PURE ELEGANCE

Greater Sandhill Crane, Mississippi River, Deere Marsh, Dubuque, Iowa

During my short ”lunch walks” with our dog Cooper I spotted this pair of Greater Sandhill Cranes several times during the last couple weeks. If I didn’t see them, I heard at least their distinctive calls. The marsh between the big John Deere factory and the Mississippi River is an ideal habitat for this most elegant bird. Frogs have started to send out their vocal messages and beside that I’m sure the omnivorous cranes find plenty of food. Chances are not bad that this pair of Sandhill Cranes may nest in the area.

While one of the cranes was constantly searching for food, the other one watched out for predators. One of the numerous muskrat mounds in the marsh was an ideal place for this job.

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

The key for today’s photos was to keep the gray sky and most of the water surface out of the frame. I had the Nikon Z6II with the Sigma 150-600 S on a Blackrapid Sport sling strap around my shoulder. This allowed to move fast with the heavy lens and still have my hands free if I needed to interact with the dog.

RETRIEVING MEMORABLE MOMENTS

Fall colors at a bridge across the Rio Grande del Norte, New Mexico

A lovely email we received today from friends in Montana, whom we met during our trip through New Mexico in 2021, made me dig out this shot. This bridge across the Rio Grande del Norte in ”killer light”sums up the essence of this road trip. While during the height of a day, when most traveling takes place, colors and light may not always be flattering in the rocky canyons of New Mexico, but the hours around sunset can reward you for a day with nothing but a bald blue sky. Well, right now we don’t care if it is a day with just blue sky, we are longing here for some spring colors and warmer temperatures…😉

NATURE CLICKS #553 - BLACK PHOEBE

Black Phoebe, San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California

Not much time this week so far for some new photos. Instead I go back in time a few weeks and present another image from my recent trip to southern California. Here in Iowa we can’t wait to see winter go away and hopefully soon see the arrival of songbirds, including several species of flycatchers. The Black Phoebe doesn’t belong to them, it has its range along the Pacific coast, the Southwest of the US, and Mexico. I watched the phoebe several times swooping down from a perch, catching insects mid-air or on the ground. It was a little chilly but the gravel along the ponds in the San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary warmed up from the sun and the Black Phoebe had no problem to find small insects.

It is sometimes a challenge to make a picture of birds with a black head and dark eyes. The Dark-eyed Juncos that we enjoy here during winter are a good example and using the edge between the black and white plumage as the point of focus is often easier than trying to find contrast for the autofocus system in the bird’s eye. The direction of the light plays an important role for getting a catch light in the eye and sometimes a small move of the head can make the difference. Without the reflection of the sun the eye becomes almost invisible. At the end I was happy to spent some time with this gorgeous Black Phoebe. One of the first birds that may arrive here from the south is the Eastern Phoebe. If we see them in our yard, than we really know, spring is finally here…

SOARING IN CIRCLES

American White Pelicans, Mississippi River, Sabula, Iowa

I was down south in the Green Island Wetlands again yesterday. They received a little more snow as we had the night before and the roads and trails were a slushy mess again. As a result very few people were out for bird watching or photography. I made my good share of clicks but at the end wasn’t really satisfied with my results. But I still have this photo of American White Pelicans soaring overhead in circles from a week earlier. I love the elegance of the pelicans and I thought I still can share this shot with you.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   @ 600 mm, 1/2000 s, f/8, ISO 500

GEAR TALK: TRY-OUT OF A BLIND

TRAGOPAN Grouse V+ photo blind

The avid reader of my blog may remember that I mention quite often the use of my ”mobile blind”, and that’s of course my car. But that big ”photography tool” is not available while walking into the deeper parts of a habitat. I guess I know about the limitations a blind can have, mainly a limited view to the surrounding activities of wildlife. But after debating the acquisition of a blind with myself for several years, I finally bought the”Grouse V+” blind, made by TRAGOPAN, a camouflaged pop-up tent designed for wildlife photography.

Today was my first real test (after unfolding it once on the carpet of our living room) and it took place just in our ”front yard studio”. It took about a minute to unfold the pop-up tent and another one to prepare it to stand in the wind. Below you see a couple pictures that I would have not been able to create from the viewpoint of our house. Within a few minutes of trying it, I was able to make some photos that seem to justify the purchase. So what is it really about? As often mentioned, I’m still an advocate for ”getting it right in camera”, long before a digital file will be uploaded to the hard drive of the computer. With other words, I try to prevent excessive cropping, just because I was too far away from the animal. So the blind will hopefully help me to get much closer to the critters and birds and who knows, maybe lead to some shots otherwise impossible to make.

This female Red-bellied Woodpecker may not even come close, if I would just stand next to this tree trunk with the camera on a tripod and out in the open. It took the birds only a few minutes to accept the blind.

This pair of Mourning Doves walked right up to me and foraged between the seed droppings from our bird feeders. They are not totally shy but always keep a healthy distance to us humans. To be fair, the doves didn’t pay too much attention to me anyway, they were already playing their ”mating games”… The low sitting sun made for some great light yesterday evening and was perfect for trying out the new blind.

A big window in the door on the backside allows for shooting with a wider opening. Folding the tent to a circle that fits in the 20”x20” backpack sack takes a little practice but can be done in less than two minutes.

NATURE CLICKS #552 - RED-BREASTED MERGANSER

Male Red-breasted Merganser, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, California

There is a chance that a Red-breasted Merganser can be spotted here in Iowa during migration time but all photos of this species in my library were made in the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in southern California. They breed up north from Alaska across the continent all the way to Newfoundland but some spend the winter along the Pacific coast down to Mexico.

Female Red-breasted Merganser, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, California

I wrote more than once here in my blog that a gray sky and birds in flight or birds on the water don’t go well together for a great photo. You can see by looking at both pictures what a difference it can make. While the male merganser flaps its wings and enjoys the early morning sun, light and colors just invite the photographer to make the click. A couple hours later, about mid morning, a bank of clouds had moved in front of the sun. The colors of the female Red-breasted Merganser still stand out but the surrounding water, reflecting the gray sky, takes a lot away from the image.

NATURE CLICKS #551 - CALIFORNIA THRASHER (FIRST SIGHTING)

California Thrasher, San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California

I saw this bird twice during the recent visit at the Pacific coast and it was my first encounter. Their range is limited to western and central California. Before you see the California Thrasher you may hear it, a series of musical warbled phrases. They are also known to mimic the songs of other birds, like Northern Flickers, American Robins, or Red-tailed Hawks. This thrasher was hiding most of the time in the chaparral and riparian thickets of the San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, but when he left its cover and flew up into the tree I had a brief chance to make a few clicks. I ”zoomed” with my feet and moved the tripod around several times to get at least a picture without a branch or the shadow of a branch covering the thrasher’s face. Well, happy to add the California Thrasher to the photo library and to share this encounter with you!

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, CALUMET CK8156 tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,

MARVELOUS ARCHITECTURE

Milwaukee Art Museum

It doesn’t happen very often that I have the chance and time to visit an architectural landmark during one of my business trips. However, a week ago I was able to stop at the Milwaukee Art Museum while traveling with a German business friend. I knew the museum was closed that day but the design by Eero Saarinen, David Kahler, and Santiago Calatrava has always fascinated me and there are many architectural highlights to admire while walking around the building complex.

It was the first time that I photographed the museum with snow on the ground and not a single cloud in the sky. While in most of my landscape photography I’m not thrilled about a bald blue sky, here I like the fact because the beautiful lines of Calatrava’s Quadracci Pavilion stand out nicely against the background. The Burke Brise Soleil, a moveable sunscreen with a 66-meter wingspan was unfortunately folded down during our short visit.

View towards Lake Michigan and across the Reimann bridge, a pedestrian suspension bridge that connects the museum to the city.

Milwaukee Downtown, looking west from the same viewpoint as in the picture above.

All images: Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,

L,G,&C WERE MY FRIENDS TODAY

Ring-billed Gulls, Mississippi River, SAbula, Iowa

I still intend to show a few more photos from the recent trip to southern California but I can’t totally neglect what’s going on here in the Upper Mississippi Valley. Cold temperatures during the last days and strong winds reminded us that winter 2022/23 has not yet entered the history books. Much of the standing water in the backwaters of the Mississippi River had iced over again, including much of the Green Island Wetlands, I visited today. Birds were everywhere, but ”heat shimmer” above the ice or the very cold ground of the marsh made getting a sharp shot a bit of a gamble. I counted about sixty Sandhill Cranes in the wetlands today but they hunkered down in a corner between reeds that gave them obviously some protection from the wind.

Ten miles further south, at the ’Island City of Sabula, Iowa’, hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls tried to make a living by catching fish, just occasionally interrupted by Bald Eagles that tried to do the same. Here in the Midwest Bald Eagles are the ”Holy Grail” for a lot of people, but I think the Ring-billed Gulls are a lot more entertaining at times…

In the photo above it’s not clear which one had the fish, but the other one at least tried to steal it . It was my favorite photo from today’s trip along the mighty Mississippi River. With other words, light, gesture, and color were my friends today…😉

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   @ 600 mm, 1/4000 s, f/8, ISO 500

NATURE CLICKS #550 - REDDISH EGRET

Reddish Egret, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California

Local people told me in the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve during my recent visit a couple weeks ago that three Reddish Egrets reside in the wetlands. I saw finally two of them and this one here presented itself in great side light. I always have seen the dark morph of this bird but a white morph exists also in other areas of the country.

If a body of water is between your camera and the bird and you have maxed out the focal length of your lens, in this case 600 mm, the only option to get closer is to use the teleconverter. I did that for the second photo with the Sigma APO 1.4x, which extends focal length to 850 mm, but finally still decided to crop both pictures a little.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, CALUMET CK8156 tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,

FLIP THE CRAB

Snowy Egret eating a crab, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California

The light was a little dull when I had this Snowy Egret in the viewfinder, but when the bird caught a crab and tried to eat it, I let the shutter rip at high speed. The egret flipped the crab in the air, caught it again with its bill, and finally swallowed it.

It was a chilly morning at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands (Los Angeles had even a little bit of snow a few days earlier). Most Snowy Egrets had gathered in a corner of the lagoon and preened their feathers in the warm sun.

I have to show at least one picture of a Snowy Egret with its black legs and big yellow feet out of the water.

NATURE CLICKS #549 - ALLEN’S HUMMINGBIRD

Allen’s Hummingbird, San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California

It wasn’t the first time I had an Allen’s Hummingbird in front of the lens and it was a thrill to find it in both locations this time. The second photo was made mid morning and there was no way to avoid the overcast in the picture. The speed light came to my help for boosting the colors of the feathers and was used as a remedy, with just a little hint of concentrated light.

The image above didn’t need any extra light. The late afternoon sun in the San Joaquin Marsh was all what it took to make the beauty of this hummer shine. With the water below and the other shore of the pond far away, the background was just perfect.

Allen’s Hummingbird, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California

NATURE CLICKS #548 - ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD (FIRST SIGHTING)

Male Anna’s Hummingbird, San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California

The news board at the visitor center in the San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary had notes from other visitors that the Anna’a Hummingbird was seen recently. It was on my wish list to find this tiny hummingbird and it was just a matter of time to spot this male perching high up in a tree. This hummer is the most common along the West Coast of the US. For me it was another first sighting that made me very happy. While looking for interesting facts about this species I read that their hearts beat at 1260 beats per minute. I think that’s quite impressive. Their iridescent red head and throat appear often different when the light changes as you can see between these two images.

NATURE CLICKS #547 - BROWN PELICAN

Brown Pelicans, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California

It’s always a treat to watch Brown Pelicans that live along the Pacific coast. These elegant flyers catch fish by plunge diving into the water. This is much different than the American White Pelicans that we have here in the Mississippi Valley, who often swim in groups, herd the fish, and finally snatch the prey with their large bills.

The early sun of the day made for the right light on the birds while these two passed by, but it was the background that needed some attention while having the pelicans in the viewfinder. There was still a lot of gray clouds in the sky and including a bit of the blue behind them brings some color contrast into the game.

SHOREBIRDS, ENTERTAINING AND BEAUTIFUL

Black-necked Stilt, San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California

While visiting wetlands and marshes in any part of the country I’m always excited to find and photograph different shorebirds. It’s not easy, often challenging, but always great fun to have them in the viewfinder of the camera. Both locations I visited last weekend, Bolsa Chica and as well San Joaquin March, have the same disadvantage as the beloved Green Island Wetlands here in the Upper Mississippi Valley have. The trails are mostly on dykes, elevated quite a bit above the water surface. This is very obvious in the first image I show you today. There was a flock of about 30 Black-necked Stilts in one of the ponds but access is only possible from high above on all four sides. However, this bird species is one of my favorites and zooming in as much as the lens allows helps a bit to make the beauty of this stilt stand out.

Willet, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California

Much easier work with this Willet in its non-breeding plumage during winter time. The bird foraged between the gravel with its long bill on top of the dyke in the Bolsa Chica Reserve. The Willet didn’t seem to have any fear and walked right up to me and my tripod and even underneath the lens. Not the most thrilling background but at least not distracting and showing how well the bird blends in even in a men-made environment. Many birds look better in their breeding plumage, some of them even spectacular, but as wildlife photographers we want to tell the story of the moment, even during times of less favorable appearance.

Short-billed Dowitcher, San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California

The best place to get down to eye level with the birds was right in the parking lot at San Joaquin Marsh. Still about a foot above water level, but at my arrival a bunch of Short-billed Dowitchers foraged right in front of the rental car. They were probing with their long bills in the mud and between the rocks at the shore with high-speed. The power of the California sun helped to shoot with short exposure times, between 1/1000s and 1/2000s, and it was the gesture with the Dowitcher’s head tilted to the side that made me choose this photo for today’s blog post. Still more to come from last weekend, so please stay tuned my friends…