MAKING THE DIFFERENCE

Black-capped Chickadee enjoying the last sun of a warm spring day

During my public presentations about wildlife photography I point out that shooting the local species, the animals we can find all year long in the area where we live, is a great starting point. It will lead earlier or later to success and encouragement for further advance with wildlife photography. Even with the most common cameras, the ones we have in our cell phones, good results are possible. With this endorsement comes always the remark, make a difference by photographing the local species in great light. Having a photograph of a very rare species in mediocre light is sometimes accepted for documentary purposes. But with the local species we should make a difference. Quite often we try to tell a story about animal behavior, about the season , about a certain gesture, or just about their beauty. Sometimes all of those together. A certain quality of light may draw the attention to a picture of a common species, the animal that everybody has seen a thousand times before, it will make the difference.

NATURE CLICKS #556 - YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER

Male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

As mentioned yesterday already we had some early migrating bird arrivals this week. The first male House Wren was here eleven days earlier than 2022 and we saw a couple Chipping Sparrows, almost three weeks ahead of last years arrival date. Both species will raise their offspring here.

But the biggest surprise came yesterday when a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker showed up and visited our trees several times during the day. We are near the southern edge of their breeding range, which goes all the way up to northern Canada. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is the only woodpecker in eastern North America that is completely migratory. We had a successful brood here in our woods in 2014 and the last time I photographed this woodpecker was in April 2018.

Sapsuckers feeding a little different than any of the other six woodpecker species we have here in the Little Maquoketa Valley. The following is a quote from the CornellLab website https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-bellied_Sapsucker/lifehistory#food :

As the name indicates, sapsuckers rely on sap as a main food source. Just like people who tap maple trees to make maple syrup, these birds drill their wells in early spring. Sapsucker wells are neatly organized, with several holes drilled in horizontal rows. The bird first drills narrow, circular wells into the tree’s xylem—the inner part of the trunk—to feed on sap moving up to the branches in early spring. Then, after the tree leafs out, the sapsucker begins making shallower, rectangular wells in the phloem, the part of the trunk that carries sap down from the leaves. This sap can be more than 10 percent sugar. These phloem wells must be continually maintained with fresh drilling, so the sap will continue to flow. Sapsuckers tend to choose sick or wounded trees for drilling their wells, and they choose tree species with high sugar concentrations in their sap, such as paper birch, yellow birch, sugar maple, red maple, and hickory. They drill wells for sap throughout the year, on both their breeding and wintering grounds. In addition to sap, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers also eat insects (mostly ants) and spiders, gleaning them from beneath a tree’s bark like other woodpeckers. And at times they perch at the edge of a tree branch and launch after flying insects to capture them in midair, like a flycatcher. Sapsuckers are also attracted to orchards, where they drill wells in the trees and eat fruit.

In my second photo you can see how the sapsucker has its bill in a hole at a tree branch, he obviously had drilled. There is also a hole visible with sap pouring out in the first image. It is to the left of the bird’s foot. You may not see that if you read this blog post on a device with a small screen. Beside being very happy about this photo opportunity I just thought it is very interesting how these woodpeckers time their migration with the arrival of spring and sap starting flowing in the trees here in eastern Iowa.

NATURE CLICKS #555 - STRIPED SKUNK

Striped Skunk moving along the banks in the Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Since last weekend we have warm weather and with it came the arrival of several bird species from the south, some of them earlier than usual. But before I get into that I like to show you a couple more photos from last weekend. After I had the kayak stored back on the roof of the car I decided to go for another round in the Green Island Wetlands, this time by car.

Pretty soon I came across this beautiful Striped Skunk, who moved quickly along the banks of the lakes and ponds. I was actually very happy because I have seen more dead skunks than living creatures here in the Midwest so far, mostly killed by vehicles. Until now there was no usable photo of a Striped Skunk in my library. I stopped several times and tried to get a shot from the side or front of the critter. The skunk knew I followed but kept moving and sometimes stopped and licked its nice fur.

Erected tail, first warning. The chemical defense system on its backside was luckily not employed!

Finally, shortly before crossing a small pond and disappearing between the reeds, the skunk stopped, turned around, and erected its tail as a warning to me. I watched this guy very closely. The last thing I wanted to happen was getting sprayed by its two highly developed scent glands, one on each side of the anus, containing the very unpleasant smelling musk. There is a reason that in Germany this animal is commonly called ”Stinktier”, which translates to ”stink-animal”.

GREAT LIGHT WORKS

Not every critter or bird is as attractive as the pelicans I had yesterday in my blog post, but they all play their role in the ecosystem of the wetlands. It took me a long time to learn that the only way to come back with a decent picture of animals, who are a little less appealing, is the presence of great light. A gray sky or a lot of glare on the water will effect the results often not in our favor. Including some colorful reflections on the water, without making them the subject of the photo, can also help to make a nice portrait of a muskrat or turtle. Paddling the kayak with the sun sitting low and from your back or the side is the most promising scenario.

This Common Muskrat swam right at me shortly after I left the boat ramp at Green Island. Muskrats eat the roots, stems, leaves, and fruits of a many water plants. Even though they are mainly plant eaters, small fish, clams or snails can be part of their diet.

To see turtles stretched out on a log in the water is very common in early spring, when they warm up in the sun. The Painted Turtle with its fine yellow lines is the most common turtle in the Mississippi. While approaching them I usually stop paddling as I get closer and let the boat just drift towards these reptiles. This extends the time they will stay on the log before gliding into the water, time that helps to fill the frame.

PEACE AND TRANQUILLITY

American White Pelicans, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Paddling with a kayak in the backwaters and wetlands of the Mississippi River is a great way for finding peace of mind. The occasional noise of a train far away on the other side of the river doesn’t take much away of the tranquillity we can find in a place like that. There is a bird that seems to know about that. Their movements are smooth, their flight is graceful, and their fishing activities are a collective effort that is effective and often executed quietly. The American White Pelican fits perfectly into a landscape as we can find it in the Upper Mississippi Valley.

While most of the ducks took off long before they came into the range of my lens, the pelicans let me come very close while I drifted slowly towards their resting place. The keel on top of their big bill tells us that we are in the breeding season. It’s not there during winter time.

A great paddle trip ended with another pleasant experience. When I arrived back at the boat ramp at Fish Lake Road in the Green Island Wetlands, I noticed that a RV camper had pulled into the parking lot. Shortly after I was out of my kayak the owner of the camper offered me to carry the boat up the ramp and later helped me to lift it onto my car. I learned that he is the owner of CrawDaddy Outdoors, an outdoor equipment store in Waverly, Iowa. Thank you Darrin, you are a real sport!

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,    @ 600 mm, 1/5000 s, f/9, ISO 640

KAYAK SEASON IS OPEN

Blue-winged Teals, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

The Easter weekend started with gorgeous and warm weather today. I had some plans in mind for some photography from inside the new photo blind but decided instead to open the kayak season. We have never done it that early in a year.

Many ducks are in the Green Island Wetlands and I heard that up north in Minnesota is still  some snow and ice on the ground. The ducks don’t always wait until the photographer is close enough with the boat for a picture. These three Blue-winged Teals made an exception and showed me the bluish part of their wings during take off. I thought it was a good opener for the kayak season and it is a shot I wanted to make since a long time. More to come, please stay tuned…

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,    @ 600 mm, 1/3200 s, f/6.3, ISO 1000, image cropped at the bottom

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.