NATURE CLICKS #574 - ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK

Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Every day day this week more birds have arrived. The first Rose-breasted Grosbeak showed up three days ago and yesterday we had four males around the house. Probably most of them move on to Minnesota or Canada but we always have at least one breeding pair in our woods. They spend the winter in Central or northern South America and the males arrive mostly a little earlier than the females. No sighting of a female Grosbeak yet.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Westscott FJ80 II speed light, Westscott Magnetic diffusion dome.   @850 mm, 1/400s, f/9, ISO 2000, image slightly cropped

ONLY IN THE SPRING

Chipping Sparrow braving the rain

There are certain photos that we can make only in early spring. It’s not just about the usual arrival of several birds from the south during the last week of April, but also about a certain quality of light at this time of the year, the still open space between branches in the trees, and the color that is added by the lush green of the first leaves that pop out. Not to forget that most birds look at their best during mating season.

After all the thunderstorms that hit the Midwest we had a rainy Sunday and the muted light made for some nice photography in the front yard. This male Chipping Sparrow didn’t hide from the rain and watched a female below. Most of the time they can be seen together foraging on the ground. Having the bird on an oak branch with fresh leaves makes for a much better picture than just sparrows in the grass.

House Wren

Currently two House Wrens sing their heart out near any potential nesting site in the yard, starting already early in the morning. They both hope to attract a female at some point in time but I think the ladies aren’t even here yet. At least I haven’t seen one today. The House Wrens perch often on a solitary branch or stick and make it easy for the photographer to find a background that isn’t distracting from the bird.

All photos: Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Westscott FJ80 II speed light, Westscott Magnetic diffusion dome @850 mm

NATURE CLICKS #573 - PECTORAL SANDPIPER

Pectoral Sandpipers, Upper Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Last weekend ended with a short visit in the Green Island Wetlands, the area 40 miles south of our home that includes a wildlife preserve and a mix of lakes and marshland, separated from the main channel of the Mississippi River by dikes.

I saw Wood Ducks in their best mating mood, Sandhill Cranes, some pairs of Canada Geese with little goslings, Hooded Mergansers, a number of Pied-billed Grebes, and again two migrating Greater Yellowlegs.

As the sun got ready to set, a last drive along the gravel road on the west side of the wetlands led to the discovery of 30 Pectoral Sandpipers, foraging in a big puddle at the edge of a field. Their breeding grounds are high up in the arctic tundra of Canada and they obviously stopped at Green Island for some re-fueling. Their bills probed into the water and mud with high frequency in search for invertebrates. I used my car as a blind and moved slowly in the field towards the puddle. The sandpipers didn’t seem to take any notice of my presence and kept feeding.

Moments like that keep me going and feed my passion for bird watching and reporting about it here in the blog. The Pectoral Sandpipers spent the winter down in South America and their long journey to the breeding grounds up on the arctic tundra is just amazing.

I shot this at 850 mm with the 1.4 teleconverter attached to the Sigma 150-600 S lens. A small, cosmetic crop was applied to the final image.

NATURE CLICKS #572 - EASTERN BLUEBIRDS

Male Eastern Bluebird. Their vibrant blue feathers during breeding season are easy to spot between the trees, even under low light conditions.

Shortly after our return from Oregon I saw a pair of Eastern Bluebirds inspecting a nest box I have built for this particular species a couple years ago. I saw both, the female and the male last weekend again and my hopes grow that they may take possession of the place and built a nest. The biggest competitors are the House Wrens and the first one has already arrived. Last year a male wren stuffed a lot of loose little twigs and branches into the hole and as I later found out, all on top of a bluebird nest. The wrens are much more aggressive and the bluebirds had no chance. We have several bird boxes for the House Wrens but they have their own mind and choose whatever place they like the best. Since we had a breeding pair of Eastern Bluebirds in 2020 in another nest box I still hope it will happen again.

The colors of the female are much more subdued. After a male has attracted a female to his nest site, the female actually builds the nest. Both parents feed the brood.

SPRING ENCOUNTERS

Cedar Waxwing

After quite a bit of traveling lately it feels good to sit on the porch in the morning with a cup of coffee on the table and spend some time behind the camera. We had some really warm days in February already but this was the first weekend that felt really like spring, with lots of sunshine and very warm temperatures. During the last couple of weeks, after our return from Oregon, several migrating birds have arrived, some earlier than usually. Among them are Eastern Phoebes, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Chipping Sparrows, Eastern Bluebirds, and this morning the first House Wren inspected our nest boxes. At the other hand, a couple species are still present that normally leave our woods and move further north as soon the temperatures are above freezing, like Dark-eyed Juncos and Purple Finches. A trend we have seen already during the last three years and that makes me wonder if we experience a change in migrating behavior due to much warmer winters. I make notes every spring since 2007 beside recording first sightings of the season with the camera.

The most colorful bird I had in front of the lens today was this Cedar Waxwing. They are supposed to be here all year long but we don’t see them very often during the cold season. Their appetite for cedar berries during the winter gave them obviously their name. Since we have red cedars here on the bluffs above the Little Maquoketa Valley, the waxwing’s appearance is not really a surprise.

LIFE IN THE TIDE POOLS

Sea anemones

I was at a conference in Dallas, TX this week and a busy schedule prevented that time was spent behind the camera. Luckily I still have a number of pictures from our trip to the Oregon coast I like to share with you.

Clams and snails in a color reach environment

It took a few days before we had the conditions that we were looking for to explore the life and beauty in the tide pools. It needs of course a low tide at a rocky beach and the colors can be revealed if the sun shines at least a little bit. A polarizing filter in front of the lens works great for eliminating most of the glare on the water and for revealing the colors on mussels, clams, sea anemones, crabs and whatever else we found.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4, Tiffen Circular Polarizer,  @ 200mm,

Hermit Crab inside shell of a gastropod snail

Sea star left on the rocks at low tide

A NOISY BUNCH (SEE THE VIDEO)

California Sea Lions, Newport, Oregon

Back to our trip along the Pacific coast in Oregon. You have not seen Newport if you didn’t see the sea lions in the harbor. From late August through early June adult and juvenile male sea lions can be seen on the docks of the Newport harbor. The females stay in California waters all year around. During the summer months male sea lions migrate south to join the females for their breeding season. (source: information board at the Newport harbor)

You don’t need a map to find them at the harbor, just follow the barking noise. There is a constant pushing and shoving going on while competing for space on the docks. Feel free to click the video below to hear and see the noisy bunch.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4,  @ 200mm

UNTIL THE LIGHT WAS GONE

Greater Yellowleg, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

The weather this week was not very pleasant, with temperatures around the freezing point, rain, even a little bit of snow, and almost no sun in the sky.This changed finally today and I could realize my plans going for some wildlife shooting to the Green Island Wetlands in the Mississippi Valley this evening. All the clouds disappeared and the best thing was that the air stayed relatively cool, means it was clear and the often feared heat shimmer above the surface of the wetland didn’t occur. With other words, great shooting conditions.

I saw lots of ducks, mostly Wood Ducks and Northern Shovelers, of course Canada Geese, Bald Eagles, the local Northern Harrier, and a small number of Tree Swallows. But the most exciting encounter were three Greater Yellowlegs. These migrating sandpipers were feeding in the shallow water at Green Island but they were quite a bit away. By attaching the 1.4x Teleconverter to the lens my focal length went up to 850 mm. This seemed still not close enough and I set the camera to ”crop mode”, which uses a smaller part of the sensor only, but gave me the equivalent of 1275 mm focal length. I thought without heat shimmer, as often present at this time of the year above the water surface, I can try it and had indeed quite a few sharp images.

Before driving back home I headed to the gravel road on the westside of the wetlands and found another Greater Yellowleg foraging in the water that covered the field below after the rain. The sun was setting behind me and the bird still searched for food and flew away only after all direct light was gone.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, @850 mm (1275 mm DX mode), 1/1250 s, f/9, ISO800

YAQUINA HEAD

Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Newport, Oregon

One of my favorite locations we visited at the Oregon coast last week was Yaquina Head with its lighthouse and rocky sea stacks all around. It is a great place for bird watching and offers many different angles for having some photography fun.

Colony Rock is a great habitat for thousands of seabirds. We saw Common Murres, Pelagic Cormorants, lots of Western Gulls, and some other species.

Western Gull on a rocky cliff

The lighthouse guides ships and their supplies along the west coast since the light was first lit on August 20, 1873.

View to the North Coast from Yaquina Head

NATURE CLICKS #571 - COMMON MURRE (FIRST SIGHTING)

Common Murres, Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, near Newport, Oregon

Our trip to the coast of Oregon was still a little too early for a big deal of bird photography. Nevertheless, we had a few good encounters and some of them were first sightings for us. The Common Murre nests on sea cliffs above the ocean and we found them on the cliffs at Yaquina Head Light, north of Newport, OR. During breeding season they lay one egg directly on a ledge without adding nesting material. The Common Murres feed mostly on fish, squid, or octopus and catch their prey in the bill during deep dives. They use their wings for propelling themselves and can remain underwater for up to one minute. These birds look a little bit like penguins with their tuxedoed look, but they are relatives of auks and puffins.

I had plenty of images already on the memory card when suddenly this flock took off and moved to a different cliff below the lighthouse in the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,   @ 850 mm, 1/5000 s, f/9, ISO 1250

SWANS, SWANS, AND MORE SWANS

Migrating Tundra Swans, Mississippi Valley, Green Island, Iowa

I wasn’t able to count all the swans I found yesterday at Blakes Lake in the Green Island Wetlands. I think it’s safe to say there were at least 400, but probably more, feeding in the shallow waters of the lake. Heat shimmer above the water surface made it kinda difficult to  see details of the birds in the viewfinder of the camera. While standing on the dyke there were quite a few more swans moving in and this was the chance to make a few clicks from a shorter distance. It wasn’t until I had a closer look at the birds on the screen of my computer that I realized that there were quite a few Tundra Swans among the Trumpeter Swans, which latter I had seen during the last few weeks already. This also explained the considerable increase in numbers of swans present on the lake.

While the Trumpeter Swans may stay here in eastern Iowa during the winter, the Tundra Swans spent the winter at the Mid-Atlantic coast. They are back now and on the way to their breeding grounds in the arctic region of Canada and Alaska. Trumpeter Swans are slightly bigger but this is not always a safe indicator for identification. It is the yellow spot that adult Tundra Swans show at the base of their bill that leaves no doubt about what species we see.

The yellow spot is at least very good visible in the full size photo of these two Tundra Swans flying overhead. The size reduced picture you see here in the blog makes it a little more difficult to see this important feature.

WAITING FOR SPRING

Black-capped Chickadee

It is the time of the year when we start to hear the ”fee-bee” calls of the Black-capped Chickadees more frequently. The snow bells are out in the front yard and also a couple small crocus flowers. While driving to town this morning I saw a pair of Sandhill Cranes flying across the road. All sure signs that spring is right around the corner or at least not far away anymore.

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

ANOTHER CHANCE WITHOUT WIRE

American Kestrel, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

More than once I have complained about that the kestrels mostly perch on utility wires along the road, which isn’t my preferred location for a wildlife shot. Well, the solution seems to be to drive along roads that do not have power lines next to them. Not easy to find here in Iowa! This female American Kestrel used the dead trees at the edge of a marsh for her hunting efforts. During the summer these small falcons often eat insects, like grasshoppers. Since this is not an available option right now, they are on the outlook for small mammals and birds.

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

NATURE CLICKS #570 - TRUMPETER SWANS

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

This afternoon we saw at least 40-50 white dots, far away and deep in the wetlands at Green Island and assumed that a large congregation of Trumpeter Swans was there. This all got confirmed during the hour before sunset when family after family crossed the marches and lakes and flew towards the setting sun. We don’t know where they spend the night but it was nice to watch groups between two and eight swans flying towards us and overhead. Since it is such a big bird it’s not so difficult to track them in flight and practice panning technique with the long lens on camera.

BALD EAGLES IN ABUNDANCE AND AN EARLY RETURN

Bald Eagle, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Yesterday I received a message from a friend that the water was open down at the Sabula - Savannah bridge that crosses the Mississippi River and both sides of the road that leads to the bridge were filled with eagles. As wildlife photographers we have to take the opportunities when they occur and as the ice on the river disappears, many eagles quickly move upstream. I went down south this morning and the first chance came already while driving slowly through the Green Island Wetlands. There is a big solitary cottonwood tree next to one of the dikes and this adult Bald Eagle just posed nicely against a blue sky and the unavoidable clutter of small branches. This tree has served many times as a perch for eagles and other raptors over the years but it is in bad shape and might be gone sometime soon. I moved with the camera so the white head of the bird was in front of one of the bigger branches.

Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, Sabula-Savannah Bridge, Iowa side

Down near the Sabula - Savannah Bridge were still dozens of Bald Eagles. The downside is you can’t stop and park your car along the road that connects the Sabula island with the actual bridge, except for a small pull-out right at the bridge. I was lucky, one eagle had perched within the reach of my lens and this time against a clean background. Later I had some other opportunities but this was my favorite shot.

Sandhill Crane among Trumpeter Swans, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa, February 11, 2024

Hours later, on my way back home, I made another round through the Green Island Wetlands and had an interesting discovery. The ice where nine Trumpeter Swans rested earlier had melted and they were foraging in the shallow water of a flooded field. Among them was a solitary Sandhill Crane, searching for food as well. It moved with the swans and seemed to take advantage of whatever was stirred up while they swam slowly across the water.

At home I checked my digital photo library, going back to 2007, and can confirm, February 11th is the earliest I ever saw a Sandhill Crane here in eastern Iowa. Seeing them in March is not uncommon but this early was my first time. Other birders may have made a different experience and I like to hear from you about your observations in this area.