GREAT HORNED OWLS, EMPTY NEST

Owlet #1

I received an email this morning from another photographer (Thank you Ken!), telling me that yesterday he found the nest of the Great Horned Owls down at the Mississippi River empty. I replied that they might just be hunkered down in the nest because of the cold and wet weather we have at the moment. I just learned that owl feathers are not waterproof and rain can impact their ability to fly noiselessly, which can be trouble for an adult during the breeding season because they cannot hunt. Wet feathers lead also to a higher loss of body heat, which could be a thread for the owlets. However, I had to check it out during my lunch break today.

Owlet #1

As Ken already reported, I found the nest empty. It took me about half an hour until I discovered one of the owlets sitting on a big branch in a tree about 50 yards to the east from the nest. I took several pictures from both sides of the tree. Because of their ability to turn the head by 270 degree, owlet #1 had an eye on me most of the time without moving the rest of the body. The wind was blowing hard and getting an unobstructed view was a challenge because branches and leaves were swaying around the whole time.

Owlet #2,  All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Nikon SB 800 speed light, Better Beamer flash extender

I scanned every tree and branch around with my eyes in search for #1’s sibling. I just couldn’t find it. Ready to give up and go back to work I suddenly saw owlet #2 sitting upright in the tree next to me and only a few yards away. It was probably watching me the whole time while I tried to find it and laughed its head off…

It’s great to see that the young Great Horned Owls started branch hopping. Pretty soon they will learn to fly and they may stay with the adults until fall. The leaves in the tress grow rapidly and it will become very difficult to find the owlets again. I’m very happy that we can see two owlets, instead of just one, for the first time during the last four years.

NATURE CLICKS #331 - BLUE JAY

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, DX crop mode     

Getting close to a Blue Jay has always been a challenge and I have mastered it only a few times so far. They are one of the most skittish birds we have in our woods. Earlier this week I set up my tripod and watched a bunch of Goldfinches through the lens. I didn’t really hide but tried to stand motionless behind the camera. The bird landed in the same tree where the finches had perched. They of course flew away, but I didn’t really mind. The late afternoon sun hit the jay just right. The noise of the camera’s shutter release made it suddenly aware about my presence. The Blue Jay took off but the goldfinches returned shortly after.

SPRING IN THE VALLEY

Little Maquoketa River Valley, Durango, Iowa

I love my little walks during the evening with our dog and with the camera in my hand. Sometimes its all about looking for birds and critters and sometimes I just chase the light. It’s a great way to wind down from a day behind the desk. 

Last night when the sun hit the horizon the magic of light unfolded down in the valley. The trees along the Little Maquoketa River received a nice shaft of warm light. The color of the leaves, the bare field in the foreground, and the pale stems of last year’s reeds and grasses, they all help to tell the story about spring in the valley. There are only a few days during the year when this picture can be made, maybe it was only yesterday. Last week the leaves were not really out. Later, when the leaves are darker and fully developed, when the field is planted, and when the sun sets in the northwest, it will not be the same mood anymore. Today I was at the river again but a gray overcast painted already a total different picture. Didn’t even think about to make a click…

WILDFLOWERS IN ABUNDANCE AND MEETING A LEGEND

Wildflowers at Palisades-Kepler State Park, Iowa

It was a lovely spring weekend and if you like wildflowers, it was the perfect time to see, photograph, or just enjoy them. It was Joan’s weekend off from work and we decided to pack the tent and go camping again. It had to be somewhere near Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Why? I will talk about this in a few seconds. We stayed two nights at Palisades-Kepler State Park, an 840-acre mostly wooded area with river bluffs, big trees, and a large variety of wildflowers. The bluffs overlook the beautiful Cedar River. We have quite a few wildflower species here on our bluffs above the Little Maquoketa River, but we can’t compete with the variety we have seen last weekend in the state park. I’m not much into flower photography but a few clicks were made anyway…😉

Moose Peterson

Well, the big reason I wanted to be near Cedar Rapids was a photography seminar on Saturday, which I had booked already several weeks ago. It was organized by the Linn Area Photo Club. I couldn’t be more excited because one of my favorite photographers presented ideas, shared his knowledge, and answered many questions from the audience. Moose Peterson, acclaimed wildlife, landscape, and aviation photographer, Nikon ambassador, and great educator had probably the most influence to my own style of photography during the last 8-9 years. The seminar was supported by many of his photos and seeing them projected on a big screen was a feast for the eyes. Although I don’t make a living from my photography, but I like his ideas, concepts, and workflow and have many applied to my own work. Moose Peterson shares his incredible knowledge and his passion for photography on his websites, on YouTube, or in his own publication, the BT Journal. http://www.moosepeterson.com/blog/ . Check it out, they are all great sources for inspiration and learning photography.

Early morning in Palisades-Kepler State Park, Iowa

Spending almost a whole weekend day with such beautiful warm weather inside a building is not normal behavior for me but I didn’t regret any minute and time flew by very fast.

Back in the camp Joan talked me into a hike and showed me some of the best spots in the park she and our dog Cooper had discovered during the day. Well, and we still had the Sunday for chasing the light… 😊

WARM LIGHT AND THE LATEST ABOUT THE OWLS

Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Image made at 500 mm with Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens

It’s a nice situation, I have made so many images recently , I just need to make up my mind what stories I like to tell first or maybe never. Sometimes the latest observations seem to be more important than the older pics… 

The backwaters of Mud Lake are the closest access to the Mississippi River for us, just ten minutes away from home. As you know, I watch the Great Horned Owl and their offspring during this time of the year at Mud Lake State Park and the photo below tells hopefully more I can even write about here…

Using the long lens for landscape photography may not be on every photographers mind. The compression of a scene, combined with gorgeous light, made me push the shutter release button this evening. The kiss of warm light during sunset is the right time to be there. The mighty Mississippi is behind this dike and the canal in the foreground is part of the Mud Lake backwaters.

PILEATED WOODPECKER AND A STORY ABOUT HABITATS

I know, I just showed you a picture of a Pileated Woodpecker a few days ago. Well, this one was made yesterday evening from our front porch. This male Pileated Woodpecker was about to fly over to a dead oak tree trunk only a few feet away. He has hammered quite a few holes into this tree already. The old oak was about to die three years ago. It lost most of its leaves and there was an imminent danger that it would fall onto the house during a storm. We had to make a decision. Instead of cutting down the whole tree we ask a tree expert to cut off only all the branches. Well, we have a dead big oak tree trunk standing at the edge of the woods in our front yard and some neighbors may think we are a little coo-coo, but we are very proud of it! It became a shelter for the squirrels at times, and at least six of the seven woodpecker species we have here have been seen on that tree. The Pileated Woodpecker is a permanent resident in the woods on our bluffs and down in the Little Maquoketa River Valley. We hear them all the time, especially in spring, but seeing them and making a photo is a different story. They do not come to the suet feeders, as other woodpeckers do and any sighting is an event, at least for us. Today’s photo is my proof that having a dead oak tree trunk in the front yard can be useful, even if some landscape designers may not agree, and some neighbors may turn up their nose 😉. I think you get my line of thoughts, creating habitats for our wildlife, even if they are tiny, can be very important at times when habitat loss is still prevailing, due to a life style in our society where economical expansion has most of the time the priority over everything else.

NATURE CLICKS #330 - WHITE-THROATED SPARROW

Like anybody else I like this time of the year. There is so much going on in nature that it is really not difficult to find a photo that tells a story about the season. We had a rain shower this afternoon, much needed after the top soil in the yard got a little dry during the warm days we had recently. The time after the rain is also a good time to go out shooting and looking for birds, and that’s what I did this evening just here in the woods around our house.

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Nikon SB 800 speed light, Better Beamer flash extender

In February I posted already a picture of a White-throated Sparrow. We are at the north end of their winter range but it was the first time that we saw this species so early in a year. It is not so unusual to see them in April during their migration and today we had three White-throated Sparrows foraging here on the bluffs above the Little Maquoketa River Valley.

STOPPING FOR THE PEREGRINS

Peregrine Falcon Bellevue, Iowa

I had to stop for the nest of the Peregrine Falcon again last weekend below the bluffs of Bellevue State Park, Iowa. One adult was perched again on a branch near the nest box that hangs high up in the rocks, overlooking the Mississippi River. I assume the other adult sat on the nest but I can only guess, because this is not visible from the ground at the highway. I admit this is not a fair image, because I have cropped it heavily, a lot more than just a cosmetic crop. I should have put the 1.4 teleconverter on the lens to frame the shot closer but I was kinda in a hurry. Parking is not allowed at this location, although there is a big pull-out beside the highway. I just didn’t want to deal with the local cop, who seems to be always on duty when I drive through Bellevue…😉

NATURE CLICKS #329 - GREAT EGRET

The weekend came with lots of sunshine and warm temperatures. I saw a lot of birds again but most of the time I just watched them. The light was a little bit on the harsh side today and didn’t always appeal to me. Some birders have spotted different warblers already and I kept my eyes wide open at all locations I visited between Bellevue and Clinton, Iowa this weekend, but wasn’t lucky to see any.

On my way out of the Green Island Wetlands I saw this Great Egret standing on a dike. I’m driving usually slowly on the gravel roads in the wetlands, the camera always in my lap and ready to fire. Shortly after I stopped the egret started walking, stopped again, and finally decided to take off. It is this little gesture, lifting its leg, that makes the difference between this image and the rest, when the bird was just standing. The take-off shot is the bonus…😉

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens

NATURE CLICKS #328 - TREE SWALLOW

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens

Spring is not complete without the arrival of swallows. I saw the first Tree Swallows already a couple weeks ago but now we can find them in large numbers. I spent most of the day in the Green Island Wetlands. This dead tree is standing in the water and was used by the swallows as a place to rest. There were moments when all of them took off, catching insects in flight, but after a while they always came back to this tree. The Green Island Wetlands are an ideal habitat for these swallows. There is food in abundance and many dead trees, with cavities or woodpecker holes, provide the nesting places for them.

AIMING FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAIT

Buffleheads, Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head

The next weekend has almost arrived and I still have another story to share with you from the last one. Not a bad problem to have…😉  Last week, during our bird watching weekend along or near the Mississippi River we saw ten different duck species, hundreds of American Coots, and a few Hooded Mergansers between Harpers Ferry and Lansing, Iowa. None do match the beauty of a Bufflehead in my humble opinion. Their breeding grounds are up in Canada and we only have a small time window during migration to enjoy their beauty. The “eyeball shot” just for beauty has never been the goal in my wildlife photography and although I try to get as close as possible to a critter, it is the environmental portrait I’m aiming for most of the time. Photos like this, with reflections on the water, subtle light, and still an intimate focus on the bird satisfy my artistic approach.

CHANGING FEATHERS

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

Several bird species change their feathers twice a year during the molt. The most apparent one here in spring is the American Goldfinch. The males give up their olive-gray to olive-brown winter feathers and change to a bright yellow body. The shot was made right through my office window and as you can see the goldfinches are not completely done yet with their spring molt.

FROG SOUNDS

Northern Leopard Frog, Mines of Spain Recreation Area, Dubuque, Iowa

A couple days ago I spent the evening in the Mines of Spain, the recreation area south of Dubuque, Iowa. Beside its wooded and prairie lands it has a 15-acre wetland with two ponds and some marshes. Although there was a big frog concert going on, I only saw a single Northern Leopard Frog. I stared at the water and into the dead reeds for a long time and was able to distinguish between different frogs by listening, but I just couldn’t see more than this one Leopard Frog. Let’s put it that way, their camouflage worked very well.

To give you an idea how noisy it was I have embedded a short video. Turn the speakers of your computer, tablet, or phone to loud and click the video below. I hope you enjoy.

WILD TURKEY IN FULL DISPLAY

We saw quite a few Wild Turkeys last weekend in the area between Harpers Ferry and Lansing, Iowa, near the Mississippi Valley. This obviously dominant gobbler followed his harem in the grass along a creek. We used the car as a blind on a small gravel road, with the creek between us and the turkeys. It was the first time that I was able to make an image of a male in full display. According to the DNR website, restorations have returned wild turkeys to about 95% of suitable habitat in Iowa. All the major river corridors support turkey populations again after this bird was virtually extirpated from Iowa by 1900. It is nice to read a success story ones in a while, in a world where the exploitation of natural resources is still the norm.

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens

NATURE CLICKS #327 - PILEATED WOODPECKER

Female Pileated Woodpecker, Mississippi River, dam #9

I start with the biggest highlight of our bird watching weekend. It happened on the dike of dam #9 in the Mississippi River, just north of Harpers Ferry, Iowa. I was hoping to see another kinglet again but instead a full grown Pileated Woodpecker just landed on a dead tree trunk right in front of me. I made quickly a few clicks but my view was obstructed by branches. Luckily the woodpecker took off again and flew to another tree, a little further away. Only a couple thin twigs were between me and the bird this time but I can live with them.

The Pileated is the largest woodpecker in North America. They are about half a meter tall and their call is usual a very loud “kee-kee-kee-kee-kee”. We actually have them here in our woods above the Little Maquoketa River Valley, and if you use the search field in the side bar of my blog, you may find my older reports about this bird. The Pileated Woodpecker is very shy and skittish and that makes it always a special event if we see one or get it in front of the lens.

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head

The woodpecker didn’t hesitate a second and started to wedge its large bill between the tree trunk and the bark. Big pieces of bark were flying around and this female knew obviously very well where to find a good snack. The second picture has a little motion blur but it shows pretty good how she attacked the tree. I would have been still very happy if this Pileated was the only bird we would have seen during the whole weekend. But there was more…, so please stay tuned…