FORMING A PAIR

Trumpeter Swan, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

With the end of winter and spring knocking at the door Trumpeter Swans dissolve their large congregations we may see sometimes during the icy season. We now find them separated in pairs , and if old enough hopefully ready to breed. I have photos of this swan and its partner but the distance between the two was a little too big for a picture that would say, we are a pair. As the sun started to get closer to the horizon the quality of light improved by the minute. The composition of the swan in the frame was kinda logical and at the end of the day I would call it an easy click. Trumpeter Swans form long-lasting pairs and may identify a nesting site when less than 2 years old, but often wait several more years to breed. The bird above has still some gray feathers, telling it might be still too young for breeding this year. This once-endangered and now recovering species is a great example about what can be done for wildlife protection, conservation, and restoration.

THE ”BUTT SHOT” TELLS THE STORY

White-tailed Deer, doe and fawn, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Me and a lot of other fellow wildlife photographers, we all have them somewhere in our picture library, the photo of a White-tailed Deer, looking at the camera with their beautiful eyes. No doubt about it, this is cute and people love to look at this kind of a picture. But does it really tell the story about what’s different between a ”White-tailed” or any other deer in the world? I don’t think it does. Even at most images taken from the side, the unique white on its tail is mostly hidden and hardly visible. Since many years I wanted to make the photo I show you today here in my blog.

We see this gesture with their erected white tail when the deer is on the run quite often here in our woods, but it is mostly a very brief moment that is hard to capture. Yesterday at sunset time I took a last slow drive on the gravel road that borders the Green Island Wetlands on the west side when I saw a doe with her last year born fawn. They moved parallel to the road on my left hand side between prairie grass and were not overly concerned about my presence. There is a water-filled canal between us and I figured out they wanted to cross it at a small bridge down the road. I let them be always a little bit ahead of my car. They stopped, looked at me, I made some clicks, and they moved on. As we approached the bridge I stopped, turned the car and blocked the road, hoping for a shot from the side as they would cross the road. It turned out even better. Both deer crossed the bridge and after that ran for a short distance before they turned towards the woods on the right. I know, ”butt shots” are rude and usually a sign of a missed moment in wildlife photography. This time the photographer drove home with a smile on his face…

P.S.: In case you ask, I have plenty of photos of both deer from this encounter, but this photo sums it all up for the story about White-tailed Deer. There are not too many animals that justify their name by just an iconic gesture…

FIRST TIME OUT IN THE BLIND

Pied-billed Grebe, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

As mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, I was out in the woods of the Green Island Wetlands for a first field test of the new TRAGOPAN Grouse V+ photo blind. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here is a link that leads you back a few days, showing the new photography tool while testing it in the ”front yard studio” (CLICK HERE for a brief look).

As with every new piece of equipment there is a learning curve involved. I thought I just rely on the ground stakes and go without attaching the four guy lines at the corners that are supposed to hold the tent down during a windy situation. I was wrong. It was windy yesterday afternoon and in the rugged terrain I had chosen for the first setup it wasn’t possible to use a ground stake on each corner. The last thing you want is that the wind blows the blind away and maybe into the water. Using the guy lines to secure the structure to branches or dead wood on the ground would have been a good option. Well, I managed to keep it all together and after a few minutes I sat down behind my camera and hidden from any wildlife’s eye.

As expected, several ducks flew away as I entered the area, trying to find a good spot along a pond and with an unobstructed view. It took less than half an hour until the first bird returned, followed soon by others. My first successful shot was the one above of a Pied-billed Grebe. This grebe collects most food underwater, including fish, crustaceans, beetles, and aquatic insects and their larvae. It suddenly popped up right in front of the blind and with a little bit of sun coming out, there were even some colorful reflections on the water.

Male Ring-necked Duck

The second chance came shortly after and looked even more promising. Some Ring-necked Ducks moved in and three males tried to impress a female. I got a few shots of the leading male but somehow the female duck decided to turn around and swim back in the other direction, of course, followed by all males. At least they were not flying away, which indicated that my presence wasn’t detected.

It wasn’t so much about to come back with the ultimate image this first time, but to learn what needs to be done to be successful while sitting hidden in a photo blind. There are limitations to the view and it needs patience, as with most wild life photography, but getting closer and being more often on eye level with the animals will hopefully lead to better and new exciting photos. I can’t wait to do it again…

NATURE CLICKS #554 - WHOOPING CRANE (ENDANGERED SPECIES)

Whooping Crane among Sandhill Cranes, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

A big storm went across last night, with a number of destructive tornados touching ground in several areas, including here in Iowa, making me rethinking the plans for today. I had already postponed my first real test of the new photography blind last weekend, due to winter weather conditions, but I was eager to try out the new tool and just hoped the birds would cooperate a little and show up for some pictures today. Well, it all happened and I will write about my first experience with the ”TRAGOPAN Grouse V+ photo blind” in a later post, because something very exciting came across before I was able to set up the tent.

While entering the Green Island Wetlands today, driving slowly and scanning the landscape with my eyes for any kind of wildlife, another car wanted to pass me quickly. The driver waved at me thankfully after I moved over. I just wondered about because almost everybody drives slowly on top of the dyke. The car stopped a little further down the trail behind another car and soon I discovered three other birders pointing their spotting scopes at a group of Sandhill Cranes. The driver of the ”fast” car was Tony, a knowledgeable birder that knows the area very well and had given me many tips for finding certain species before. I stopped, Tony came up to my car and just said, there is a Whooping Crane.

What a thrill to see the tallest bird in North America out in the wild! This species declined to around 20 birds in the 1940’s but due to captive breeding, wetland management, and an innovative program that teaches young cranes how to migrate, the numbers have risen to about 600+ in the wild today (source: Cornell website, allaboutbirds.org). The Whooping Crane is listed as federally endangered.

My observations and the photo above indicate that the Whooping Crane was not very welcome among the swoop of 20-30 Sandhill Cranes, who foraged in the fields that serve as an easement on the west side of the Green Island Wetlands. I have seen Whooping Cranes once before at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin, that is home to a captive population of cranes. Seeing finally one at Green Island Wildlife Management Area here in eastern Iowa was a wonderful moment that made my day! Well, I guess we can talk about the first impressions with the new photo blind later…

PURE ELEGANCE

Greater Sandhill Crane, Mississippi River, Deere Marsh, Dubuque, Iowa

During my short ”lunch walks” with our dog Cooper I spotted this pair of Greater Sandhill Cranes several times during the last couple weeks. If I didn’t see them, I heard at least their distinctive calls. The marsh between the big John Deere factory and the Mississippi River is an ideal habitat for this most elegant bird. Frogs have started to send out their vocal messages and beside that I’m sure the omnivorous cranes find plenty of food. Chances are not bad that this pair of Sandhill Cranes may nest in the area.

While one of the cranes was constantly searching for food, the other one watched out for predators. One of the numerous muskrat mounds in the marsh was an ideal place for this job.

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

The key for today’s photos was to keep the gray sky and most of the water surface out of the frame. I had the Nikon Z6II with the Sigma 150-600 S on a Blackrapid Sport sling strap around my shoulder. This allowed to move fast with the heavy lens and still have my hands free if I needed to interact with the dog.

NATURE CLICKS #553 - BLACK PHOEBE

Black Phoebe, San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California

Not much time this week so far for some new photos. Instead I go back in time a few weeks and present another image from my recent trip to southern California. Here in Iowa we can’t wait to see winter go away and hopefully soon see the arrival of songbirds, including several species of flycatchers. The Black Phoebe doesn’t belong to them, it has its range along the Pacific coast, the Southwest of the US, and Mexico. I watched the phoebe several times swooping down from a perch, catching insects mid-air or on the ground. It was a little chilly but the gravel along the ponds in the San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary warmed up from the sun and the Black Phoebe had no problem to find small insects.

It is sometimes a challenge to make a picture of birds with a black head and dark eyes. The Dark-eyed Juncos that we enjoy here during winter are a good example and using the edge between the black and white plumage as the point of focus is often easier than trying to find contrast for the autofocus system in the bird’s eye. The direction of the light plays an important role for getting a catch light in the eye and sometimes a small move of the head can make the difference. Without the reflection of the sun the eye becomes almost invisible. At the end I was happy to spent some time with this gorgeous Black Phoebe. One of the first birds that may arrive here from the south is the Eastern Phoebe. If we see them in our yard, than we really know, spring is finally here…

SOARING IN CIRCLES

American White Pelicans, Mississippi River, Sabula, Iowa

I was down south in the Green Island Wetlands again yesterday. They received a little more snow as we had the night before and the roads and trails were a slushy mess again. As a result very few people were out for bird watching or photography. I made my good share of clicks but at the end wasn’t really satisfied with my results. But I still have this photo of American White Pelicans soaring overhead in circles from a week earlier. I love the elegance of the pelicans and I thought I still can share this shot with you.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   @ 600 mm, 1/2000 s, f/8, ISO 500

GEAR TALK: TRY-OUT OF A BLIND

TRAGOPAN Grouse V+ photo blind

The avid reader of my blog may remember that I mention quite often the use of my ”mobile blind”, and that’s of course my car. But that big ”photography tool” is not available while walking into the deeper parts of a habitat. I guess I know about the limitations a blind can have, mainly a limited view to the surrounding activities of wildlife. But after debating the acquisition of a blind with myself for several years, I finally bought the”Grouse V+” blind, made by TRAGOPAN, a camouflaged pop-up tent designed for wildlife photography.

Today was my first real test (after unfolding it once on the carpet of our living room) and it took place just in our ”front yard studio”. It took about a minute to unfold the pop-up tent and another one to prepare it to stand in the wind. Below you see a couple pictures that I would have not been able to create from the viewpoint of our house. Within a few minutes of trying it, I was able to make some photos that seem to justify the purchase. So what is it really about? As often mentioned, I’m still an advocate for ”getting it right in camera”, long before a digital file will be uploaded to the hard drive of the computer. With other words, I try to prevent excessive cropping, just because I was too far away from the animal. So the blind will hopefully help me to get much closer to the critters and birds and who knows, maybe lead to some shots otherwise impossible to make.

This female Red-bellied Woodpecker may not even come close, if I would just stand next to this tree trunk with the camera on a tripod and out in the open. It took the birds only a few minutes to accept the blind.

This pair of Mourning Doves walked right up to me and foraged between the seed droppings from our bird feeders. They are not totally shy but always keep a healthy distance to us humans. To be fair, the doves didn’t pay too much attention to me anyway, they were already playing their ”mating games”… The low sitting sun made for some great light yesterday evening and was perfect for trying out the new blind.

A big window in the door on the backside allows for shooting with a wider opening. Folding the tent to a circle that fits in the 20”x20” backpack sack takes a little practice but can be done in less than two minutes.

NATURE CLICKS #552 - RED-BREASTED MERGANSER

Male Red-breasted Merganser, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, California

There is a chance that a Red-breasted Merganser can be spotted here in Iowa during migration time but all photos of this species in my library were made in the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in southern California. They breed up north from Alaska across the continent all the way to Newfoundland but some spend the winter along the Pacific coast down to Mexico.

Female Red-breasted Merganser, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, California

I wrote more than once here in my blog that a gray sky and birds in flight or birds on the water don’t go well together for a great photo. You can see by looking at both pictures what a difference it can make. While the male merganser flaps its wings and enjoys the early morning sun, light and colors just invite the photographer to make the click. A couple hours later, about mid morning, a bank of clouds had moved in front of the sun. The colors of the female Red-breasted Merganser still stand out but the surrounding water, reflecting the gray sky, takes a lot away from the image.

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.