, Iowa

I still intend to show a few more photos from the recent trip to southern California but I can’t totally neglect what’s going on here in the Upper Mississippi Valley. Cold temperatures during the last days and strong winds reminded us that winter 2022/23 has not yet entered the history books. Much of the standing water in the backwaters of the Mississippi River had iced over again, including much of the Green Island Wetlands, I visited today. Birds were everywhere, but ”heat shimmer” above the ice or the very cold ground of the marsh made getting a sharp shot a bit of a gamble. I counted about sixty Sandhill Cranes in the wetlands today but they hunkered down in a corner between reeds that gave them obviously some protection from the wind.

Ten miles further south, at the ’Island City of Sabula, Iowa’, hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls tried to make a living by catching fish, just occasionally interrupted by Bald Eagles that tried to do the same. Here in the Midwest Bald Eagles are the ”Holy Grail” for a lot of people, but I think the Ring-billed Gulls are a lot more entertaining at times…

In the photo above it’s not clear which one had the fish, but the other one at least tried to steal it . It was my favorite photo from today’s trip along the mighty Mississippi River. With other words, light, gesture, and color were my friends today…😉

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   @ 600 mm, 1/4000 s, f/8, ISO 500

NATURE CLICKS #550 - REDDISH EGRET

Reddish Egret, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California

Local people told me in the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve during my recent visit a couple weeks ago that three Reddish Egrets reside in the wetlands. I saw finally two of them and this one here presented itself in great side light. I always have seen the dark morph of this bird but a white morph exists also in other areas of the country.

If a body of water is between your camera and the bird and you have maxed out the focal length of your lens, in this case 600 mm, the only option to get closer is to use the teleconverter. I did that for the second photo with the Sigma APO 1.4x, which extends focal length to 850 mm, but finally still decided to crop both pictures a little.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, CALUMET CK8156 tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,

FLIP THE CRAB

Snowy Egret eating a crab, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California

The light was a little dull when I had this Snowy Egret in the viewfinder, but when the bird caught a crab and tried to eat it, I let the shutter rip at high speed. The egret flipped the crab in the air, caught it again with its bill, and finally swallowed it.

It was a chilly morning at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands (Los Angeles had even a little bit of snow a few days earlier). Most Snowy Egrets had gathered in a corner of the lagoon and preened their feathers in the warm sun.

I have to show at least one picture of a Snowy Egret with its black legs and big yellow feet out of the water.

NATURE CLICKS #549 - ALLEN’S HUMMINGBIRD

Allen’s Hummingbird, San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California

It wasn’t the first time I had an Allen’s Hummingbird in front of the lens and it was a thrill to find it in both locations this time. The second photo was made mid morning and there was no way to avoid the overcast in the picture. The speed light came to my help for boosting the colors of the feathers and was used as a remedy, with just a little hint of concentrated light.

The image above didn’t need any extra light. The late afternoon sun in the San Joaquin Marsh was all what it took to make the beauty of this hummer shine. With the water below and the other shore of the pond far away, the background was just perfect.

Allen’s Hummingbird, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California

NATURE CLICKS #548 - ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD (FIRST SIGHTING)

Male Anna’s Hummingbird, San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California

The news board at the visitor center in the San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary had notes from other visitors that the Anna’a Hummingbird was seen recently. It was on my wish list to find this tiny hummingbird and it was just a matter of time to spot this male perching high up in a tree. This hummer is the most common along the West Coast of the US. For me it was another first sighting that made me very happy. While looking for interesting facts about this species I read that their hearts beat at 1260 beats per minute. I think that’s quite impressive. Their iridescent red head and throat appear often different when the light changes as you can see between these two images.

NATURE CLICKS #547 - BROWN PELICAN

Brown Pelicans, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California

It’s always a treat to watch Brown Pelicans that live along the Pacific coast. These elegant flyers catch fish by plunge diving into the water. This is much different than the American White Pelicans that we have here in the Mississippi Valley, who often swim in groups, herd the fish, and finally snatch the prey with their large bills.

The early sun of the day made for the right light on the birds while these two passed by, but it was the background that needed some attention while having the pelicans in the viewfinder. There was still a lot of gray clouds in the sky and including a bit of the blue behind them brings some color contrast into the game.

SHOREBIRDS, ENTERTAINING AND BEAUTIFUL

Black-necked Stilt, San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California

While visiting wetlands and marshes in any part of the country I’m always excited to find and photograph different shorebirds. It’s not easy, often challenging, but always great fun to have them in the viewfinder of the camera. Both locations I visited last weekend, Bolsa Chica and as well San Joaquin March, have the same disadvantage as the beloved Green Island Wetlands here in the Upper Mississippi Valley have. The trails are mostly on dykes, elevated quite a bit above the water surface. This is very obvious in the first image I show you today. There was a flock of about 30 Black-necked Stilts in one of the ponds but access is only possible from high above on all four sides. However, this bird species is one of my favorites and zooming in as much as the lens allows helps a bit to make the beauty of this stilt stand out.

Willet, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California

Much easier work with this Willet in its non-breeding plumage during winter time. The bird foraged between the gravel with its long bill on top of the dyke in the Bolsa Chica Reserve. The Willet didn’t seem to have any fear and walked right up to me and my tripod and even underneath the lens. Not the most thrilling background but at least not distracting and showing how well the bird blends in even in a men-made environment. Many birds look better in their breeding plumage, some of them even spectacular, but as wildlife photographers we want to tell the story of the moment, even during times of less favorable appearance.

Short-billed Dowitcher, San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California

The best place to get down to eye level with the birds was right in the parking lot at San Joaquin Marsh. Still about a foot above water level, but at my arrival a bunch of Short-billed Dowitchers foraged right in front of the rental car. They were probing with their long bills in the mud and between the rocks at the shore with high-speed. The power of the California sun helped to shoot with short exposure times, between 1/1000s and 1/2000s, and it was the gesture with the Dowitcher’s head tilted to the side that made me choose this photo for today’s blog post. Still more to come from last weekend, so please stay tuned my friends…

NATURE CLICKS #546 - EGYPTIAN GOOSE (FIRST SIGHTING)

Egyptian Goose, San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine California

The Egyptian Goose is actually a native to Africa but according to one of the sources I consulted to learn more about this bird, it has been widely introduced to other parts of the world, like Europe and parts of the US.

Other people I met in the San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary during my two visits last weekend told me that they see them around this area quite often. Geese go almost always out of your way here in the Upper Mississippi Valley, they don’t let you come too close, but this guy didn’t even lift its head when people walked by within 1-2 feet distance.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, CALUMET CK8156 tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,     @ 420mm, 1/3200 s, f/8, ISO 1000

THE EARLY MORNING BIRDS

Early morning at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California

During all my visits to the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve at the Pacific Coast in Southern California over the years it always paid off to arrive early in the morning before sunrise. First, you find a place to park the car in the very small parking lot, but more important, nothing beats the warm morning light for making pictures of birds in the wetlands if the sun shows up. This wetland is a nature gem and is surrounded by the Pacific Highway on the ocean beach side and oil wells, local roads, and expensive residential homes on all the others. A weird and somehow noisy place that faces many environmental challenges but with an abundance of wildlife.

Northern Pintail

This photo of a male Northern Pintail was made exactly at the time of sunrise but a band of clouds prevented that the story could be told that way. No warm light on this beautiful duck. Still one of the best looking ducks with a tail that gave this bird its name.

Horned Grebes in their winter plumage

Twenty minutes after sunrise time the clouds gave way and these Horned Grebes in their winter plumage were busy diving for food under water. They are much more impressive in their breeding plumage during the summer, but hey, look at this eye standing out in the killer light of an early morning! I had to make the click.

Bufflehead

I have photographed the male Bufflehead many times before here in the Upper Mississippi Valley during migration time in March / April, but never in such warm light and often not as  close to the bird as I wanted and as it is possible in the Bolsa Chica Wetlands.

NATURE CLICKS #545 - BUSHTIT (FIRST SIGHTING)

Bushtit, San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California

It all started last Friday afternoon after I was done with all my business duties in the area south of Los Angeles, CA. I headed straight to the San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, a heaven for every bird and wildlife lover in the heart of Orange County. It encompasses 300 acres (121 ha) of coastal freshwater wetlands, half of it restored to a natural state, the other half is in no need of restoration (source: Irvine Ranch Water District website).

It took me only a few minutes to walk with the camera on tripod on the shoulder until I made a new ”first sighting”. The Bushtit is a tiny bird with a stubby bill and a long tail that prefers a brushy chaparral habitat. I found a little flock of about twenty birds, buzzing and moving around quickly between the flowers that grow along the trails between the ponds in the wetlands. They feed mostly on small insects and spiders. The females have pale eyes, while the males and juveniles have dark eyes.

There was no way that I would get a picture with the camera on tripod with the little Bushtits moving from one flower to the next very quickly. I tried not to move around erratically with the heavy long lens attached, so I focussed on an area and followed the birds as they moved along.

The Bushtit is only found in the western part of the US and Mexico. They are not uncommon but it was my first sighting of this tiny agile bird. Can’t asked for a better start into a birding weekend… More to come, please stay tuned….

COURTSHIP DISPLAY IN THE HERON ROOKERY

Great Blue Heron, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, California

I guess you can tell that I have been away from Iowa for a few days by looking at this photo. It was about time because it has been a few years since my last visit in the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve and in the San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, both located in Southern California.

Bolsa Chica has only a few palm trees but they were occupied by a colony of Great Blue Herons. Nest material is mostly gathered by the males and they flew in and out and came back with long branches that were added to the nests. The males did their ”neck stretching” display and performed long display calls. We also heard both, males and females, snap their bill tips together as part of breeding and territorial display. The courtship of the herons in a rookery is a great excitement to watch and photograph. More to come from last weekend, so please stay tuned…

WON’T YOU DANCE WITH ME

Ring-billed Gulls, Mississippi River, Sabula, Iowa

The song ”Won’t You Dance With Me” with the great performance by the Detroit Cobras comes to mind when I look at the gesture of these two Ring-billed Gulls. A good reason to pull their 2001 record ”Live, Love, and Leaving”out of the sleeve and put it on the turntable (The song was actually first released in 1964 by Billy Lee and The Rivieras, aka Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels). Back to photography, I love when good light meets with a great gesture in a photo. For those who may complain about the wing hiding the face of the second gull I just like to ask, have you ever danced to Rock Music…?? 😊

NATURE CLICKS #544 - AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN

American White Pelicans, Mississippi River, lock & dam #14, LeClaire, Iowa

The American White Pelican needs open water to make a living. They feed on fish while swimming and snatch prey with their large bills. I made a trip today down south to lock & dam #14 near LeClaire, Iowa and there was plenty of open water. The ice cover of the river lasted only in quiet bays and backwaters with very little or no current. I was hoping to find Common Mergansers at the exit of the lock but had no luck. Instead a squadron of six pelicans cruised the water back and forth. They always work together as a group while trying to catch fish and it is such a pleasure to watch these majestic birds. Unlike their cousins, the Brown Pelicans, who live a long the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf coast, White Pelicans do not plunge dive for food.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S

It is very easy to blow out the highlights in the pelican’s plumage when the sun is shining. I underexpose by at least 1 stop to prevent this. It’s always possible to brighten the water a little bit if you think this is necessary, but a blown out highlight is a lost cause.