Nature clicks #155 - Wilson's Snipe

 

Hard to believe that this photo was made already more than three weeks ago during my last visit in the Green Island Wetlands. For the first time I saw a Wilson's Snipe. It is fun to watch how they continuously hammer their bill into the mud in search for food. The problem with a shot like that is the muddy shore which is not very attractive. I tried to overcome this by applying a strong vignette around the bird to keep your eye on the bird and not let it wander around between all the clutter in the mud. The breeding grounds of the Wilson's Snipe are stretching from Northern Iowa pretty much all over Canada, and so we may see this bird here only during migration. I hope you still enjoy, even if this is already "the snow from yesterday".... ;-)

Nature clicks #154 - Spotted Sandpiper

 

This image is already almost a week old but posting about the foxes and the owl put some of the other birds I saw lately a little bit on the back-burner.

The Spotted Sandpiper is not an uncommon bird but for me it was another first sighting here at the Mississippi. At least I have never identified one before. It moved fast along the river shore in constant search for insects, worms, or even little fish. I admit, it isn't a tack-sharp photo but foreground and background are ok. Usually the shore is a cluttered mess of stones, drift wood, and sometimes even garbage but when the sandpiper started walking on this log in the water I thought I have my chance to make a good click.

Nature clicks #144 - Lesser Yellowleg

 

The Lesser Yellowlegs have their breeding grounds in Northern Canada and Alaska. We have this sandpiper here in Iowa only during migration. Last Sunday I shot pictures from noon until after 6PM. As always the quality of light gets so much better in the late afternoon and early evening and that's why I show you a couple images that were made closer to the end of daylight. They feed on aquatic insects and other invertebrates and they move permanently and probe with their long bill in the water. That means a lot of shots are slightly blurry and end up in the trash can of my Mac. It is all about peak of action, the brief moments between steps or when they lift their heads for a fraction of a second, when you can make the click. Setting the camera to 7 frames per second helps to freeze the right moment. I have a lot more to come from my shooting in the wetlands, so please come back here and check it out.

Nature clicks #111 - Black-necked Stilt

I only had one minute to work with a second bird of the Avocet and Stilt family before it flew away. My location was everything but good when I discovered two wonderful Black-necked Stilts right in front of me. I was slightly above the water level and tried actually to approach some gulls on a bank in the Great Salt Lake. The higher elevation allowed only to shoot from above and this is not an interesting shooting position for most animals. Ok, it was my first sighting of the stilt and at least I have now a few images in the "books". It is a beautiful bird and the next time I go to the Great Salt Lake I'll try to find them again and make the photo I have in mind.

I use the software iBird PRO on my iphone for identification and comparison of birds while I'm in the field. This eliminates the need to carry any books with me while traveling. There are always some interesting facts to learn and for the Black-necked Stilt it says that they have the second-longest legs in proportion to their bodies of any bird, exceeded only by flamingos.

Nature clicks #110 - Willets

 

As you can imagine I made many clicks last week on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake, Utah. Back home I have to make the difficult decision which photos to choose for the blog or for my galleries at Pbase. Not always easy! First I look for images with a good light and mood. The first one is from my Saturday morning session and I love how the subtle light touches the Willet in the shallow water.

The second criterium is story telling. A particular gesture can make all the difference between one photo and the next. The Willets are not particular pretty birds but it looks sometimes almost elegant how they move in the water and search for food or clean themselves. The pictures that captured these gestures stand out from the rest and that's why I have chosen them. Still more to come...

Nature clicks #108 - American Avocet

 

Hi, I'm back home again after another week of business travel. The second part of my trip brought me to Salt Lake City in Utah. I spent three days there and had the chance to shoot two evenings and one morning in one of my favorite locations for wildlife photography. I have written here before about the abundant wildlife on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake and it wasn't any different this time. Before I go to a location where I have been before I usually review my previous work and think about new goals I like to meet  or particular animals I want to focus on. This time I wanted to pay more attention to shore birds. The island is connected with the main land by a dam and the road on top of it is already a great place to watch out for birds. There were hundreds of American Avocets feeding in the shallow water. I like to show you how the light at different times of the day can change the outcome considerable.

Image #2 was made about mid afternoon. The sun and a very thin layer of clouds made for bright, but still soft light without harsh shadows. It was very acceptable for me.

Photos #1 and #3 were made the same day but five hours later at about 8:15PM. The sun was already close to the horizon and the colors developed a wonderful intensity. Oh, I love the evenings at the Great Salt Lake!

The last picture was made next morning about 7:45AM and the sun had developed some good power already. Dialing in exposure compensation between  -1.5EV and -2.5EV kept the white parts of the feathers intact and made also for a nice deep blue color of the water.

Which light situation did I like the best? To be honest, I liked them all. The afternoon light was like working with a softbox. The soft light reflected by the water minimized the shadows underneath the birds. The low sun in the morning and evening made for better colors. It was a great learning experience for me, and yes, the Avocets were very patient ... More to come...