SNIPER MODE

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird --- 

I spent a little time with the birds in our front yard this evening. In about 45 days the hummingbirds will head south, taking the long journey to the south of Mexico and beyond. It is not difficult to take the picture if the bird is perched on a branch. The story lies (at least for me) in the gestures that can be captured and using all the technical means that are at my disposal while shooting is essential.

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 shoot in “sniper mode”, means one picture at a time, because I want to use flash fill to bring out the colors in the bird and still maintain the environmental aspect by not making the background totally black. Another way to make the click would be to utilize the high speed capabilities of the camera, the NIKON D750 can do 6.5 frames per second, but these days 12 fps is what the most sophisticated bodies can deliver. However, a higher speed and shorter exposure time would have rendered the background totally black with today’s ambient light. So where is the challenge? The pictures were made with the SIGMA APO 1.4x EX DG teleconverter attached to the SIGMA 150-600 mm Sports lens, giving it a total focal length of 850 mmm. I used 1/60 s for both images and this is of course not shot from your hip…😉

NEW TENANT

As reported here in my blog the young House Wrens left the nest box July 27. Well, a new tenant has moved in and takes advantage of the free rent. One of our Gray Tree Frogs (German: Laubfrosch) seems to enjoy the view from the entrance hole. I saw him already twice and having a safe “summer cabin”, hanging high up and located between two bird baths, is indeed not the worst choice a little frog can make… 😊

THUNDERSTORM, GONE QUICKLY

We had a busy weekend attending the first birthday party of our grandkids Anthony and Teegan and finally today the baptism of the twins and their dad Danny. This all took place in Jefferson, a small town in central Iowa just northwest of the capitol Des Moines. With the possibility of some thunderstorms this weekend my landscape gear was always with me. 

Finally a small, very local thunderstorm approached the area yesterday evening. The picture was made through the glass of a surprisingly clean window from the third floor of our hotel. I would have preferred to go outside, close to the little pond behind the hotel, but the light spectacle lasted only a few seconds. Despite the “extra filter” between the lens and the subject, the click had to be made and I think the photo tells the story of a very common little thunderstorm approaching. By the way, it dissolved as quickly as it came up and we didn’t even see any rain at our location...

ROOM FOR INTERPRETATION

No opportunity for new pictures this week because of business commitments in Omaha, Nebraska. Instead I like to show you another photo from the shooting at dam #11 in the Mississippi last Sunday. The two birds look intimate with each other although there is a sense of competition about the best fish in the air. The eye of the pelican is taxing and carefully watching while the cormorant seems to ignore the bigger bird. I like when a photo tells a story sometimes that leaves room for interpretation. It is one thing what we may see and another one what the birds really have in mind.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2016 #10 - FOOD ENVY

Two American White Pelicans and about a dozen Double-crested Cormorants seemed to go along with each other very well below dam #11 in the Mississippi River. Both species fished peacefully side by side, the pelicans using their big bill and the cormorants diving for the fish. There wasn’t any problem until one of the cormorants got a pretty good size fish out of the water.

One of the pelicans was obviously struck by food envy and suddenly attacked the cormorant pretty aggressive. Looking at the image a little closer on my screen at home I realized that the pelican had the poor cormorant in its bill and obviously tried to bite him. I’m very happy to catch this moment. As you can see the cormorant got away with its prey…

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

The photos were made on the Wisconsin side of the river, right below the dam between Dubuque, Iowa and the state of Wisconsin. Usually it is not a good place to shoot in this direction during the afternoon hours because the sun is just across the river. We had some heavy overcast and that muted the sunlight quite a bit. To overcome the gray from above and reflected off the water fill flash was used to reveal the colors of the birds.

NATURE CLICKS #339 - EASTERN COMMA

Summer doesn’t get any better as it was today. I will never get used to the high humidity that we have here around the Mississippi Valley in parts of the summer. For my friends in Germany, I tell you, this can wear you out! Today it was warm, but by far not so humid as during the last couple weeks. Real summer joy!!!

My friend Maren Arndt, a very environmental conscious photographer who lives in the northern part of Germany, reports on her Facebook site about the fact that they see a lot less insects on the windshields of cars and trains in comparison to just a few years ago. Some light-minded people may think this is great, because it saves them from cleaning their windshield so often… As much as some insects can become obnoxious for us humans at times, but they still serve an important role in the food chain… The scary part of the story.

We watch the population of any critter, and of course butterflies, here in our neck of the woods very closely since twelve years. We don’t panic if in some years we don’t see the same numbers of a species as the year before, but whatever we monitor, I don’t see a better picture. Ok, I still try to stay positive!

According to my sources the Eastern Comma is a common butterfly in the eastern part of North America but the first and last time I took a picture was in 2013. Glad to have the Eastern Comma back in our yard, but overall it hasn’t been a real good year for butterflies yet.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2016 #9 - THE SHOT IN MY MIND

Mississippi River, Bridge between Dubuque, Iowa and East Dubuque, Illinois

I wished this photo could have been made an hour later, when the light was less aggressive, as it usually is closer to sunset. But I knew these puffy clouds would not last that long. The way the weather developed today the clouds were gone in the evening and shooting the bridge against a blue sky, well, as a tourist I would do it, but as a local I feel I can wait for my next opportunity. This picture was on my mind since a long time. I found the spot during the winter, when the light of the setting sun doesn’t hit the bridge from that angle. So I thought, I come back in the summer, and that’s what I did today…

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2016 #8 - NEVER THE SAME

A busy travel schedule kept me away from home and from pursuing my passion lately. But any time I come back from a trip, I can’t wait to get down to the Mississippi River and maybe find some interesting light or a good subject to photograph. The river is always good for a surprise and it is never the same twice. Look at this image and compare it with the photo in my last blog post from exactly a week ago. It is the same spot on the dyke at Mud Lake Park and both days a thunderstorm moved in. It is even shot with the same lens, the gorgeous Nikkor 16-35 mm/ f4 VR.

Today I climbed down the rocky slope of the levee to get closer to the water and make the round leaves of the water lilies my foreground. The tripod was left home but there wasn’t much time anyway to set up, because shortly after it started to rain heavily. The click was made with 22 mm, 1/20s, f/8, and ISO 640 dialed in, and thanks to vibration reduction in the lens I was able to handhold the camera. I usually don’t like such high ISO settings for landscape photography (noise reduction = loss of detail) but today it was the only way to get this shot halfway sharp.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2016 #7 - CLOUD HUNTING

Mississippi river, Mud Lake, Iowa - Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4

Clouds piled up to big thunderheads this evening and I took Cooper, our dog, and rushed down to the Mississippi River in hope for a good shot. It didn’t work out the way I thought and even some rain drops came down at my arrival at Mud Lake. I gave Cooper his much needed exercise for the day and waited for some changes in the sky. The thunderheads were too far away for being really the subject in the photo but the light became kinda lovely and moody and that’s when I made the click.

AT THE HEIGHT OF SUMMER

Yesterday, while working with the camera at the nest box, photographing the young House Wrens, I saw out of the corner of my eye one of the Giant Swallowtails drinking nectar from our flowers. I have made hundreds of pictures over the years from that species and it isn’t really special anymore, but it was the way the light was shining through its wings that triggered my interest this time. The flash fill helped to reveal the colors of the purple cone flower and despite a very harsh overall light I was able to maintain the luminosity of the scene.

By the way, the little House Wrens left the nest today. I wasn’t there when it happened, so I will never find out how many have been in the nest. They are probably somewhere around here in the woods right now. I saw and heard the male parent bird singing this evening again and I now wonder if he already tries to attract the female again…

MORE FROM THE 'ZAUNKÖNIG' (HOUSE WREN)

Maybe it was my last chance this evening to spend time with the camera around the nest box of the House Wrens. The parents kept feeding the little wrens. They are quite large already and it seems the calls for more food get louder every day. This is my most spectacular shot from today. Stuffing the insects and spiders into the throat of the juveniles takes only a second or less and not every click is a hit.

This little guy found a way to keep its siblings out of the way by leaning out of the entrance as far as possible and plugging the hole with its butt. It must have known that something big is coming...

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

This ‘Big Ass Spider’ was gone as quick as any smaller prey before. Look at the size of the spider in comparison to the bird’s size. This is about the same as you eating a whole chicken at once… 😆

FEEDING TIME

Any kind of insects and spiders live a dangerous life at the moment in our yard and the surrounding woods. Our House Wrens feed their second brood in one of our nest boxes.

The little wrens peek out from the entrance hole ones in a while and they make a lot of noise to let their parents know that they want more food. I have seen two juveniles for sure but it is possible that even three or four occupy the nest. Well, at least they make noise for four…😉  We expect them to leave the nest within the next few days.

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 just checked my photo archive from the last years. The first brood is usually raised in June and a second one is due in late July or early August. So they are right on schedule this year so far. In some years we saw them feeding as late as August 17, sometimes due to the loss of their eggs in July. We have a very active raccoon mother with two baby raccoons roaming around here… We will see what happens next. I hope you enjoy!

WEEKEND AT THE AIRPORT

Regional Airport, Dubuque, Iowa

On Monday starts the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, an annual gathering of aviation enthusiasts from all over the world with more than 10,000 aircraft. The week before the North American Trainer Association (NATA) has a gathering at the Regional Airport in Dubuque, Iowa and many of their T-6’s can be seen every year. I was at the airport Friday evening and yesterday afternoon but because of weather (we had a tornado warning yesterday) all aircraft were just parked on the tarmac.

This morning I had a chance to point my lens at some of the T-6’s and a P-51D as they finally took off and headed to Oshkosh for the big airshow next week. I shot between 1/100s and 1/125s because I wanted the prop of the planes blurred. With a hazy blue sky in the back it is not so easy to communicate fast motion but the blurred prop tells the story.

You may ask, why do you shoot aircraft as a wildlife and nature photographer? First, I have a deep respect for those who keep these old airplanes flying. They are part of our history and I believe it is important to keep it alive for the younger generation. Second, it is a great practice for shooting a moving subject and I’m certain that my wildlife photography can benefit from. And third, most old aircraft have an esthetic appeal to me, like many other historic master pieces of engineering.

GOOD REASONS FOR A BREAK

Mississippi River, Lansing, Iowa

I took breaks once in a while from writing the blog in the past. This time it was for very good reasons. My son André and his family spent their vacation at our house and here in the Mississippi Valley. As you can imagine we tried to spend as much time as possible with our little granddaughter and her parents. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been behind the camera during the last three weeks, just writing was not on my agenda. We had a great time together but the time went by too quickly and Tarja, Seraphine, and André are now back in Dresden, Germany again. So back to photography, and of course, writing again…😉

SCARLET TANAGER AND THE AMBIENT LIGHT

The Scarlet Tanager is a very secretive bird but sometimes the males show up at our suet feeders for a brief moment. Usually they also disappear very quickly again after getting a few peanuts. It is not so difficult to make any feeder pictures but it takes a lot more to make the click while they are in the trees around our house. The thick and lush canopy of our trees here swallows up a lot of light and locking in the focus can be a challenge. As always in these kind of situations I use the speed light only for flash fill, for boosting the colors and not as my main source of light. This means to shoot with slow shutter speeds (1/60s for this photo). The ambient light plays a big role for the environmental portraits I’m aiming for in my wildlife photography and using the full power of the flash light would just not deliver the results I’m looking for. Not having every single feather of the bird tack-sharp is the small price I have no problem to pay in this matter.