Nature clicks #152 - Yellow-rumped Warbler

 

To make it clear, this picture would normally land in the trash can because it is not really sharp and I had to crop it quite a bit to make it halfway decent. I apply an exception to the rule if the animal is a "first sighting". While checking the fox den early in the morning I saw this Yellow-rumped Warbler in the woods behind the house a couple days ago. Whatever I tried, I couldn't get it in focus. The little warbler was flying and jumping around, trying to catch insects. This bird comes through only during migration and I was very happy to see this wonderful looking bird here in the woods. During the winter, that they spent in the southern part of the US southwards into the tropics, they eat particularly wax coated berries of bayberries and wax myrtles. They have unique gastrointestinal traits that allow them to subsist on this unusual food source. (source: iBird Pro app).

While I tried to make a photo of this one I also saw a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, another first sighting, but no image can be presented here because my results were even worse. Well, next time...

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 #150 - Bald Eagle

 

This is the image I had actually in mind for yesterday's post but then the encounter of the little foxes made the news first. This Bald Eagle has its nest near Mud Lake at the Mississippi River. I have seen the bird several times already and got an idea where the new nest is located up in the hills. As you might remember, the eagle nest at Mud Lake is taken by a Great Horned Owl now and my guess is that the eagles just chose another location for their nest.

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 #148 - American White Pelican

 

The tip came from the blog of my photography friend Dave Updegraff this morning. He shared that a large number of American White Pelicans were at the 16th Street Basin in Dubuque. I thought I give it a try and went there even twice today. I'm actually not a big fan of this pond, it is surrounded by busy roads and therefor a very noisy location, but it was worth both trips. Have a look and enjoy these majestic birds...

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.

Chasing angel rays

 

Yesterday evening was pretty much the last time we saw the sun. It rained here almost all day long and more rain is in the forecast. I drove home from another visit at the nest of the Great Horned Owl when I saw that the sun sent some "angel rays" through the cloud cover. Shots like that are not always easy to get. It is sometimes difficult to find a place to park the car safely along the narrow roads between the valleys and ridges here in Eastern Iowa. In addition the electrical grid is still very old fashioned here and almost all cables are above the ground. This is probably not only a nightmare for the people who have to service it in every weather but also for a landscape photographer who tries to make a clean unobstructed image. With other words, it takes some efforts and sometimes the good light is gone before you have all your ducks in a row. However, the landscape with all the little valleys, ridges, and hills here along the Mississippi has its charm and in combination with some cool clouds and great light it is always worth to go out and try to make the click.

Nature clicks #146 - Great Horned Owl

 

Circumstances that were not in my favor prevented me from sharing last Sunday's big thrill with you earlier. After more than eight years living here in Eastern Iowa we discovered for the first time a nest of the  Great Horned Owl. We have heard the hoots of this big owl many times before, especially during their mating time in November-December, but we saw it only ones, and only as a silhouette in a moonlit night. The Great Horned uses abandoned nests of other hunting birds and the one I found near the Mississippi was the nest of a Bald Eagle. First I saw briefly a young bird on the nest and was already happy because I thought it was a young eagle. Can you imagine my excitement when I discovered the adult owl in the nest after getting a little closer?

Here is the warning. All images are heavily cropped, and I mean heavily. This is something I usually try not to do with my wildlife photographs. So please bear with me and the quality of the photos I like to show you today. I spent several hours near the nest. The juvenile was mostly hiding in the nest but the adult kept an eye on me the whole time. It was very windy and the owl's ear tufts were always in motion. Ones in a while the young owl would climb up to the rim of the nest and I tried to capture those brief moments.

After a while the adult took off towards the Mississippi and I didn't see it again that day. The juvenile Great Horned Owl spent most of the next three hours in the safety of the nest, not visible for me. The light became really good in the late afternoon and I was just hoping for another moment while patiently waiting. Well, the little owl didn't do me the favor. Clouds moved in and I just called it a day. And then everything happened very fast. I had packed my tripod, the camera was stored in the car already, and suddenly the sun hit the big tree for a short moment. I looked back and there was the owl, peeking over the rim of the nest. Damn, not enough time to get the tripod set up again. I just took the camera and fired three shots before the little owl disappeared again. And those were the shots with the best light all day long...

P.S.: I went back this evening and the young owl was peeking again over the edge of the nest. Can you tell I'm thrilled about my latest wildlife encounter....? :-)

Nature clicks #145 - Turkey Vulture

 

Many people believe the Turkey Vulture is an ugly bird because of its naked head and neck. They feed mainly on carrion and this may not always be a pleasure to watch but it is the naked head and a very sophisticated immune system that protects them from disease associated with decaying animals. Their wingspan range is smaller than that of a Bald Eagle but it looks also very elegant when they soar over the slope of a valley or elsewhere. We have them here from spring to late fall and it is no surprise if we see sometimes more than 30 birds circling over an area.

I never thought it was easy to make a picture of a Turkey Vulture and have tried it many times before with mixed results. It needs some good light from underneath to get the details and without blowing out the sky if they are in flight.

This vulture was busy with a roadkill, a dead raccoon, when I approached it carefully by car. It is amazing how much power they have. This one dragged the carcass several feet while I watched it and tried to bring the car in a position where I could shoot out of the window. They are very shy and I had to come back three times before I was able to come close enough for at least some detail in its face. Being real close is mostly good for wildlife photography but I like this shot that is more of an environmental portrait. It shows the vulture with its main food source and clearly makes the statement that this country road in the Green Island Wetlands is part of the bird's habitat. Still more to come from last Sunday's excursion, so please stay tuned... :-)