Good start into 2015

 

I wish all visitors, friends, and followers of my blog a happy, safe, and creative year 2015!! Thank you for stopping here during the last year. Your comments, critique, and encouragement mean a lot to me and keep me writing this little journal about nature and photography.

We had a nice start into the new year with our friends Jeanne and Dave. Good conversation and playing some games made for a fun New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately Joan had to work today so I dragged myself out of the house on my own this morning. ;-) I went south along the Mississippi and just tried to spot some wildlife. The temperatures were way below freezing during the last few days and there was a lot more ice on lakes and rivers.

I found what I was looking for in Sabula, Iowa, a small town on an island in the Mississippi River. There were lots of Common Mergansers in the water. I positioned the “mobile blind” (my car) near the narrow entrance to the city’s marina. The marina was frozen over while the main channel of the river was still free of ice. The mergansers were hunting for fish by diving underneath the ice. It was fun to watch how they approach the edge of the ice in groups, dive under, and return, with or without fish, after a few seconds.

For me there is no better start into a new photography year than coming back already from the first trip with a memory card full of bird images. I wouldn’t mind if this continues throughout the year… ;-)

Nature clicks #251 - Trumpeter Swans

 

I did not want to end this year without having another visit in my favorite wildlife area here in eastern Iowa, the Green Island Wetlands. I have not been there since July and it was good to be back. It is the most quiet time of the year now after the duck hunting season is over. Due to the mild temperatures lately there was only a thin layer of ice and even spots with open water. With some patience you may see a few Bald Eagles and some hawks flying over. I could tell that I’m out of practice shooting birds in flight. It is probably a little like playing golf, if you don’t practice all the time your results suck, and my pictures of two hawks and an eagle were definitely just good for the trash can today…

The best surprise was the encounter of a “school” of 27 Trumpeter Swans. They were in company with 16 Canada Geese. These numbers are a great example of successful wildlife restoration. I remember when I wrote here in the blog about the first pair of swans that raised successfully a cygnet a few years ago. They all seemed to enjoy the sun today and I watched them for an hour and a half at the same spot.

Beside resting on the ice the swans moved slowly around and you could hear how they cracked the thin layer of ice in order to keep the water open and feed on aquatic plants.

As soon as the sun disappeared behind the hills all Trumpeter Swans got out of the water, lined up in a queue, and finally took off towards the Mississippi River. The river is not frozen over at all, although the temperature dropped quite a bit last night for the first time in weeks.

I strictly exposed for the highlights and rather let the shadows go instead of having the white feathers blown out completely or in part. I do not like the look of wildlife pictures where the shadows are overly restored like in an HDR image. A little bit is ok but too much looks unnatural to me. Unfortunately it is a trend these days to make photos look like paintings… Well, I’m glad trends come and go… ;-)

Today's Mississippi River story

 

I had some other things in mind for today’s blog post but this one is fresh out of the camera. I went to the Mississippi this evening again and wanted to check if the Sandhill Cranes use the same spot as last year to spend the night. It was a nice tour with the kayak but I didn’t see or hear any cranes. Instead this Great Blue Heron was standing in the reeds where the cranes used to rest for the night.

The sun was diffused by a cloud and the light was nice and soft. I used a little fill flash in order to manage 1/250s of exposure time and to boost the colors. Remember, in the boat I have to handhold the heavy lens and shooting with a slower speed didn’t deliver a sharp image today.

Bunnies! - gestures and light

 

As deeper I dive into wildlife photography as more I become aware that a simple gesture of an animal can make the difference between a great photo and a not so great photo. If the animal doesn’t “cooperate” at least some great light can make the difference. This is especially true for critters that everybody has seen before or that are relatively common.

We can find the Eastern Cottontail at several places around here and these photos were again made at Finley’s Landing down at the Mississippi River. But that doesn’t mean it is easy to make a good click. The best way to make it happen with these young bunnies is to let them come to you. Simple sit and wait for your chance.

I used my car as a blind again and after a while they didn’t run away and came very close to the vehicle. I enjoy watching the cute cottontails chewing on some fresh grass or chasing each other in the evening. And as I said, if the gesture is right or the light is killer, the click has to be made…

Nature clicks #239 - Map Turtle

 

I haven’t made a single click last week and I couldn’t wait to go out again on the Mississippi today in the kayak and with the camera in my lap. This photo is as fresh as it gets. It is the first time that I had a chance to make a photo of a Map Turtle. They are usually the first ones to dive into the water as soon an intruder appears. It took three carefully executed approaches before I was able to come close enough without that the turtle jumped off the log.

Last weekend in the Green Island Wetlands I came across this female Painted Turtle. It was obviously moving between two ponds but took a rest in the middle of the gravel road. After making a couple clicks I took the turtle and carried it off the road. The Painted Turtle can be found all over in Iowa while the Map Turtle is only supported in the larger rivers of Eastern Iowa.

Nature clicks #238 - Killdeer (on the nest)

 

This isn’t my first image of a Killdeer sitting on eggs but it is definitely the one I always wanted to make. Will talk about this later.

This is in a corner of a big parking lot in the Green Island Wetlands but these birds love to lay their eggs there since I started watching them several years ago. It makes me always very nervous watching this, even if the parking lot is not busy this time of the year. It is mainly used for the trucks and boat trailers during the duck hunting season in the fall. However, beside me other people come out there to watch birds or to fish and it is easy to destroy the eggs without even knowing it.

Quiet often one of the adult birds tries to lure you away by running in a different direction or by sitting in an empty spot and pretending to be on the real nest. This one wasn’t moving and when I approached the bird carefully it lifted its body up and I was able to snap a picture and saw at least two eggs underneath the Killdeer.

The key for the photo was to put the belly down on the gravel and support the lens with a foam roll (“boat noodle”) that I use usually as my support on the car window. I remembered that the background was always the biggest problem with my older pictures and I crawled around the bird until I found the position where I acquired a liking for background and direction of light.

On the water again

 

A nice holiday weekend lies behind us. The weather was mild, but not hot, and we took the kayaks to the Green Island Wetland Preserve for some paddling and exploring new routes in this backwater area of the Mississippi. The water level in the river was still way above normal, which is not necessarily bad for paddling in the backwaters.

Many birds take care for their offspring and you may not see them much out in the open water. It is always a challenge to take the camera with the long lens into the boat but if everything comes together the results can be very rewarding. Shooting on eye level with a bird that swims or just sits along the shore leads to a more interesting perspective than shooting from an elevated road along the shore.

This pelican didn’t seem to be bothered by my presence as I approached it carefully and with very slow paddle strokes. I really wanted this photo because of the nice background with the blooming bushes and the story it tells about the fact that every island and peninsula is flooded.

Nature clicks #237 - Northern Water Snake

 

When I go on a photo trip in the evening or during the weekends I have my eyes open for any critter out there that tries to make a living in the Mississippi Valley. Two days ago I discovered this Northern Water Snake in the marina of Finley’s Landing down at the Mississippi River. It was swimming very fast and so it was almost impossible to focus the lens on the reptile. But suddenly the snake stopped, probably because it sensed danger by my try to follow it at the edge of the water.

Northern Water Snakes are nonvenomous but they can bite if handled. They may briefly grab hold while twisting the body, producing more laceration than most other harmless snake bites. These snakes can be found in all of Iowa except the north-west and north-central parts. They eat fish, frogs, and salamanders. (source: “The Snakes of Iowa”, by Dr. J.L. Christiansen and Dr. R.M. Bailey).

Looking at the final photo on my computer screen I thought it was interesting how the snake supports its body while resting on two stems of reed. It’s the little things in nature that amaze me the most quite often…

Flooding at the Mighty Mississippi

 

I will not talk much about photography today. This post is a little more on the editorial side. The heavy rainfall during the last couple weeks made the Mighty Mississippi even mightier than usual and many places along the river are flooded.

Yesterday evening I arrived at the little campsite at Finley's Landing right after another rain shower and the first photo gives you an idea what I was talking about above. I guess some people that had planned to camp there during the upcoming holiday weekend may have to change their plans…

Later, a little further north at Mud Lake Park, I saw the same scenario while another shower just poured down on us. Parts of the park and campsite were under water and the boat ramps disappeared completely in the river.

However, fast moving clouds and the occasional sun ray made for some good light in the evening. This is where the Mud Lake Marina and the actual Mud Lake, which is a backwater area in the river, connect to each other. The water flows down to a slightly lower level but the current is usually very moderate and it is no problem to paddle even upstream with the kayak. Not so yesterday. The passage between the main land and the island on the other side was at least twice as wide The little turbulence in the water marks a spot where a sign post is located that usually sticks 3 - 4 feet out of the water…

Nature clicks #235 - Belted Kingfisher

 

This photo is hopefully a starting point. I try to make a picture of the Belted Kingfisher since a long time. It is the most skittish bird you can imagine. I found a pair of kingfishers today at Finley’s Landing, a marina and campsite down at the Mississippi River. I had no chance to get closer for this shot, there was water between me and the dead tree where the male kingfisher was perched. It is not so difficult to find them. Often you can hear their loud, penetrating rattle before you see them.

I know the image lacks some detail due to a heavy crop and the long distance that puts my SIGMA 50-500 to its limits. However, I’m not unhappy about the picture because it shows a typical scene, with the kingfisher high up on a perch, which is of course quite often a dead tree, and the lush green of the forest in the background. I usually have the patience to stand or sit and wait for a better opportunity but this was at 7pm and daylight was fading away quickly. I guess I have to try it again and maybe start a little earlier since the daylight time is becoming shorter again with every day…