THE CUTENESS BONUS

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

At every visit in Badlands National Park, South Dakota I have photographed Black-tailed Prairie Dogs but never the babies when they were the first days above the ground. The little ones are absolutely adorable and I enjoyed spending the early morning with them a week ago. The little pups remain up to seven weeks below ground and that’s why I probably never saw them during the month of May in other years. Prairie dogs are cute no matter what, but having their pups in the picture gives it an extra cuteness bonus…

I shot most of the time with the 1.4 teleconverter attached to the SIGMA 150-600, giving me a focal length up to 850 mm. For some pictures a slight cosmetic crop was applied.

All images: Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG

SPENDING TIME WITH BISON

American Bison, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

It’s all about knowing where to find them and predicting when the light is right for a photo of the iconic American Bison in Badlands National Park. However, once more I didn’t find the herd of female bison with their calves. I tried it since three years now but had again no luck to photograph new born calves with their mothers. It’s a big area and not every part is easy to access. Instead I took my chances to work with several of the big bison bulls that stay away from the herd at this time of the year. Some of them were testing their strength for the mating season already and displayed their pure power to each other by making all kinds of noise and even bumping heads occasionally.

There are different ways to tell the story about this majestic animal. Including the Badlands in the background, with early morning light touching both, animal and landscape, leaves no doubt about the presence of the bison out in the great plains. On the other hand a detail shot of the head gives an idea how powerful this wild animal is and a worn out horn gives evidence that many challenges are waiting in their daily life.

NATURE CLICKS #560 - PRONGHORN

Male Pronghorn, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Here is another reason to get up early in the morning. There is a good chance to get a Pronghorn, the fastest mammal in the grasslands out west, in front of the lens. The first light of the day put some rim light around the edges of the horns and other body parts and make the pronghorn stand out against the lush grassy background.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   @ 600 mm, 1/800 s, f/6.3, ISO 4000

NATURE CLICKS #559 - EASTERN BLUEBIRD

This story started already last year, when I built a bird box that was especially designed for bluebirds. The Eastern Bluebird is a cavity nester that may use an old woodpecker hole in a tree or post but nest places became a hot commodity after more aggressive birds, like European Starlings and House Sparrows, became more widespread in the last century. Last year one of our House Wrens used the box for a nest. The bluebirds had no chance.

I photographed this male already while it came to one of our bird baths a few days ago and I became more excited when I saw it again yesterday flying into the entrance hole of the bird box with some nesting material. The nest is mainly built by the female but the males carry bits and pieces in and out of the box to attract a female. Once the female enters the box with the male the bond is established. I haven’t seen the female yet but my hope to have an active nest in this new bird box is growing.

Today’s photo was made right out of my office window on the second floor during the early evening. I had the 1.4 teleconverter between the Sigma 150-600 S and the camera and used the full focal length of 850 mm. The tree is across from the bird box, with some open space between, and the bluebird had obviously a good eye on it. He was cleaning his feathers after I made the first click and the bird gave me about 3 minutes to work with it.

WOODPECKER SPECIES #7 SHOWED UP

Red-headed Woodpecker, Little Maquoketa Valley, Iowa

As mentioned yesterday we had a lot of bird activities going on this weekend and I shared already a few moments with you in my last blog posts. But the photo that put the biggest smile in my face is the one above. It has been four years ago that we saw the Red-headed Woodpecker here up on the bluffs above the valley. They can be found in other parts of the driftless area and in the Upper Mississippi Valley and I have seen them occasionally but here in our woods they only show up for a short time in May, and not even every year. My guess has been that all the other woodpecker species are too much competition and the Red-headed Woodpecker seems to prefer dead trees that are closer to a body of water, although the Little Maquoketa River is just down in the valley. Who knows, we just don’t see them nesting right here. Male and female look very similar and seeing only one bird doesn’t help to determine what gender is in front of the lens.

With the appearance of the red-headed we have seen finally all seven species of woodpeckers that spend some time here during the year since January.

GREAT BIRDING THIS WEEKEND

Several Rose-breasted Grosbeaks finally arrived, males and at least one female. One pair may breed right here, the other ones will continue their migration to Minnesota and even parts of Canada.

It didn’t take a lot of efforts to make some photos of birds this weekend. Placing the tripod on the porch, dial in the settings for the camera and an off-camera speedlight, and just be patient, and that was all! There were new arrivals of migratory birds and some of the permanent residents posed in full breeding plumage, it doesn’t get any better. Just sit back while you start your week and hopefully enjoy this little ”spring-bird-gallery”!

Our property doesn’t have much open space that is preferred by Eastern Bluebirds. However, a male bluebird showed up twice yesterday to take a drink from one of the bird baths. I have built a nest box that fits their needs but all the House Wrens are pretty aggressive around here, and I’m not sure if the bluebird is able to take possession of the nesting place.

The first male Ruby-throated hummingbird showed up a few days later than other years. Two of them started competing about food sources and probably the one female that is here since yesterday.

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird

When the Chipping Sparrows arrive we always know, spring is finally here, the snow may not come back (95% true…). The first one was seen April 11th this year. This photo is valuable for me. It’s hard to get a shot of this bird while they are not foraging in the grass and it is the first time that I have a pair of Chipping Sparrows together in the same picture.

The Northern Cardinal is a permanent resident on our bluffs above the Little Maquoketa Valley here in eastern Iowa. During the winter they stick together in flocks and we have sometimes around thirty cardinals, males and female, here. During their breeding season the male cardinals fiercely defend their breeding territory from other males. Since we still see several males flying in without fighting each other we just can assume the ”hot” phase hasn’t started yet…

BACK FROM THE SOUTH

Male Scarlet Tanager, back from the tropical forest

As you maybe saw in my blog post from yesterday, the light before sunset was just gorgeous. Well, today it was a different story. Rain clouds moved in and made the shutter speeds dropping tremendously. The speed light was employed again but had a different purpose. While yesterday it was more used as a fill flash while shooting against the sun, today I used it mainly to get some colors back from the birds feathers. I exposed for the ambient light and sent just a ”kiss” of light with the flash to pronounce the bird’s colors.

Today the first male Scarlet Tanager showed up in our woods. They spent the winter in the tropical forests of northwestern South America and have a long journey behind them when they arrive here in the Midwest. Years ago, when I saw my first Scarlet Tanager I was amazed about the beauty of this bird and I’m still impressed when I see one.

Male Baltimore Oriole

This Baltimore Oriole has already arrived three days ago, but it wasn’t before today I heard its flutelike song. They are not migrating as far south as the tanagers. The Baltimore Oriole spends the winters in Florida, the Caribbean, Central America, or the northern tip of South America (source: allaboutbirds.org).

WITH A HINT OF FILL FLASH

Male Yellow-rumped Warbler

Every new bird species that arrives here after migration from the south is greeted with cheers. While this year some species have not arrived yet, or at least have not been seen, today a Yellow-rumped Warbler landed right here above the bluffs of the Little Maquoketa Valley this evening.

One of my goals this year is to improve my wildlife photography while using a speed light. I hardly ever use a flash light as the main light source. I’m a strong believer that the ambient, natural light should give a sense of the circumstances when and where the photo was made. And of course, there is always an exception from these wishful ideas if we want to tell our story with a photo.

When we sit on our porch in the evening at this time of the year, the setting sun shines right in our eyes and every bird in the front yard is backlit. To make a click, like the photo above, requires some kind of light from the front. This is when the flash from an off-camera speed light can be used to fill in the shadows and enhance the colors.

I admit, I’m not really good working with a flash light, but today I practiced a lot with the birds that are always here. When I just thought I figured it all out, this beautiful male Yellow-rumped Warbler, in full breeding plumage, landed right in front of me and gave me a minute to work with. As you can see, the warbler is backlit, the background is absolutely gorgeous, but the bird had too much shadow and did not stand out. Well, a little hint of fill-flash can make all the difference…

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Lesser Yellowlegs, Maskunky Marsh, Iowa

The American Avocet wasn’t the only bird at the Maskunky Marsh yesterday. A number of Lesser Yellowlegs had chosen this wetland area for a rest stop on their way to the north. They breed in the meadows and open woodland from Alaska across Canada, all the way to western Quebec. The Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs are birds we see during migration quite often. The month of May is the peak time for their appearance here in Iowa. This pair didn’t care about my presence in the ”mobile blind”, of course my car, and there was a lot of action going on in the Maskunky Marsh.

Distance was again the biggest setback for the photographer and so I cropped the photos again for a decent display here in my blog.

NATURE CLICKS #558 - AMERICAN AVOCET

American Avocet, Maskunky Marsh, Mahaska County, Iowa

Business required me to travel this week in Kansas and Missouri but unfortunately the camera stayed in the bag due to the lack of time. On my way back to eastern Iowa today I finally stopped at the Maskunky Marsh, near Oskaloosa in Mahaska County. I was there only once before, in July 2021, and it was the first time that I saw and photographed Yellow-crowned Night Herons. I knew this wouldn’t happen today but my hope to find some other shore birds came true.

This migratory single American Avocet was feeding in the shallow water of the marsh. The bird is in its breeding plumage and it was the first time that I saw an avocet in Iowa. I read about occasional sightings by other birders but we are not in its breeding range, which is further west and northwest.

The American Avocet feeds by having the bill underwater and swinging it from side to side along the bottom. This way they stir up aquatic insects.

Both photos are heavily cropped, although the first one was even shot with the TC 1.4, extending the focal length to 850 mm. There was just no way to get any closer to this bird but for an important sighting, like this avocet, I gladly crop the heck out of the image. 😉

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG

FLYING IN FOR A MEAL

American White Pelicans, Green Island Wildlife Area, Mississippi Valley, Iowa

With a wingspan up to 110 inches (280 cm), the American White Pelicans make a big impression while they soar often in large flocks above our heads. Their flight is graceful and a feast for the eyes. This was only a small fraction of a squadron of about 50-60 pelicans that flew in at a lake in the Green Island Wetlands. A minute later they started herding fish in a corner of the lake. Nature at its best!

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   @ 600 mm, 1/2000 s, f/8, ISO 1000

GUARDING THE OFFSPRING

I saw quite a few Canada Geese sitting on nests during the month of April and so it was not a surprise to see the first pairs with their offspring last weekend. This pair had obviously five little goslings while another one I saw guided only two through the waters at Green Island. The parents are extremely protective and guard their offspring very well.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   @ 600 mm, 1/800 s, f/8, ISO 1000

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   @ 490 mm, 1/800 s, f/8, ISO 1250

DANCE PERFORMANCE

Greater Sandhill Crane, Upper Mississippi Valley, Green Island, Iowa

It was a busy weekend, mainly with other things than photography, but today I managed to make a trip down south to Green Island. I was greeted with a ”dance” from a pair of Sandhill Cranes. They mate for life but have a dance-like performance to maintain their relationship.

During this performance one may throw plant matter with mud or sticks in the air. If you look closely at the photo above, you may see a branch flinged by the crane, visible to the right of the bird’s head. It is pretty intense, fast, and a lot of fun to watch and photograph. I knew the distance to the Sandhill Cranes would require to put the 1.4 teleconverter between the lens and camera. I didn’t have enough time to do this and shot all images in full frame mode (FX), with the intend in mind to crop the images in post processing.

It all ended suddenly. The pair of Sandhill Cranes stood for a moment motionless side by side and then moved on feeding and foraging in the shallow parts of the wetlands.

Watching a wildlife performance like this is very exciting but the best medicine to detach from the ordinary things in life for a moment… Can you agree?

NATURE CLICKS #557 - HOODED MERGANSER

Hooded Mergansers, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

I shoot a lot more than what I ever can publish here in my blog. But today I have a photo from a couple weeks ago that I really still like to share with you. Hooded Mergansers form pairs between November and January and after they migrate here from the south there is only a small time window to take a picture of male and female together. They are monogamous but ones the female starts to incubate, the male abandons her. I try it every year, often with mixed success or no results, to make a photo with both birds together. This time a pair of Hooded Mergansers gave me enough time and finally swam to an area at the pond where the background was not too much illuminated but still enough light to make the mergansers stand out. I never see the males during the summer and just wonder if they immediately move south after their part in the breeding process is done?

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   @ 600 mm, 1/3200 s, f/8, ISO 800

WITH SUMMER PLUMAGE IN THE SNOW

Male American Goldfinch with spring molt almost completed

The photo today sums it all up how we started the day. A fresh layer of very wet snow clung to trees, flowers, and bushes while more than a dozen American Goldfinches visited our bird feeders. They are in process of changing from winter plumage to breeding plumage by a complete molt of their body feathers and most male goldfinches have their distinctive summer colors already. Yesterday evening when it started snowing I was already hoping for this photo opportunity in the morning. As you can probably tell, I was not unhappy. The snow melted away during the day and spring will continue…