Nature clicks #44 - Snapping Turtle on a log

 

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

 

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.

Can frogs read?

 

This little Treefrog took the invitation above the entrance hole of the bird box literally. Makes me believing its reading skills aren't too bad… ;-) The picture was taken in our neighbor's backyard.

What you don't see is me, standing on a ladder, the camera with the 150/f2.8 and flash light in one hand, and holding the branches of a fir tree away from the lens with the other one…. I guess sometimes we have to put a little effort in our shots… ;-) That's all for today. Thank you for stopping by and have a great week.

Nature clicks #42 - Meeting a Woodchuck

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?

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

Nature clicks #41 - Yellow-Headed Blackbird (finally!)

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

I mentioned a little while ago that I found another bird species in the Green Island Wetlands that I hadn't seen before. The first time I saw one was actually on Antelope Island in Utah (see my older post HERE). I was very happy to discover it here in Eastern Iowa as well. It is not easy to get close enough. They search for food in the reeds or sit high up in a dead tree in the middle of a pond. I heard their very loud and distinctive call all the time but all what I got so far was a yellow-black dot ,that with some phantasy someone could identify as a bird… ;-)

I tried very hard last Saturday without any luck. I came again on Sunday and after hiding for a couple hours in my "mobile blind" (my car of course) I got rewarded. One of the beautiful looking Yellow-Headed Blackbirds landed right in front of me beside the gravel road. That made my day!

Nature clicks #40 - Return to the Trumpeter Swans

 

I felt bad for Dave after our shoot together last Wednesday because light wasn't in our favor and we didn't get any decent pictures of the Trumpeter Swans. I went back twice on Saturday to the pond at Mill Creek. Late morning both swans were searching for food together and were cruising across the pond. There are many Red-Winged Blackbirds around and I saw how one of the swans got attacked by one of them. It was obviously too close to the blackbird nest. You can tell by the colors that we had an overcast but I like the graphic appearance in this image.

I took a few shots and moved on to the Green Island Wetlands, where I spent all afternoon. On my way back home in the evening the sun came finally out and so I returned to the pond again and gave it another trial. One swan was sitting on the nest site while the other was at rest on a little island in the second pond. The light was really good. What a difference to Wednesday and also Saturday morning. I spent the whole evening watching the Trumpeter Swan on its island. Other birds, like a Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher, Yellow Warbler, two Pileated Woodpeckers, and a Gray Catbird came by and time was just flying… More to come…

Hot and humid wildlife shoot

Nikon D200, Nikkor 24-70 mm, f/2.8G AF-S ED

Yesterday evening I met with my friend Dave Updegraff for a wildlife shoot. I know Dave since last year's Worldwide Photowalk. He organized and led the walk in Dubuque, Iowa. We have been in contact since and I'm a loyal reader of his photography blog. We met at a pond near La Motte, Iowa and some followers of my blog may remember, this is the location where I shot pictures of Trumpeter Swans many times before.

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

I was there a little earlier and scouted the area for wildlife. The swans were unfortunately not really close and I had to shoot completely against the sun to make the click above.

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

Sometimes it just helps to turn around and look for other things. While I was still waiting for Dave, this male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail was foraging on the clover along the gravel road. I did something I had never done before. I used my Sigma 50-500 for working a butterfly. The picture will not win the price for best sharpness (the 50-500 just can't keep up with the Sigma 150mm, f/2.8 that I use normally for macro shots) but I did not want to miss this opportunity because of a lens change. The hazy light of this hot and humid summer day was perfect for the shot and even if this lens is not known for a good bokeh, I liked how it turned out in this image.

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

Dave and I decided to walk to the other side of the pond and try to get the glass on a pair of ducks. I have never seen this kind of a ducks before and none of my books gave the answer. I believe they are hybrids and hope to find out by doing more research. A dark weather front moved in quickly and pretty soon Dave and I were running out of options for a fast shutter speed. Dave shoots with the Tamron 200-500, and like my Sigma 50-500 the maximum aperture is 6.3. As written in other posts before, I don't like to pump up the ISO above 280, because of the limited noise handling capabilities of my Nikon D200. The picture above was made at 1/25s and I'm surprised I had at least one shot I'm able to show here.

Dave let me try out his Nikon 24-70, f/2.8 for some test shots. I can't rave enough about this lens and the picture of him behind his D700 was made with it.  I had a great time shooting and having conversation with Dave and I hope we can do it again soon.

Did I mention how hot and humid it was yesterday during our wildlife shoot? Read Dave's post and you will know… ;-)

Maintenance and education Sunday

I spent most of my time today for maintenance and education. I watched a webinar on NIK-software and how to use it highly efficient in the workflow of post process. It was created by famous wildlife, landscape, and aviation photographer Moose Peterson. He is an excellent teacher and this lesson gave me many new ideas for my own workflow in post. You can find his video on the NIK website.

Cleaning the gear after every field trip is mandatory, even if I just shoot in the woods behind the house. I'm a strong believer that my photography gear hasn't let me down once yet is partly due to regular cleaning and maintenance. This afternoon I went a little further and did some maintenance on the tripod, cleaned all my lenses extensively, and re-organized the photo backpack. Little things, but they give me the feeling of being well prepared for the next shooting adventure.

Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3, SB600, 500 mm (750 mm FX), 1/250s, f/6.3, ISO 100

Did I make any clicks today at all? You bet! I just didn't go very far and waited for the hummingbirds this evening right here on the balcony. I never used the Sigma 50-500 before for these tiny little birds that are so damn fast. In the past I worked with the Sigma 150/f2.8 for this kind of shooting. The longer lens allows for more distance to the birds, which just means they show up more often. I used manual mode (M) and the amount of light output was set  directly at the flash unit.

You can find a larger version of the Ruby Throated Hummingbird by clicking HERE.

Nature clicks #39 - Common Gray Treefrog

Nikon D200, Sigma 150 mm f/2.8, SB600, 1/60s, f/5.6, ISO 100

I knew they are here, even if I never saw one during the six and a half years we live in Eastern Iowa. We could hear their resonating trill, especially after a rain. But despite I peered in every tree and bush around many times, I never saw one of these little guys until a couple days ago. The Common Gray Treefrog seems to be a master of hiding itself (I hate to blame it only on my eyes ;-)  ) but finally I found one at night right on the front porch of the house. This treefrog was less than 40 mm (~1 ½") long, just to give you an idea about its real size.

There was no time for preparation. The  little guy was moving around fast and I was afraid to lose it. While Joan had an eye on it, I ran in the house, grabbed the 150/f2.8, the D200, and the SB600 flash light with a dome diffuser. The 150/f2.8 gave me enough distance to just mount the SB600 to the hot shoe of the camera. I know this sucks, but at the other hand the Common Gray Treefrog is mostly nocturnal and I believe even a direct flash tells this story. Yes, making a picture of this guy sitting between the leaves of a tree or bush would be great but I'm happy to have my first shot. This image will of course make it into my "Iowa Wildlife Gallery", which I invite you to visit by clicking right HERE. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Nature clicks #38 - Both sides of the road

Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3, 500 mm (750 mm FX), 1/320s, f/8, -1 EV, ISO 100

Yesterday I closed my post by mentioning another new bird I saw for the first time. While I worked with these Canada Geese and their young ones at one side of the road I had a look over my shoulder and saw a little heron on a tree above the water on the other side of the gravel road. I knew the geese wouldn't run away, turned the camera immediately, focused, and fired a burst. It was a Green Heron in a nice pose and it gave me only a few seconds before flying away. I have never been disappointed yet by visiting the Green Island Wetlands along the Mississippi…

Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3, 500 mm (750 mm FX), 1/125s, f/8, -1 EV, ISO 100