Nature clicks #51 - Giant Swallowtail

Giant Swallowtail
Nikon D200, SIGMA 150mm/2.8, 1/800s, f/5.6, -0.5 EV, ISO 100

 

I can hear your question already. Why did you cut the wings off? We have more Giant Swallowtails around the house this year than any other year before since we live here. I have many images showing the whole butterfly and I like most of them. Why this one? It is the light. It is all natural light and I really like how the background colors complement this image. This time I tried to make close-up shots of the Giant Swallowtails although the butterflies are moving very fast. They only stay about 2-5 seconds at each Purple Cone Flower and their wings beat all the time with high frequency. I have shots that are more dynamic than this one, but it is the light and the subtle background that make this image my favorite one.

Nature clicks #50 - Brown-spotted Yellow-wing Dragonfly

Brown-spotted Yellow-wing
Nikon D200, SIGMA 150mm/2.8, 1/750s, f/4, -0.5 EV, ISO 100, tripod

 

I just realized that this one is already the 50th post filed under "Nature clicks". It is a coincidence that today's image is larger than usual. I just thought that my subject deserves a little more than the 620 pixel I use normally for the long side of the pictures I post here.

Despite the heat I couldn't resist to visit the Green Island Wetlands again today. The water is very low and except for a family of Pied-billed Grebes and a couple Killdeer I did not see any birds. One of my favorite ponds was even drained and I wonder what happened to the Moorhens, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, and other species I had found there during the last few months.

I put the long lens away and mounted the SIGMA 150 mm, f/2.8 Macro DG HSM to my camera. This lens has never disappointed me. It is ideal for shooting insects. The 150 mm gives me the extra distance that is sometimes necessary in order not to scare away an animal. The lens produces tack sharp images and if a picture is not sharp I have only to blame myself for.

When I shoot butterflies or other fast moving insects in our yard I handhold the camera with the 150/2.8. There is no way that you can follow one of the swallowtails with their fast movement from flower to flower if the camera sits on a tripod. It is a different story when it comes to Dragon- or Damselflies. They perch quite often on a twig or leaf. Even if they fly around for a little while, Dragonflies return often to the same or a place nearby. All what it needs is a slow and careful approach and of course some patience. Having the camera on a tripod helps definitely in this matter. Manual focus works sometimes better, especially if the insect is almost translucent.

The Brown-spotted Yellow-wing here was my first encounter of this beautiful dragonfly. What you don't see is the sweat dropping from my forehead and running down my back while kneeling in the dust beside the gravel road… But I enjoy it!

Nature clicks #49 - Hummingbird Moth

Hummingbird Moth
Nikon D200, Sigma 150 mm f/2.8

As the summer proceeds and the birds are not as much present as during the months before my attention gets drawn a little more to all kinds of insects. One that I have seen before, but never was able to obtain a good image from, is the Hummingbird Moth. This moth hovers over flowers and its wings produce a soft buzz similar to that of a humming bird. Their wingspan reaches up to 2 inch (50 mm). They are not quite as fast as a hummingbird and it was easier to get the autofocus sensor where I wanted it. Thanks to Joan's flower bed in front of the house I can find them right here at home.

Every new species I find in Iowa will make it into my gallery WILDLIFE IN IOWA. For a larger version of this picture feel free to click HERE.

Nature clicks #48 - Four weeks old

Four weeks old
Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3, 420 mm (630 mm FX), 1/180s, f/6.3, -1 EV, ISO 100

 

I checked on the Trumpeter Swans again today. The cygnet is now four weeks old. Time seems to fly. The first step is always to locate them by driving very slowly along the Mill Creek ponds. After I did that four times I still could not find them at all and started to worry about them. I decided to hike to the backside of the ponds to see if I had better luck. It had rained last night and so it was like entering a jungle. With other words it was hot, very humid, and mosquito infested. It paid back that I carry bug spray in my photo backpack during the summer. And there I found them. The reeds are now so tall that it was impossible to see the swans from the gravel road. The cygnet had grown again and all three seemed to be in good condition.

It was the closest I have been so far to the young swan and this time I didn't have to crop any of my pictures. Getting closer leads also to more sharper images because it is easier to place the AF sensor.

 

Nature clicks #47 - Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel

Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel 1
Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3, 420 mm (630 mm FX), 1/640s, f/6.3, -1 EV, ISO 200

 

There is probably no chance that we will ever see the Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel around our house. We live on top of a rocky ridge along the Little Maquoketa River near the Mississippi River Valley. These little ground squirrels live in burrows that are 4.5 - 6 m (15 - 20 feet) long and about 30 - 60 cm (1 -2 feet) deep. No way they can dig deep and long enough in the rocks here.

Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel 2
Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3, 420 mm (630 mm FX), 1/320s, f/6.3, -1 EV, ISO 100

I found them out in the open land and spent quite some time last weekend to watch these little critters and try to shoot some images. Their diet ranges from grass and weed seeds to caterpillars and grasshoppers, and even mice and bird flesh are on their menu (source: Field Guide to Mammals, National Audubon Society). This one here was chewing on dandelion blooms.

Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel 3
Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3, 420 mm (630 mm FX), 1/640s, f/6.3, -1 EV, ISO 200

 

The Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels remind me a little bit of prairie dogs, because they often stand upright and survey the surrounding area for any sign of danger. Ones I came a little too close and the squirrel dived down into its burrow and warned the rest of the family with its bird-like trill.

These little critters are ideal to practice shooting with a long lens, like the SIGMA 50-500, f/4-6.3 DG HSM. I like the last image the best, not only because of the pose of the animal but mainly because how the ground squirrel  is separated from the background

Nature clicks #46 - One week old

Cygnet after one week  

Did you look at the Trumpeter Swan cygnet last weekend? Yes, I did! It is amazing how much it was grown already within the last week. The swans were in the middle of the pond. Not really in a great position for photography, but the important thing is that all three looked very good and hopefully we will see a new generation of Trumpeter Swans growing up here in Eastern Iowa.

 

Nature clicks #45 - Killdeer protect their nest

Female Killdeer
Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3, 500 mm (750 mm FX), 1/750s, f/8, -1.5 EV, ISO 100

 

Last week I promised to show some pictures of a couple Killdeer that I was watching in the wetlands. They showed their typical behavior by trying to lure me away from their nest site. I don't disturb birds on intend and didn't even try to find it, even if I had an idea where the nest was. The female sat down away from the nest several times and tried to make me believing it was sitting on eggs.

 

Male Killdeer
Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3, 420 mm (630 mm FX), 1/640s, f/6.3, -1 EV, ISO 100

 

The male made sure I was paying attention to him by running around in circles but at the same time moving away from their real nest. They are fun birds to watch and because the Killdeer is not as shy as some other birds they are a good subject for practicing long lens shooting technique.

 

 

Nature clicks #44 - Snapping Turtle on a log

Snapping Turtle  

I like to share another picture from last weekend that may not win a photography price but means a lot to me. Just before I shot the images of the new born swan cygnet (see my last post) I stopped at one of the other ponds in the Mill Creek Valley and saw this Common Snapping Turtle on a log in the pond. A Painted Turtle was right next to it. It was quiet a bit away, so I tried to work with the lines of the logs in the water to make it at least an interesting composition. While still fiddling with my settings, the turtle decided that diving in the water is more fun than sun bathing on a log. OK, I had two shots on my memory card and I'm glad about it. It is an interesting animal I really want to find out more about it. I like how the Snapping Turtle is laying on the log. Doesn't it really say, Hey it's Sunday, just relax….? ;-)

 

 

Nature clicks #43 - Happy day for the Trumpeter Swans

Couple with cygnet  

I didn't make a single click during the last week. Shame on me, but a busy work schedule and a project at home prevented me from being behind the camera.

Today I just had to go out. I checked the pond at Mill Creek first. One Trumpeter Swan was sitting on the nest, while the other one was swimming on the pond. This gave me some hope that the female was maybe sitting on eggs. That was about 10 AM and I didn't know that I would find out about it just four hours later.

I moved on to the Green Island Wetlands, hoping to get a better view on the Moorhens that I saw a couple weeks ago. I heard their call but they were hiding in the reeds. A pair of Killdeer kept me busy for some time and I will show some pictures in another post this week.

I didn't expect much for my photography on the way home. The light was just harsh and awful but I always see some wildlife in the Mill Creek Valley. An that's why I went back to the swans again. And the big surprise was just waiting for me. Both swans were at the nest and there was something else… Oh yeah, a little cygnet was with them. What a great moment to witness! I had chosen the right day for another visit of the Trumpeter Swans. Did I say already the light was awful harsh? What the heck, I had to make some documentary shots…

Instead of going straight back home I went to the Hurstville Interpretive Center in Maquoketa and reported my discovery. Thank you to Ann at the interpretive center, who allowed me to take some close-up pictures of the Trumpeter Swans that they have in a protected area behind the building. The swan couple there was also taking care for a cygnet.

 

 

Nature clicks #42 - Meeting a Woodchuck

Woodchuck 2
Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3

 

Sometimes luck strikes twice. Right after I had the shots of the Yellow-Headed Blackbird banned onto the camera's sensor I turned around and saw another animal that is on my wish list since a long time. I have seen many Woodchucks before but never had a chance to put my glass on one. This marmot can climb trees and is a good swimmer. So it wasn't really a surprise seeing it along the road right beside the pond. The "groundhog" was chewing on some leaves and then showed me its back and went away from me. It really looks funny how it waddles down the road. How can someone not like an animal like this one?

 

Woodchuck 2
Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3