Nature clicks #185 - Osprey

 

Saturday afternoon I went to the Green Island Wetlands but this is not what I like to talk about today. I left early in order to go back to Mud Lake and maybe have another look at the Sandhill Cranes. Well, I never put the kayak into the water that day, but let's start with the background story first.

The Iowa DNR (for my German friends: Department of Natural Resources) has an Osprey restoration project going on since 2008 in order to establish nesting Ospreys in Iowa again. Young birds are provided by the Minnesota and Wisconsin DNR, obviously from areas where Ospreys are well established. This information is provided on an information board that is located right beside a roosting tower at Mud Lake along the Mississippi.

I heard that this year four birds were kept inside the tower and fed for a few weeks. The tower has a barred gate so that the birds can get used to their new environment. I have been there recently but have never seen more than two Ospreys at a time. From the ground you can see only the area right behind the steel bars and maybe the other two birds stayed in the back and out of sight. The gate faces the Mississippi River and is on the other side of what you can see in the picture here. A week ago the gate was finally opened. A friend of mine sent me an email (thank you Linda) telling me that two Ospreys are still around the tower and obviously still being fed.

When I came to Mud Lake Park Saturday evening I saw the two birds sitting on the posts of the tower and they made quite a bit of noise. It was a good reason to change my plans immediately. Got the tripod with gimbal head and camera out of the car, and started working the Ospreys. One flew away after a few minutes but this happened while I was still far away from the tower. The second one stayed there the whole time. It is not always easy to judge what distance is not too close for the birds. I hate to put stress on any animal just because of my presence. The sun threw some nice and warm light onto the bird just before it disappeared behind the trees on top of the bluffs that contain the valley.

I learned from the information board that after four months the Ospreys migrate for the first time. They spent the first year in South American but return during their second year to Iowa. I really believe this is a great project and my respect goes to those companies and institutions that have sponsored it. It is just good to see that something is done for nature restoration. Money well spent!

I saw an Osprey in the Mud Lake area and over the Mississippi in April (see my post Nature clicks #147). I don't know if this was just a migrating bird or if this particular Osprey has been released in this area in a previous year, but it is so nice to have them here, not just from a photographer's standpoint...

Nature clicks #181 - Common Loon

 

I spent the weekend in Northern Wisconsin and worked on a project that I had in mind since a few years already. My plan was to photograph ospreys, also known as "fish hawks", at a location that I had bookmarked during previous visits. The nest can only be reached by boat and I used my kayak to get there. To make a long story short, I saw the ospreys but rain and other circumstances did not allow to claim victory and come home with some good images. With other words, I got skunked! Wildlife photography requires sometimes a lot of patience and so the project remains on the list for another try maybe next year.

It wasn't all bad, I saw Bald Eagles, a Belted Kingfisher, and just before I returned to the boat ramp a family of Common Loons came out of the reeds. The male positioned himself between me and the female with her two chicks and he made a hell of a noise. The call of a loon is very loud and impressive. The light situation was everything but good. Behind me were huge thunderstorm clouds moving in and the only chance to make the click was to shoot into the sun. In order to maintain a fast shutter speed I dialed in ISO400 (as you know not my preferred way to photograph wildlife). A fill flash would have been helpful but because I try to take as few items as possible into the kayak, the flash light was, of course, in the car... :-o It was the first time that I had the Common Loon during summer in front of my lens. The only pictures I had so far were made during the winter season in Southern California. Their plumage looks much nicer during the breeding season and just watching them was very exciting. Both images are not cropped and the low perspective and clean background make them good keepers in my books.

I wished I would have had more time with these beautiful birds but the thunder was already rolling and I just wanted to get off the lake. Playing it safe is mandatory and dying for a picture isn't worth it...

Nature clicks #147 - Osprey

 

I'm very happy to introduce you to another bird that will make it into my Iowa wildlife gallery. I have seen Ospreys before over in Wisconsin but not here in our direct neighborhood at the Mississippi River. The heavy rain the last two days kept me grounded but the evening before this wonderful Osprey was hunting for fish in the marina of Mud Lake Park. The marina is not open yet and no boats are at the docks. I had a hard time to get a sharp image because the autofocus was at it limits in the low light of the evening. For me it is ok since it is a "first sighting" but I like to go back as soon we are done with all the rain and gray clouds here and try to get another and better shot of this large raptor.