NATURE CLICKS #469 - AMERICAN KESTREL

Female American Kestrel, Little Missouri National Grasslands, North Dakota

Here in eastern Iowa the American Kestrel can be found even during winter. Up in the northwest part of North Dakota the kestrel migrates south for the cold season. The picture was made just a few miles south of Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s North Unit. Whenever possible, most wildlife photographers try to keep the human made elements out of the frame. This is quite difficult with the American Kestrel because 90 percent of the time I find them perching on an electrical power line. This gives you no sense of location and who really loves these “wire shots”?

This female American Kestrel posed nicely on a bale of hey in a field beside the gravel road. Sure, this is a human made thing, but the difference to the “unknown wire” is that a bale of hey gives you a sense of location. Yes, grassland, fields, and prairie are preferred habitats for this bird. During summer time large insects, like grasshoppers, are their main diet, while during winter months small mammals, birds, and amphibians are on the menu.

NATURE CLICKS #468 - SCARLET TANAGER

Male in its non-breeding plumage during fall migration

Since five days we have an unusual visitor at the suet feeder next to my home office window. This male Scarlet Tanager waits patiently until no woodpecker or other bird is present and takes his turn for a meal. Usually early in May we see up to a dozen tanagers after they arrive from South America. I have posted photos and have written about these beautiful birds every spring but we have never seen one during fall migration. At this time of the year the males have already traded their red feathers for green-yellow. We know that some Scarlet Tanagers breed in our woods, but they spend most of the time high up in the canopy and are hardly seen near the ground during the summer. Now we wonder if this is a bird that was here for the last few months or if he is just on his journey through to the forests in South America.

The photo was made through the admittedly not very clean window next to my desk with the Nikkor 70-200, f/4 at 175 mm. As almost always I shot in Aperture priority mode and to compensate for the bright background the exposure compensation was set to +1.66. The “Dehaze-slider” in Lightroom took care for the haze and blur effect from the window glass.

CANNONBALL CONCRETIONS

Cannonball Concretions, Theodore Roosevelt NP, North Dakota

There are many stunning geological features in the badland areas of Montana, South and North Dakota. One that nobody should miss while visiting the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park is Cannonball Concretions.

Here is my tip: If you visit the National Park, go to the Cannonball Concretions pull-out any time during the day. Explore the area, read and learn about the cannonball concretions on educational displays, take your selfie pictures or try to find a critter, and just have fun being there. However, come back for your serious photography of these fascinating geological features about an hour before sunset, when the slope and concretions reveal their colors and shades become almost horizontal.

You’ll find endless photo opportunities and even after several visits you probably discover shapes and structures you may have missed before. It is quiet, it is peaceful, and if you are able to disconnect for a moment from the rush of the modern world , you may start to understand why places like this had always a special meaning for Native people, long before the land was taken away from them.

FOLLOWING ROOSEVELT’S TRACKS

Near the Elkhorn Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

I have always said I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota. - Theodore Roosevelt, 1918

This photo was created not far from the Elkhorn Ranch, President Theodore Roosevelt’s ranch in North Dakota. Today this historic ground is a small part of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, called the Elkhorn Unit. 1884 Roosevelt moved to North Dakota and became a cattle rancher after he was devastated by personal tragedy and owned land on both sides of the Little Missouri River. He credited his Dakota experience as the basis for his ground-breaking preservation efforts and the shaping of his own character. Under his presidency (1901-09) 18 national monuments were proclaimed and he worked with congress to create 5 national parks, 150 national forests, and dozens of federal reserves - over 230 million acres of protected land. (source: National Park Service brochure)

It was a gorgeous but windy day when we visited this part of the Little Missouri Valley. Some things had probably not changed much since Roosevelt rode his horse along the river. The beauty of the surrounding North Dakota badlands and the great skies we were able to see are certainly among them.

The clouds over the valley moved fast and the questions was how to incorporate them into the story about this valley? Going wide, or going tall? Well, I wasn’t sure, as so often, and tried both. I finally decided for the tall orientation. It shows less of the valley and less of the clouds, but gives a better idea about the vastness of the landscape with the wind-beaten grass and sage in the foreground.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4, B+W F-PRO Kaesemann High Transmission Circular Polarizer MRC filter,   @ 16 mm, 1/320s, f/11, ISO200,

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2020 #7 - RAINBOW BEFORE SUNSET

Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

Visiting the Mississippi River during the hour before sunset can always lead to a good surprise. A couple days ago we took our dog Cooper down to Mud Lake, one of his (and our) favorite places. The rain cloud you see in the second image moved in quickly from the northwest. The rain drops started falling and we rushed back to the car. Suddenly a full fledged rainbow appeared right over the big river. Who cares about a few drops, but the dilemma was that I had the Nikkor 70-200, f/4 on camera, too long to capture the full rainbow while it lasted. The compromise was to shoot one end in tall orientation as you see it here. 

I was hoping for more, ran back to the car and changed lenses quickly. The Nikkor 16-35, f/4 has everything what it needs for a full rainbow, but the cloud had moved on to the southeast and with it what was left of the rainbow. Still one of the occurrences that will be remembered on the positive side for this crazy year…

WE ONLY CAN IMAGINE…

American Bison along South Fork Sage Creek, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

We only can imagine how it was when more than 60 million of American Bison once roamed on the plaines and grasslands of North America in search for the best places to feed and to survive the impact of the weather. Today only a number of about 31,000 wild bison can be found, maintained mainly by National or State Parks.

We always know that we have arrived in the west when we see the herd of bison in Badlands National Park, South Dakota again. This time it was very special. While dinner time was already over we sat in our camping chairs and watched them across Sage Creek moving up the valley. With the setting sun in our back the light was gorgeous .

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, South Unit, North Dakota

It was quite windy five days later up in North Dakota when we saw a smaller herd in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The bison had retrieved into a small side valley but we were able to park the car safely and tried to get some shots of these majestic animals.

Both photos: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 600 mm,

FAWNS IN THE YARD

White-tailed Deer fawn

This White-tailed Deer fawn and its sibling paid us a visit this week again. They were born this spring and we see them often along our road here in the neighborhood. I sneaked quietly onto the balcony with the camera and it took only about 300 mm focal length to get the shot. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get both in the frame at the same time. Look at its fur and you get the idea how seeds are transported from one location to the next by these little guys.

THE WINKING MOUNTAIN

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

There are moments when the light unfolds in front of the lens where I clearly know that the final photo will be a black & white version. Not necessarily because the lack of colors, but indeed because of its graphic impact. This is true in particular if the landscape of so called badlands is your subject. Look at the mountain, hit by the bright light. Can you see how it talks, one eye open and the other one winking at us? OK, I admit I didn’t see that detail when I took the picture, but I saw seven different plains between foreground and sky, each of them in a different light, and that got me all excited to make the click.

THE FERAL HORSES

Feral horses, South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

While driving on the Scenic Loop Drive in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park many visitors try to see the feral horses that live in the park. Sometimes you can watch quite a few of them and sometimes you may not be lucky at all. We spent a little time with parts of the herd again this year. Feral horses are fun to watch and there is a good chance you get carried away and make way too many clicks (oh, is there such a thing like too many clicks…? 😉).

Of course you make your safety shots that will serve as a memory, but you want to make that picture that sets it apart from the rest. I’m talking about the photo that includes a nice gesture, a background that tells the story about location, and maybe a soft light, which is not always guaranteed. The horses often stood very close together and that’s nice, but I tried to find a position with the camera where I could separate individual animals, or like in this photo a foal with its mother.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,    @600 mm, 1/1600 s, f/6.3, ISO400

EVERYTHING CAN WAIT

Sky after sunset, Little Missouri National Grassland, North Dakota

I promised you a few big skies we watched during our trip through the badlands of the Dakotas and Montana. Back in camp, after spending another day in and around the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, it was time to relax, but with a sky like this everything else can wait…

I exposed strictly for the vibrant sky, knowing I can pull back the shadows in the foreground a little bit in post process if I wanted to. Finally I decided for the silhouette, making the sky the only thing the eye wants to go in this image.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4,  @70 mm, 1/400s, f/5.6, ISO200

NATURE CLICKS #468 - MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD

Mountain Bluebird, Little Missouri National Grassland, North Dakota

In many locations we camped or visited during our trip there was a good chance to watch some Mountain Bluebirds. Quite often they forage from a perch, like a fence, twig, or rock. They drop down to the ground to catch insects but they also hover above their prey before they make a catch. Beside insects the bluebird takes also fruits and berries.

They like to keep their distance and many photos of Mountain Bluebirds I made during previous years had to be cropped. This female was perched on a young eastern cedar in our campground, just outside of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota. The light was soft and the background far away, ideal for such an image.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 600 mm, 1/160 s, f/6.3, ISO250

THE CASTLES

We discovered this little gem in the northwest corner of South Dakota already five years ago and had it on our list of places we wanted to revisit since. 

Castles National Landmark is located in the Slim Buttes land unit in South Dakota. The Castles are a massive sandstone remnant which originated as a volcanic ash deposit and resemble a medieval castle. (source: USDA - Forest Service)

This time we camped at this location and that gave us the chance to photograph these interesting rock formations during day light and of course during a wonderful sunset. As a bonus the moon was up already and made it worth to be included in some of the photos.

PRAIRIE DOGS, HIGHLY SOCIAL

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

Prairie Dogs don’t know anything about today’s need for social distancing, and who want’s to blame them?. In fact, they are a highly social animal, fun to watch, and a great subject for any wildlife photographer. I like to point this out, because it is an animal ideal to work with for any camera owner, who likes to go into wildlife photography.

Since I was the first time in the Badlands about fifteen years ago we have seen a great increase in numbers of the Black-tailed Prairie Dogs. During our 2020 trip through South and North Dakota, and as well eastern Montana, we have seen quite a few prairie dog towns and most of them seem to be good locations for observation and photography. However, the easiest place on the planet for photographing prairie dogs is right at Sage Creek Campground in Badlands National Park, South Dakota. Sit in your camping chair next to your tent, maybe have an adult beverage nearby, but most importantly have the camera on eye level with the critters. Their dens are below your tent and the entrance mounds are all around your location.

At a place like that I shoot a lot of pictures, but the ones that make it to public have to tell the story about location and the typical behavior of the animal. At least one of the prairie dogs is always on the watch for predators (here the one on the left) and when they come out of the den, it doesn’t take too long before they feed or interact with each other. I always like to have the feature in my photos that gives a particular animal its name. Hence the three black-tipped tails in this photo…

WITH A SMILE

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

We stood many times before in front of this almost alpine looking part of Badlands National Park in South Dakota. It is usually difficult to come back with a decent photo of this view at late morning during the summer. The pale slopes and a certain haziness in the air made it most of the time not a prime spot that reveals its beauty easily.

At this day near the end of August an overcast softened the harsh impact of the sun and a few gaps between the clouds created a good chance for some spotlight on the mountain slopes. Suddenly the play of light and shadows made the depth of up to ten levels between the hills in the foreground and the sky visible. It lasted only a few seconds. I went back to the car with a smile on my face…

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4, B+W F-PRO Kaesemann High Transmission Circular Polarizer MRC filter,   @135 mm, 1/320 s, f/8, ISO100

STOP FOR THE PRONGHORN

Pronghorn, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

After eleven hours on the road you just want to get to the campsite, pitch your tent, and open a beer. As we entered Badlands National Park, South Dakota on the first day of the trip, this beautiful Pronghorn male stood next to the gravel road. We have been in this place many times before over the years and it felt like someone welcomed us back. You know you have arrived “Out West” when you see the first Pronghorn at close range. You gotta stop for the picture, the beer had to wait…