More impressions from the wetlands

 

You may say, "Just one picture? We still like to see a little more from the wetlands!" Ok, here are a few more. The Mississippi has a pretty high water level at the moment and so have the Green Island Wetlands. All the little islands and big parts of the woods are submerged and it was a very interesting experience to paddle in places that are usually above the normal water level.

Taking pictures from the kayak is a totally different game. There is always a little fear to drop the gear into the water and of course holding the D300s with the Sigma 50-500 steady without shake is not easy at all. The wetlands are wide open for the most part and approaching ducks or coots undetected is nearly impossible. We had an encounter of a Barred Owl that got attacked by a number of blackbirds. Everything happened so fast that I wasn't even able to point the lens at the bird. However, it was exciting watching it.

Our dog Cooper isn't always sure about the whole kayaking experience but as you can see he is very relaxed most of the time. I think he just doesn't enjoy wearing his life vest. We put it on for him so we don't have to worry about him so much in case something happens.

We enjoyed paddling on a channel surrounded by large trees and somehow it reminded us of the mangrove forests of the South. There were lots of birds up in the trees and we tried to identify them by their calls. We saw a Prothonotary Warbler, a first sighting for Joan, but the photos I made did not deserve the attribute sharp :-(

Did we see some wildlife other than birds? Yes, we did, but this will be for another post here in the blog, so please stay tuned...

How does it look in the Green Island Wetlands...?

 

Usually you see photos of birds, amphibians, or the occasional mammal here in my blog when I talk about my favorite shooting location, the Green Island Wetlands. This area of lakes, marshes, and swampy forest right beside the Mississippi River is about 30 miles south from where we live and most of the time I go there during the day. Of course, I'm always looking for great natural light for my wildlife photography, and sometimes I can find it and other times a flash light is the  light source of choice. Friends have asked me, why don't we see the landscape itself more often and how does it look in the Green Island Wetlands? Well, most of the time I'm there during day time and that may work for a wildlife photo but is quite often useless for good landscape photography. Remember, I don't do photography for a living and have to use the time frame around my professional work, which means mostly during weekends.

This weekend was a little different. Joan and I opened our personal camping and kayaking season (We know, it's late!). We took the dog, some food, the boats, and the tent and went camping to Bellevue State Park, which is only six miles away from the Green Island Wetlands. When the light for wildlife is not sufficient anymore I usually drive home but last Friday night we were able to stay and watched the play of the clouds and the sun breaking through them in a dramatic manner. All what it takes is to put the camera on a tripod, set the white balance to cloudy, and dial in some negative exposure compensation. The question here is, what is the subject? It is not the grass in the foreground, nor is it the lake itself or the woods in the background. All settings are made for the opening in the sky, the sun rays that break through, and their reflection on the water. This is what I went for when I made the photo and even if none of the landscape elements is the subject of this image, it still answers the question, how does it look in the Green Island Wetlands...?

I go on a business trip again tomorrow but have a few more images from the wetlands to show here. So please stay tuned. I always enjoy your comments, messages, and emails about my posts and I'm very thankful for any of them! Have a wonderful week!

Nature clicks #172 - Black-crowned Night-Heron

 

I realized today again that I still have a lot to discover and to learn about the wildlife here in Eastern Iowa where we live now since almost nine years. It wasn't until tonight that I found out that I made an image of a Black-crowned Night-Heron last Sunday in the Green Island Wetlands. For some reason I thought it was a different heron that I had seen before but this one was really a first sighting for me. It was actually a couple of them. Didn't see the second bird, which was hidden behind a tree stump, until something disturbed them and they flew away to a different location behind the trees in the background. They are primarily nocturnal but some may feed during the day as well. They are seen often standing still in the water for long periods of time and hunting for fish that swim by too close. I have to keep my eyes open. I like to see the Black-crowned Night-Heron again and maybe get a closer look at this wonderful bird.

Nature clicks #171 - Tree Swallow

 

It looks like this is the year for making photos of any member in the swallow family we can find here in Eastern Iowa. I'm happy to show you these pictures of the Tree Swallow. It was fun watching  them last Sunday in the wetlands catching insects in flight but also seeing them coming to the ground foraging on spiders and insects. Because of their speed it is impossible (at least with my technical means) to make a sharp image of a swallow in flight but when they land on the ground comes the chance to make a click. Tree Swallows return to their nesting grounds long before other swallows come back. I don't know why it took me so long to present you an image of this pretty bird...?? ;-)

Nature clicks #170 - Common Yellowthroat

 

The books say this is one of the most numerous and widespread warblers in North America. For me it was the first sighting of it during a six hour bird watching and photography "session" in the Green Island Wetlands last weekend. I was actually in position for some other birds (I will post about them shortly ;-)  ) when both, the male and female Common Yellowthroat showed up right in front of me. It was very windy and my photos of the female bird didn't turn out sharp and even this one of the male is at the edge of quality acceptance. Being in my car and using it as a blind was definitely  a necessity to make the click but at the same time it prevented me to move in closer for better focus and closer distance.

This warbler usually stays closer to the ground but conceals in vegetation. The Common Yellowthroat is found all over the United States and most of Canada during the summer. They live in marches, near streams, and in swamps and they are vulnerable to loss of habitat due to wetland drainage.

Nature clicks #169 - Purple Martin

 

The Purple Martin is not an uncommon bird, especially along the Mississippi River. However, I never have made a photo of this bird of the swallow family. I took our little dog Cooper out for a walk to Mud Lake Park at the Mississippi River last night. The campsites were all empty again after the rainy holiday weekend and we had the park and the wetlands all for ourselves. The martins were flying over the water of the marina and the adjacent parking lot but always returned to a big bird house that sits high on a post beside the boat landing. They feed on flying insects, mainly mosquitos yesterday, and catch their prey mid-air.

We still had an overcast and gray clouds are never a good background for any bird shot. I used the SB600 with flash extender again last night to fill in some light and make the colors pop a little more. Not perfect, but it beats the alternative, coming home without any shot... ;-)

Brown Thrasher captured with SB600 and Better Beamer flash extender

 

We had the third rainy day in a row and our original plans to use the kayaks during this holiday weekend had to be dumped. The canopy of leaves doesn't let much light coming through anymore and so it was the right decision to take the SB600 flashlight and Better Beamer flash extender with me when we went for a hike on the Heritage trail this afternoon. For those who are new in my blog, the Heritage trail is on an old abandoned railroad track that ones connected Chicago with St. Paul in Minnesota. It follows the Little Maquoketa River just north of Dubuque, Iowa and is a great trail for all kinds of recreation, including nature photography. Because of the weather all the bicycle riders and runners that are usually on the trail stayed home and we had it all for ourselves.

We saw several warblers, Indigo Buntings, and American Redstarts again and the young eagle that we discovered recently in a nest has grown quite a bit. The best shooting opportunity came shortly after we started our little hike. For the second time this year a Brown Thrasher showed up in front of the lens. You can click HERE for the older post about this bird. I would not have been able to make this photo without the flashlight and flash extender attached to it. I don't care how far I have to carry the equipment. If at the end of the day one image that I like is on the flash card , I know it was worth the effort...

Nature clicks #168 - Cliff Swallow

 

The cold and rainy weather continued today but it didn't stop me from going out and paying a visit to the Green Island Wetlands. It seemed everything slowed down in the rain. You can hear the birds but they seem to stay away from the open water. I tried it anyway and was even blessed with another first sighting of a bird. It was a dark day again with a strong overcast and I knew light would not be sufficient for working with the long lens in the wetlands. Just putting on a flashlight does not do the trick either because the distance between the camera and the birds exceeds quite often the range of a flashlight. The solution for today's shooting conditions was the attachment of a flash extender. This is basically a fresnel lens, made out of plastic, that is mounted about 8 inches away from the  front of the flash head. I'm using the Better Beamer flash extender and this inexpensive device is able to increase the flash output by about 2 to 3 f-stops. Using the flash in TTL mode helps to get the right amount of light to your subject.

When I saw the Cliff Swallows flying around my "car blind" I was first a little confused. I saw swallows with squared tails and I also saw swallows with deeply forked tails. It wasn't until some of them were sitting down in a bush right beside the water that I realized that some Barn Swallows were among the Cliff Swallows as you can see in the second image.

It is 9:30PM and I just checked the weather forecast for Memorial Day. It looks like it is not a good idea to stow away the flash extender, and oh, there is a "flash flood watch" in effect for our area.... What a lovely holiday weekend.... ;-) Enjoy yours anyway!

IOWA WILDLIFE gallery now online!

 

I finally finished the first part of a new Iowa wildlife gallery I have worked on since several months. The "Birds" went online today (thanks to the rainy weather we had so far during this Memorial Day weekend ;-)  ). This gallery is intended for education and I will be very happy if it helps you to identify a critter you have seen yourself out in nature. If you don't agree with some of my identifications of a species please click on the "share link" at the bottom of the galleries and send me an email or write directly in the comment box.

Not all species I have watched in Eastern Iowa so far are shown here but this gallery will hopefully grow and any time I can make a better photo of a critter it will replace the previous one.

For now, click on the link in the sidebar and hopefully enjoy browsing the Iowa bird gallery.

Nature clicks #167 - Palm Warbler

 

This photo is already three weeks old but because it was a first sighting for me I still like to show it here in the blog. This little guy was up on its way to Canada where they spend the summer and raise their young ones. They have the habit of tail-wagging which helps to identify this bird. Palm Warblers feed on the ground more than other warblers and eat mostly insects during the summer. The image was made at Mud Lake, a backwater lake connected to the Mississippi River. I hope you enjoy the rest of Memorial Day weekend. My German friends had all their May holidays already (3!!!) and should not be jealous that we have Monday off... ;-)