MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2024 #5 - TUNDRA SWAN MIGRATION, AND OTHERS

Tundra Swans, Mississippi River, Brownsville, Minnesota

One highlight for bird watchers in November is always the annual tundra swan migration on the Upper Mississippi Valley. Thousands of Tundra Swans make a stop near Brownsville, Minnesota just about 10 miles north of the Iowa border, on their way from the arctic to Chesapeake Bay at the Atlantic Ocean. They rest here before they finish the last 3000 miles to their destination.

I didn’t hold a camera in my hand for a week and was eager to take the two-hour trip up north today. I was a little stunned when only a few hundred swans were present, but the friendly Naturalist who was on site told me that we haven’t seen the peak yet. With other words, most Tundra Swans are still somewhere further north. She had a display table with lots of information about the swan migration, about the food they are looking for, like the starchy bulbs of arrowhead plants, and she answered the questions of many visitors.

Beside the Tundra Swans many other birds rest and feed in pool #8 of the Mississippi River and today’s little gallery can only show a few of them.

Gadwalls

Gadwalls were present in large numbers, probably several thousand, but I saw many other ducks, like American Wigeons, Northern Pintails, Mallards, Northern Shovelers, Ring-necked Ducks, Scaups, and Wood Ducks.

American White Pelicans

A large squadron of American White Pelicans socialized together on one of the islands nearby. They were joined by this group that landed in the water shortly after they made a flyby at the Brownsville overlook.

Trumpeter Swans

Trumpeter Swans can be found among the Tundra Swans. They are slightly larger and adults do not have the yellow spot at the base of their black bill. This family of Trumpeter Swans passed by at the Hwy26 overlook, a mile further south. Their calls are different and make it easy to distinguish between both species.

Northern Shovelers, New Albin, Iowa

This photo was made near New Albin, just at the Iowa-Minnesota border. Northern Shovelers are dabbling ducks and feed predominantly at the surface of the water. These five females had a feast and hardly stopped eating despite my presence. This was shot out of the car window, almost on eye level with the birds. The photos from the overlooks are made from a much higher vantage point and even cropping can’t prevent the not always desirable look of a ”bird from above”.

All photos: Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x,

WAY TO GO

Fall has many ways to tell us that the growing season is over and nature gets ready for hibernation and all the other things we associate with the season before winter. I made this photo about two weeks ago up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. This was at a little pond, nestled between endless woods and next to a swamp. The trail cameras of a friend prove that deer, bears, and wolves call this area home, even if we hardly ever see them during the day.

The cattails I found at the shore are called ”Kanonenputzer” in the area where I grew up in Germany. This means loosely translated ”canon cleaners”. Maybe you agree that this name describes the plant as good as the english term ”cattail”.

Enough about names, it was the gorgeous side light that made the decaying cattails and grasses stand out. The water of the pond and the woods in the background are pushed back by a strong underexposure, letting the shapes and details of the plants tell the story of a sunny afternoon on a beautiful day in autumn. To me color meant nothing in this image, it was all about the light, contrast, and shapes of the subject. I thought Black & White was the way to go.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2024 #4 - PEACEFUL SUNSET

Sunset in the valley, Mississippi River, Abel-Essman Island, Guttenberg, Iowa

I really rushed down the hill into the Mississippi Valley, hoping to reach the outlook before the shadow of the bluffs would cover the island, on my way home last night. Just as I pulled into the parking lot beside the road the shadows already crept up on the west side of the island. When I jumped out of the car with the camera in hand a small airplane just took off from the landing strip between the buildings on Abel-Essman Island. Too bad, I missed that rare opportunity but I’m happy with this peaceful sunset scene in the river valley.

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,   @ 49 mm, 1/500 s, f/10, ISO 200

THE OTHER SHOT

Autumn light, Dunnings Spring Park, Decorah, Iowa

Driving back home from another business trip this afternoon I took the time and stopped at Iowas tallest waterfall in Decorah at Dunnings Spring Park. This location is part of the Driftless Area here in the Midwest, not flattened by the glaciers of the ice age, and home of  clear trout streams, waterfalls, caves, and it is just as gorgeous as it is in our neck of the woods.

I guess you may ask, Andreas, where is the waterfall? Well, I made quite a few clicks. Used a tripod and shot with long exposure times to make the water looking smooth, tried to avoid the dappled light as much as possible, but still didn’t like the outcome. I have photographed the waterfall before and accepted somehow that this time we had a lot less water coming down the stream after a dry summer. At the end, looking at my photos on the screen of the monitor, it was not what I had in mind. They just didn’t tell the story of a ”great waterfall” as I had remembered it.

This is a very narrow side valley of the Upper Iowa River and there is only a short time during the day when the sun actually shines into it. While hiking down back to the parking lot my eyes were on the crystal clear waters of the stream and suddenly I saw another picture opportunity. It is this certain quality of light as we can only experience in autumn and that I love so much, even with the absence of fall colors in the trees. The leaves are almost gone her in eastern Iowa. It’s still warm, but winter is coming for sure…

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2024 #3 - REST ON A SANDBANK

American White Pelicans and Ring-billed Gulls, Mississippi River, Le Claire, Iowa

After a week of business travel it felt great to go out and enjoy nature and wildlife watching again. Yesterday’s trip along the Mississippi River led me all the way down to Le Claire, Iowa and up back north on the Illinois side to Savannah, followed by a short visit of the Green Island Wetlands on the Iowa side again.

Below lock & dam #14 in Le Claire these two American White Pelicans rested on a sandbank in company with a number of Ring-billed Gulls. They preened their feathers in the sun. It was quite a bit away from the shore and the 1.4x teleconverter was used to expand the focal length to 840 mm. People always debate the use of a teleconverter and claim it would degrade image quality. Except for the loss of light that hits the sensor (it becomes a f/9), I can’t confirm the loss of sharpness. The Nikon Z 600 f/6.3 works great with the TC-1.4x.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x

@ 840mm, 1/1000s, f/9, ISO 200, image slightly cropped

NATURE CLICKS #588 - GREAT BLUE HERON

Great Blue Heron, Spring Lake, Petoskey, Michigan

Here is another photo of the same Great Blue Heron as in the last blog post. It was made a little later and from a different position. The bird had just caught a bullhead and tried to swallow it. This needs to be done in a smart way because the bullhead has sharp spines at the leading edges of the dorsal and pectoral fins. It took the heron quite some time to ”prepare” the fish but at the end the little catfish ended up in the herons stomach.

In this photo the background had some light and made actually for a good environmental portrait of the bird, including some water plants and reeds. There was a nice spot light on the bird’s head, not as harsh as before, and an underexposure by one f-stop was enough to keep the highlights intact.

NATURE CLICKS #587 - GREAT BLUE HERON

Great Blue Heron, Spring Lake, Petoskey, Michigan

A board walk gave us access to a small pond and wetland area near the town of Petoskey, Michigan. We approached the bird very slowly, assuming it would fly away any moment, but the heron had only the hunt for fish on its mind. It was all what I was hoping for with the new Nikon Z600 f/6.3, handholding the lens without struggle and coming back with a high keeper rate of sharp images. The background was very busy, with lots of dead wood and reeds. The bright parts of the bird’s plumage required underexposure by 2 f-stops and this solved the problem with the background.

4x WILDLIFE IN AUTUMN

Eastern Chipmunk

With the loss of leaves in the trees we may have quite a bit of dappled light, and that is not always desirable for making a good photo. But if we keep our eyes open, we might be able to use it to our advantage. The light in the fall can be just gorgeous and if a spotlight hits our subject in the picture just right, it adds some drama even to a simple gesture of a bird or critter. Exposing for the highlights is mostly the key for success if we don’t want to blow any colors out. If the part of the animal that is in the shade is a little too dark, we can bring back the shadows in post process easily to overcome the high contrast situation.

During the last couple days I spent some time in our front yard, using the morning light or the still intense power of the sun during the early evening. Four examples are shown today that hopefully underline my approach.

One of our Eastern Chipmunks stopped briefly to check the surroundings for any danger while digging between the leaves for food. I had followed the critter with the lens for a while already and was hoping for a moment like this.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

We still have a few Yellow-rumped Warblers around here, who may have migrated from up north. One of the birds rested briefly on a twig in a Forsythia bush and the light falling through the trees hit the front side of the warbler just right. A little underexposure helped to keep the bright parts of the bird intact, while the shadows on the backside where lifted in post process slightly.

American Goldfinch

The American Goldfinches are pretty much done with their second molt of the year and it is almost complete. Only parts of the males remain still in a bright yellow. You can see that both finches are covered in dappled light. Well, the eyes are clear, have even a catch light from the sun, and the yellow feathers are in great light and this all makes for good storytelling about the season, at least in my books.

American Robin

Very seldom do I post a picture of a bird at a feeder or on the bird bath but I couldn’t resist to make the click of this male American Robin in wonderful Sunday Morning light. Yes, the sun puts some light onto the bird, but it is the reflection from the water and the bowl that holds it that make the colors of this robin just look like at ”mating time in spring”. The exposure was set for the throat of the American Robin but it also rendered the bowl a little too bright, which was an easy fix in post process.

I hope today’s blog post gives the photographers among you some hints for your own fall bird photography and anybody else gets a kick out of the photos as well.

All photos: Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S

AT THE END OF THE DAY

Sandhill Cranes, Green Island Preserve, Mississippi Valley, Iowa

Going out on a photo walk or drive doesn’t always lead to an image that is worth to show or sometimes no wildlife at all shows up in front of the lens. This was pretty much how it was this afternoon on either side of the Mississippi River. Coming back from the Illinois side I decided to give it another try and went back to Green Island this evening.

Earlier in the afternoon I counted 17 Sandhill Cranes but all too far away and the high temperatures created quite some heat shimmer above the ground. The air had cleared this evening and the numbers of cranes went up to at least 80 birds again, about the same as last weekend. They were spread out in five different groups in the part of the Green Island Wetlands that is a bird sanctuary. No access is allowed for this area and you have to deal with the distance the birds give you. It is so much fun to watch the migrating Sandhill Cranes and especially when they display their courtship and bonding dances in the warm light of the setting sun.

WATCHING THE SUNSET

Beach at Petoskey State Park, Lake Michigan

I guess it’s time to treat you with another photo from our recent trip to Michigan.

The beach at Petoskey State Park was a perfect place to watch the sunset from the east side of Lake Michigan. Many people from the campground behind the dunes came out and enjoyed the moment.

First I hesitated to include this aluminum walkway into my photo but then I liked how the sun was reflected on it all the way to the lower edge of the image. It also adds a little more story to the picture. Michigan’s state parks were all well maintained and offered visitors and campers with disabilities good opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors. This aluminum walk- or driveway allows people in wheelchairs to access the lake with its crystal clear water.

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head,   @ 62mm, 1/640s, f/8, ISO 100, image slightly cropped

GREAT BIRD WATCHING WEEKEND (PART 2)

Great Blue Heron, Green Island Preserve, Mississippi Valley, Iowa

Spending time in the wetlands along the Mississippi River is one of the things I really enjoy and last weekend wasn’t any different. I got quite a few hours of practice with the new Nikkor Z 600 f/6.3 lens and like to share a few images with you.

Some easy shots of this Great Blue Heron were made a minute earlier, as the heron still stood motionless on the dyke. When the bird finally took off I was able to pan with the lens and follow the bird for a few pics. Good panning is still a matter of practice but it is a lot easier with the much lighter Z 600 than with my good old Sigma 150-600 S.

Sandhill Cranes

I counted 87 Sandhill Cranes foraging in the field of the Green Island Bird Sanctuary. This was the highest number I have ever seen in the fall at this location. Some of the cranes performed their elaborate courtship displays, mostly served between mates to maintain their pair bond. The cranes were more than half a mile away, almost one kilometer, and some heat shimmer above the ground effected sharpness a bit. However, I was amazed how clear the lens still rendered despite the distance.

Garter Snake

This Garter Snake was stretched out on the gravel road and seemed to wait for the return of the sun from behind a cloud. Before I guided the snake back into the grass, so nobody could accidentally or intentionally drive over it, a few clicks were made. Should have gotten still a little lower but at least nothing in the background distracts from this nice Garter Snake. I have seen a few snakes lately and this gives me some hope that population may bounce back.

Sandhill Cranes, Heritage Pond, Cooler Valley, Eastern Iowa

This photo was made a day later at the Heritage Pond and marsh, not far from home. A pair of Sandhill Cranes, maybe the same as last year, had flown in from the Mississippi and started searching for food in the mud. Very little rain during the last couple months dried the pond out again but the cranes seemed to like it. They are extremely careful and most of the time one crane keeps its head up while the other one is looking for food.

All photos: Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S

GREAT BIRD WATCHING WEEKEND

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Despite quite a bit of wind it was a great weekend for bird watching and bird photography and some of the best happened right here at home. First I saw a female Yellow-rumped Warbler in the elm tree next to the balcony. As I stepped out in the open it became clear there was more than just one and later I saw at least five birds. They picked spiders and insects from leaves and from the cedar siding of our house. I wonder how long we may see Yellow-rumped Warblers this season. Normally they migrate further south but during the winter 2021/22 we had a few birds here at least until mid January.

I just stood on the deck with the Nikkor Z 600 f/6.3 on camera and tried to catch them as the warblers moved around very quickly. With this kind of photography the advantages of the new lens over my trusted SIGMA 150-600 made a big difference and one disadvantage of this lens played a role as well.

The very light weight, about half of the Sigma, makes for very good and easy handholding and moving around quickly. The focus speed and precision is just phenomenal and my keeper rate is way up above what I ever was able to obtain with the old lens for shooting little birds in a tree. The only disadvantage I’m aware of is the longer MFD (Minimum Focus Distance). The Z 600 starts at 4 meter, 1.2 m more than the Sigma. I had a couple moments when a bird landed really close and no way to step back. With other words, those shots were missed.

As mentioned, there was more going on this weekend and I really tried to learn how to handle the Nikkor Z 600 f/6.3, but this is for another blog post during this week.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S

COPPER PEAK

Copper Peak Ski Jump, Upper Peninsula, Michigan

Since my childhood I have followed ski jumping competitions. It was a big deal, and still is over in Europe and Japan, and we wouldn’t miss any of the big events broadcasted on TV every winter. While camping in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan last month we didn’t want to miss visiting the world’s largest artificial ski jump, Copper Peak. This jump hill is out of commission since 30 years now, but big plans have been made and the State of Michigan has granted $20 million to redevelop the hill to host international competitions. The jump hill needs to be changed tremendously to bring this ski jump up to todays standards for ski flying. I really hope it will happen.

View from the top

Some leaves started changing but we were a little early for the peak of fall colors. However, the view from the top of the ski jump is breath taking. With the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness below and Lake Superior in the background you just get an idea how vast and beautiful the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is. I was just happy to have at least a few clouds in the sky…

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

NATURE CLICKS #586 - TUFTED TITMOUSE

Tufted Titmouse, Little Maquoketa Valley, Eastern Iowa

A simple click in the front yard last week. The new Nikkor Z 600 f/6.3 VR S lens is so much easier to handhold and allows to move around quickly if a bird, like this Tufted Titmouse, changes location and peels off the shell of a sunflower seed.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S

EVENING AT THE DUNES

Sand Dunes at Petoskey State Park, Lake Michigan

Already deep in our vacation a long day of travel led us to Petoskey State Park at the northeast shore of Lake Michigan. When your senses are still trapped in a driving state it is more than a pleasure to walk barefoot on the access trail over the dunes to the beach and unwind by sitting in the sand and wait for the sunset. As much as we loved the beautiful weather, with lots of sun for camping and relaxing, but with hardly any clouds in the sky, the photographer rolls his eyes…

Well, it was time to make the best out of it and embrace the soft light of the setting sun over the dunes along Little Traverse Bay at Lake Michigan.

On a not so unimportant note, it always amazes me how disrespectful many people are to nature and rules that try to protect our natural treasures. The campground was on the other side side of the dunes, and it is not a small one. Posted signs and fences make it very clear that walking across the dunes outside of the access trails may increase erosion and can lead to destruction of the dunes. The many human tracks in the sand make me wondering how many people in this country can’t read, or just give a dam about their natural resources… Very sad!