OVERDUE VISIT

Grand Canyon, Arizona

I interrupt my stories about our trip to the Dakotas for a more actual photo. I’m stitching two business trips together into one right now. I’m in Arizona since Wednesday, spent the weekend here, and will will leave for Denver Colorado tomorrow morning.

The Saturday was used for a more than overdue trip to the Grand Canyon. I flew over it many times in the past but never had been actually in the National Park. I wished the big storm area that came through here last Thursday would have waited a couple more days but this is history and all what was left was a boring bald blue sky with not a single cloud in the air. Well, I deal with what is presented to me when it comes to weather and try to get the best out of it.

The Grand Canyon is magnificent and no words or photo can completely describe its beauty and vastness. 

I took a lot of pictures with the wide angle lens, the Nikkor 16-35, f/4. I love this lens for its incredible sharpness and relative small size and I have really embraced it during our trip in the Dakotas. It is a great tool for an outdoor photographer that needs to pack small and light and wants to come home with sharp images. More to come…

NATURE CLICKS #302 - BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG

In almost every area we visited during our trip in South and North Dakota we found Black-tailed Prairie Dogs. Prairie dogs are highly social critters and just watching them in their large colonies can be fun and entertainment for many hours. I shot a lot of pictures and can promise you this will not be my last post about them. They have a system of using body language and sounds to warn and inform each other about a possible predator or whatever is approaching their so called prairie dog towns. Many of our photos were taken from the ”mobile blind”, our car, and that seemed to work very well quite often.

RAIN AND COLORS

Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4

We set up our first camp for a few days in Badlands National Park, South Dakota. We were there before twice in the last ten years, but always only for a brief stop on the way to Yellowstone. This time we wanted to explore the park and the surrounding grasslands much more and also spend time with the wildlife. The name Badlands suggests nothing really good but I can tell you, colors, landforms, and wildlife will surprise the visitor with every turn you take.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4

From our previous visits we knew that landscape photography can be very tricky during the day because the harsh light mutes the colors quite often. We were lucky on our second day that a few rain drops came down, not much, but just enough to bring out the colors of layered sediments, volcanic ashes, and of the prairie grass and plants. The Badlands are a place of extremes between summer and winter and sometimes it is hard to imagine that much can exist there. However, the biological diversity is rich and wildlife abounds. But more about this later...

TRAVELS THROUGH THE DAKOTAS

Bison at sunset - Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Hello everyone! Yes, we are back from a 19 days long vacation trip in the Dakotas. We explored the grasslands, wilderness, and mountains of South and North Dakota this time. There were plenty of opportunities to see and watch wildlife and many stunning moments while visiting beautiful landscapes. Most of the time we pitched our little tent right where the action takes place, where the light unfolds, and where the only sound you may hear at night is the howling of the coyotes or the hooting of an owl. Of course, a “few” clicks were made along the roads and trails, and if this stirred up your interest, please stay tuned during the next weeks. 😊

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2015 #9

All images: Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4

Today’s photos are still from my visit at the Deere Marsh last Friday night and both tell a totally different story. The first one is about migration of the Red-winged blackbird. They gather by the thousands and fly south, a sure indicator that winter will approach soon.

The second photo was made only a few minutes before the first one and at a first glimpse there is not much going on in the marsh or on the Mississippi in the background. But wait, if you look down at the bottom beside the shadow of my left leg, there is Cooper’s shadow. As so often he sits and waits until I’m done clicking and fiddling with the camera. Most of the time I can concentrate on the photography or on the critters we are watching. I don’t have to worry about all the time what Cooper is doing. He waits patiently. We couldn’t ask for a better dog! 😊

NATURE CLICKS #301 - JUVENILE SNAPPING TURTLE

During my usual “photo-and-dog-walk” in the evening I meet quite often other people that enjoy being outside as much as we do. Today I was at the Deere Marsh, the wetland area at the Mississippi River behind the big John Deere factory north of Dubuque, Iowa. I met a couple with their two dogs and we had a nice conversation about nature and other things. Even our dogs were friendly to each other. They went ahead towards the parking lot while I still tried to capture some pictures during sunset. After a while the couple called me over because they had discovered a bunch of young Snapping Turtles that obviously were crossing the trail on their way from a turtle nest to the water. I guess we can call this little one “cute” under consideration that the shell length of an adult snapper can exceed 15 inches (38 cm) and they can weigh up to 40 pounds (18.2 kg).

Looking into my photo archive back home I found out that I watched and photographed my first young Snapping Turtle eight and a half years ago at almost exactly the same place. This area has undergone quite some brutal construction changes for the sake of wetland restoration 2-3 years ago. It was hard to believe during that time that we would ever see a real recovery. We saw a lot of prairie wildflowers coming up this year, new young willows started growing (good for small birds), I saw Sandhill Cranes, herons, pelicans, and other birds, and todays encounter feeds my hope that this area is finally on a good way…

WAVED GOODBYE

Ruby-throated hummingbird, immature male

As every year it’s time to wave goodbye to the hummingbirds. They all migrate to Central America for the winter, making a nonstop flight across the Gulf of Mexico while relaying on fat reserves only. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the only hummer breeding east of the Great Plaines. I made a last photo of this immature male hummingbird Monday morning, just before I hit the road, kinda knowing that they might be gone after my return Wednesday night. The feeders are cleaned and will be stored in the basement until the end of April next year. We usually see the first one about May 1st every year. Can’t wait for this moment again...

CUMULONIMBUS INCUS

Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4

I’m back from another business trip with very little opportunity to shoot some images. The exception was this beautiful anvil cloud (Cumulonimbus incus) I watched developing from my hotel room in Milwaukee, WI. They can form into super-cells resulting in severe storms, hail, heavy rain, lightning, and even tornadoes. This one dissolved shortly after I made this simple click through the glass of the window...

TRUMPETER SWANS, IT'S ALL ABOUT GESTURE...

Mill Creek Ponds, Iowa, September 26, 2015

I told you yesterday I was on a “wildlife mission”. Shame on me, I have not reported about the Trumpeter Swans at Mill Creek Pond, near Bellevue, Iowa, this year until now. It doesn’t mean I wasn’t there. During my first visit on June 14, 2015 I had the pleasure and excitement to see both adults taking care of five cygnets at the nest site. I saw the first Trumpeter Swans in my life 2007 in Yellowstone National Park. I watched a pair of swans at the Mill Creek Ponds since 2010 and was able to report about a first cygnet in 2011. A year later three cygnets were raised and 2013 I was able to count two young ones. I don't made any clicks in 2014 but I believe I saw two juveniles. However, it is an ongoing story...

The shot below from back in June was not so difficult to make. We had an overcast that day and the range of light, from the white in the feathers to the black bill and feet, was within what the sensor of the camera can capture without loss of detail. I expose most of the time a little more towards the blacks for the sake of richer colors and better contrast. This is my style of photography, and not just for wildlife. Sure, we all can post process an image to death and bring more light into the darkest spot. There is nothing wrong with that as long as it doesn’t take away the focus on the subject in an image.

Mill Creek Ponds, Iowa, June 14, 2015

The first photo is from yesterday. Two juveniles resting at the north shore of the pond, and a third one was with the other adult bird just outside of the frame. Although the photo was made just about an hour before sunset, the range of light was quite a challenge. I made a lot of clicks but didn’t seem to find what goes beyond a documentary shot. First, color isn’t something in this shot that ‘makes’ the image by itself, even if I like the warm tones on the heads of the young, sleeping swans. That leaves light and gesture on the table. No doubt, there was good quality light. All what it took was exposing strictly for the highlights to keep some details in the feathers. During two hours of observation the adult swans were resting most of the time or just cleaned and greased their feathers. Yep, a little boring! I knew I had something when one of the adult birds stood up and flapped its wings. Here was suddenly the gesture that made the difference, and in combination with light and the warm colors tells the story. Yes, the swans lost two cygnets sometime between June and now, but this is not unusual. Lots of predators and other, maybe weather related circumstances are a daily struggle for the adult Trumpeter Swans. They raised three cygnets again, and this by itself is a wonderful story of bird restoration here in Iowa!!

I chose both images for today’s post for the same reason, even if they were totally different in their making. It’s the powerful message of the adult Trumpeter Swans about protecting their offspring, sent out by just their sheer presence and gesture...

LATE SUMMER, BUT NOT FALL YET

Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM

I flew back from Texas today, drove home from the airport, unpacked the suitcase, grabbed the camera gear and the dog, and went out the door again… Couldn’t wait to go on a wildlife mission after a week of being away. Ok, I will talk about the wildlife in another post but like to show you a photo instead I made while returning to the car, just a few minutes before the sun disappeared behind the ridge. I looked over my shoulder and across the pond and saw the potential for a shot. Although we don’t have any fall colors yet, it doesn’t mean you can’t “romance” the landscape. I switched the white balance from ‘Auto’ to ‘cloudy’ and exposed for the highlights on the tree trunks. This keeps the colors warm and strong and the darker shadows provide the contrast for the subject in this image. Some tree branches are already bare but many leaves are still green, and so are the reeds in the pond. A photo you can only make in late, late summer...

NATURE CLICKS #300 - YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (ONCE MORE)

Who is going to blame me if I use the 300th edition of NATURE CLICKS for a photo of another warbler again? 😉

I’m traveling in Texas this week and so I had to prepare today’s photo ahead of time. Joan, Cooper, and I went to the Mississippi on Monday night and we saw again a few Yellow-rumped Warblers foraging in the light of the setting sun.

During the last five and a half years NATURE CLICKS became the stage for all kinds of critters in my blog. This is where I have introduced first sightings, seasonal appearances of animals, and all kinds of interesting wildlife encounters and observations. I’m thankful for every visitor who follows the blog and finds information, education, maybe a little bit of entertainment, but hopefully some inspiration for their own photography or for just going out into the great outdoors and see things with their own eyes. If you do, please stay tuned!

NATURE CLICKS #299 - BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER

No new warblers today. Maybe we had a big migration wave coming through yesterday? This is not my best bird photo but it is the best I made so far of a Black-And-White Warbler. They can be found foraging for little insects on tree trunks or big branches. This warbler seems never to rest and although its feathers and color provide a good contrast to focus on with the lens, it is not easy to get a sharp image. At least I’m very happy that I had a chance to see this bird for the first time during fall migration.

NATURE CLICKS #298 - TENNESSEE WARBLER

We had another wonderful late summer - early fall day, with warm temperatures and some leaves falling to the ground. I’m very busy at the moment and tied to my desk most of the day, but my office window allows to check bird traffic at the south edge of our woods. When I heard the tsit-tsit call of a warbler my alarm bells went on immediately. Sure enough, I saw at least four different warbler species foraging in the trees today. One was a first sighting for me, a Golden-winged Warbler. Unfortunately the only photo I have is not sharp enough to be presented here in the blog.

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, SB 800 speed light

I’m always very careful while trying to identify warblers. Today I made about two dozen clicks of several Tennessee Warblers, in different locations, and from different angles. Not all are perfect images but still good enough for bird identification. After consulting our guide books and the iBird Pro 7.2 app, I’m pretty sure these were Tennessee Warblers. Especially in fall they can be sometimes mistaken for the Orange-crowned Warbler. The spring migration of the warblers was a bummer for me this year, we didn’t see any here on the bluffs above the little Maquoketa River Valley. It looks like we are making up for it now…😉

NATURE CLICKS #297 - EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE

Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, tripod, gimbal head, SB 800 speed ligh

The light of the setting sun was great for bird photography the last couple nights down in Mud Lake Park at the Mississippi River. Another candidate that will strike off soon towards the tropics is the Eastern Wood-Pewee. This one here is probably a juvenile because you can still see some black on its otherwise yellow lower mandible. The pewee prefers an exposed perch to capture prey. This flycatcher returns quite often to the same perch and gives the photographer sometimes more than one chance to capture the image. 

NATURE CLICKS #296 - YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER

Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, tripod, gimbal head, SB 800 speed light

It really feels good to go out again and aim the lens toward a bird, especially on a day as this Saturday. I love those days between summer and fall, not so hot anymore, and clear and crisp when it comes to light. Down in the valley, at the Mississippi River, seemed to be a good place to look for migrating birds, and it was indeed not disappointing. 

A “bouquet” of Yellow-rumped Warblers found in the Mud Lake area obviously the right place to rest and gain some strength for the next leg of their journey to the South.

It took some efforts to get close to the birds. The grass at the south end of Mud Lake Parkis almost chest high. The warblers were present in a dead tree, next to the shore, but getting there with the whole rig of camera, long lens, and tripod took some time. Time that was finally well spent because the birds didn’t mind my presence after all.

I have photographed Yellow-Rumped Warblers several times before, but never in the fall. Their colors are not as bright as during spring migration but it is still one of the most adorable birds.

Thank you to all of you who check out my blog frequently, even if I’m not able to post on a daily base. At this time of the year my regular job and business travel activities prevent me quite often from what I like to do so much, watching wildlife and going out shooting pictures...