Fox and owl stories (brief update)

Before I go on a business trip tomorrow, with probably no opportunity for nature photography, I like to give you a brief update about the animals I follow very close at the moment.

Yesterday I was very concerned about the well being of the little foxes in our woods. A big Barred Owl was sitting in a tree within sight of the den. This was the first time that I have seen a Barred Owl during real day light. We hear their call "Who-cooks-for-you" all the time but have seen it only at dusk or at night. The owl flew away when it saw me. We had seen only one pup outside of the den lately and I was wondering if the owl was a successful fox hunter. Today I definitely saw two different fox pups. One has unfortunately a heavy injured eye and is probably half blind. It acted normal but I have my doubts that this little fox will have a very long life. The second one looked very healthy but peeked only briefly out of the den.

All images: Nikon D300s, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, tripod

Yesterday evening Joan and I went to Mud Lake at the Mississippi River but we were not able to find the young Great Horned Owl. I looked at every tree in the neighborhood of the eagle's nest where the owl was born but with no success. I went back today after 7pm and found it immediately sitting on a low horizontal branch near the water. The last sunlight was falling on its right eye and I was able to make a few clicks. That was the best unobstructed view of the owlet so far.

Mama comes home

 

Two nights ago I spent two hours laying on a cold rock behind a fallen tree near the fox den but none of the little pups stuck its nose out. I had the camera on the tripod very low to the ground. It was almost 7pm when suddenly the female approached me in a straight line. Just before she reached the big rock, under which the den is located, she sensed my presence by smell and stopped. When the shutter of the D300s started rattling she came even closer but finally turned around and showed me her wonderful profile. I was at the limits again with my shutter speed. The metering at ISO400 required already 1/60s, which is normally beyond my lens handling capabilities for a sharp shot, but somehow I managed it. I moved out quickly and quietly in order not to disturb the fox more than I already did. What a great moment that made me forget the long waiting time in the cold easily.

Nature clicks #151 - Red Fox pups (again!)

 

This image is from yesterday morning. The little pup peeked out of the den, which has at least two entrances or escape holes. After that we haven't seen the young foxes for the rest of the day. It was a relative cold day without any sun and they preferred to stay warm inside. More to come...

Nature clicks #149 - Red Fox pups

 

Today a photographer's dream became true. I wrote here in my blog about the Red Fox who comes through our yard every day and tries to get a hold of a squirrel or a bird. I always thought it would be totally cool if I ever would find the fox's den and see a pup. I was dreaming for several years about this...

Our neighbors saw the fox with one pup in our backyard earlier today. That was actually great news for me. I went onto our bluffs in the woods behind the house and tried to help finding their two little dogs, who were missing since several hours. I didn't find the dogs (still missing as I write this) but discovered four little fox pups outside their den on the steep slope of our property. I was thrilled! There isn't much light left at 7pm in a forest and getting this picture pushed me to the limits. My camera doesn't deal very well with ISO800, noise is inevitable, and shooting a 500 mm lens (750 mm on a DX sensor) at 1/60s is not really the key to success. However, I held my breath and got a shot that I like to show you. I hope I can say, more to come...

Nature clicks #143 - Red Fox on the run

 

I have seen this female Red Fox many times during the last few months here in the woods and even in our driveway. It is a great looking canine. Making a picture of it is a different story. She does not wait until I come outside, and if I do, she will just run away immediately like in this shot. As you can see, nothing is really tack sharp but that is acceptable for this kind of an image and I really like the quality of the wintry light that makes her colors pop.

Nature clicks #32- Red Fox visit

Baltimore Oriole

Before I continue to write about my recent trip to Utah and California I like to give you an update about what happens her in Eastern Iowa right now. It is the best time of the year for bird photography. All the birds that migrate south for the winter are back. Despite I still have to go through lots of images from my trip, I follow the good advice of the masters of wildlife photography, like Moose Peterson, and shoot every day in my own yard. Last Sunday I had my lens pointed to the numerous birds in the front yard. Baltimore Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Hummingbirds, Goldfinches, and many others make it easy to find a target.

The light was great in the morning. While I focused on a Grosbeak, suddenly a Red Fox came down our drive way and run directly towards the birds in front of me. I quickly changed my focus and started firing. This image shows the moment when the canine discovered me. It is the only picture that is tack sharp on its eyes. The other ones were ok, but the sharpness is not as good as on this one. It took the fox only a second to figure out that he or she will have no hunting luck and it went sideways into the forest. The birds were already gone in panic.

I have seen this fox a couple times during the winter crossing our backyard and I was wondering if I ever would have a chance to make a click. I guess this was my chance, and I tried to make the best out of it…

All images Nikon D200, SIGMA 50-500 @ 500 mm (750 mm FX)