THE TWO WE SEE FIRST

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

I’m a little behind the time curve with today’s blog post due to several reasons but I still like to share these two photos with you, despite they were created already two weeks ago.

These two butterfly species are the first ones we can find here on the bluffs above the Little Maquoketa Valley in spring. The Mourning Cloak sometimes shows up as early as the snow thaws and this year it was even in February. It’s not an abundant butterfly, but we see them every spring after they emerge from hibernation.

The Red Admiral shows up a bit later and although we don’t have a lot of their preferred larval food plant here, sting nettles, their larvae will probably find plenty of them somewhere else.

You might expect that this was created with a macro lens but I was actually out for some bird photography, with the 150-600 plus teleconverter on camera. Both butterflies used the same tree at the same time to get some exposure to the sun. Two easy shots of the two we see first every spring…

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

NATURE CLICKS #573 - PECTORAL SANDPIPER

Pectoral Sandpipers, Upper Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Last weekend ended with a short visit in the Green Island Wetlands, the area 40 miles south of our home that includes a wildlife preserve and a mix of lakes and marshland, separated from the main channel of the Mississippi River by dikes.

I saw Wood Ducks in their best mating mood, Sandhill Cranes, some pairs of Canada Geese with little goslings, Hooded Mergansers, a number of Pied-billed Grebes, and again two migrating Greater Yellowlegs.

As the sun got ready to set, a last drive along the gravel road on the west side of the wetlands led to the discovery of 30 Pectoral Sandpipers, foraging in a big puddle at the edge of a field. Their breeding grounds are high up in the arctic tundra of Canada and they obviously stopped at Green Island for some re-fueling. Their bills probed into the water and mud with high frequency in search for invertebrates. I used my car as a blind and moved slowly in the field towards the puddle. The sandpipers didn’t seem to take any notice of my presence and kept feeding.

Moments like that keep me going and feed my passion for bird watching and reporting about it here in the blog. The Pectoral Sandpipers spent the winter down in South America and their long journey to the breeding grounds up on the arctic tundra is just amazing.

I shot this at 850 mm with the 1.4 teleconverter attached to the Sigma 150-600 S lens. A small, cosmetic crop was applied to the final image.

LIGHT AND SHADOWS

After another week of travel it was a pure pleasure to spend a few hours in and around one of my favorite places in Iowa’s capital, the Des Moines Art Center. It is home of a great collection of 20th and 21st century art. I have been there numerous times since 1997 and my fascination for the architecture of their three buildings and the art on display still continues.

It was a sunny day and I looked for opportunities to work with light and shadows that emphasize the architecture and art pieces of the museum’s collection. The visit inside of the art center was followed by a walk in Greenwood Park that surrounds the complex. And there I found more places enhanced by light and shadow. I hope you enjoy my selection of images that inspired me to press the shutter release of the camera.

All photos: Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S

Zig II, 1961, David Smith (American, 1906-1965), Painted steel

Three Cairns, 2002, Andy Goldsworthy (British, born 1956), Iowa Limestone, lead, steel

NATURE CLICKS #572 - EASTERN BLUEBIRDS

Male Eastern Bluebird. Their vibrant blue feathers during breeding season are easy to spot between the trees, even under low light conditions.

Shortly after our return from Oregon I saw a pair of Eastern Bluebirds inspecting a nest box I have built for this particular species a couple years ago. I saw both, the female and the male last weekend again and my hopes grow that they may take possession of the place and built a nest. The biggest competitors are the House Wrens and the first one has already arrived. Last year a male wren stuffed a lot of loose little twigs and branches into the hole and as I later found out, all on top of a bluebird nest. The wrens are much more aggressive and the bluebirds had no chance. We have several bird boxes for the House Wrens but they have their own mind and choose whatever place they like the best. Since we had a breeding pair of Eastern Bluebirds in 2020 in another nest box I still hope it will happen again.

The colors of the female are much more subdued. After a male has attracted a female to his nest site, the female actually builds the nest. Both parents feed the brood.

LUMINOSITY UNDER WATER

Pacific Sea Nettle, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Newport, OR

It’s tempting to just follow the actual time line and post only the photos that reflect what’s going on at the moment of publishing. I would follow the ”journalistic path” of the blog but many photos I create, especially those on the more artistic side, would fall under the table and never ever being shared with you.

Today’s image of a Pacific Sea Nettle is one of my favorites from our recent trip. It’s not wildlife and it was all about dealing with the circumstances of shooting through the thick glass in the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon.

I pressed the lens tightly against the glass of the aquarium and the rest was done by the lighting source of the tank above the water level. A few years ago I would never ever had dreamed about using a sensitivity of ISO 16000 for a photo. Now, with the great handling of high ISO settings in mirrorless cameras and much better noise reduction features in our software, this is just a matter of employing all these tools. Don’t take me wrong, I still believe shooting with the lowest ISO settings as possible is the best way to go for a high quality image. This time ISO 16000 allowed to expose at 1/640s at extremely low light conditions and to get this pulsating jelly fish still sharp in the frame.

A public aquarium tries to tell the story about the life under water for a certain habitat, that most of us aren’t able to see in their life time. When I take a shot like this I try to keep any men-made items out of the frame and hope to continue their story telling.

Here in Dubuque, Iowa we have the Mississippi River & Aquarium, one of the best in the country, and practicing many times before at their beautiful fish tanks made it easier to nail down the photo I can present for you today. I hope you enjoy it!

SPRING ENCOUNTERS

Cedar Waxwing

After quite a bit of traveling lately it feels good to sit on the porch in the morning with a cup of coffee on the table and spend some time behind the camera. We had some really warm days in February already but this was the first weekend that felt really like spring, with lots of sunshine and very warm temperatures. During the last couple of weeks, after our return from Oregon, several migrating birds have arrived, some earlier than usually. Among them are Eastern Phoebes, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Chipping Sparrows, Eastern Bluebirds, and this morning the first House Wren inspected our nest boxes. At the other hand, a couple species are still present that normally leave our woods and move further north as soon the temperatures are above freezing, like Dark-eyed Juncos and Purple Finches. A trend we have seen already during the last three years and that makes me wonder if we experience a change in migrating behavior due to much warmer winters. I make notes every spring since 2007 beside recording first sightings of the season with the camera.

The most colorful bird I had in front of the lens today was this Cedar Waxwing. They are supposed to be here all year long but we don’t see them very often during the cold season. Their appetite for cedar berries during the winter gave them obviously their name. Since we have red cedars here on the bluffs above the Little Maquoketa Valley, the waxwing’s appearance is not really a surprise.

LIFE IN THE TIDE POOLS

Sea anemones

I was at a conference in Dallas, TX this week and a busy schedule prevented that time was spent behind the camera. Luckily I still have a number of pictures from our trip to the Oregon coast I like to share with you.

Clams and snails in a color reach environment

It took a few days before we had the conditions that we were looking for to explore the life and beauty in the tide pools. It needs of course a low tide at a rocky beach and the colors can be revealed if the sun shines at least a little bit. A polarizing filter in front of the lens works great for eliminating most of the glare on the water and for revealing the colors on mussels, clams, sea anemones, crabs and whatever else we found.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4, Tiffen Circular Polarizer,  @ 200mm,

Hermit Crab inside shell of a gastropod snail

Sea star left on the rocks at low tide

A NOISY BUNCH (SEE THE VIDEO)

California Sea Lions, Newport, Oregon

Back to our trip along the Pacific coast in Oregon. You have not seen Newport if you didn’t see the sea lions in the harbor. From late August through early June adult and juvenile male sea lions can be seen on the docks of the Newport harbor. The females stay in California waters all year around. During the summer months male sea lions migrate south to join the females for their breeding season. (source: information board at the Newport harbor)

You don’t need a map to find them at the harbor, just follow the barking noise. There is a constant pushing and shoving going on while competing for space on the docks. Feel free to click the video below to hear and see the noisy bunch.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4,  @ 200mm

THE LONELY GUY

Greater Sandhill Crane, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

During yesterday’s trip to the Green Island Preserve I found only one Sandhill Crane. This is not really a surprise, we are stopover territory and most cranes breed further north and have probably moved on already. We do have some breeding pairs here in eastern Iowa but this bird had obviously no mate yet, maybe it is still a bit too young. Since I saw a Sandhill Crane already two month earlier in the same area I wonder if this is the same bird and it may have some impairment. I haven’t figured out that yet since I can’t be there every day to keep track.

Photographically it was the same approach as in yesterday’s image. The 1.4x teleconverter was employed and the camera was set to DX mode, delivering the same angle of view as a 1275 mm lens. I cropped the picture a little bit on the left and right hand side to keep more of the muddy mess around the bird out of the frame.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, @850 mm (1275 mm DX mode), 1/2500 s, f/9, ISO0800

UNTIL THE LIGHT WAS GONE

Greater Yellowleg, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

The weather this week was not very pleasant, with temperatures around the freezing point, rain, even a little bit of snow, and almost no sun in the sky.This changed finally today and I could realize my plans going for some wildlife shooting to the Green Island Wetlands in the Mississippi Valley this evening. All the clouds disappeared and the best thing was that the air stayed relatively cool, means it was clear and the often feared heat shimmer above the surface of the wetland didn’t occur. With other words, great shooting conditions.

I saw lots of ducks, mostly Wood Ducks and Northern Shovelers, of course Canada Geese, Bald Eagles, the local Northern Harrier, and a small number of Tree Swallows. But the most exciting encounter were three Greater Yellowlegs. These migrating sandpipers were feeding in the shallow water at Green Island but they were quite a bit away. By attaching the 1.4x Teleconverter to the lens my focal length went up to 850 mm. This seemed still not close enough and I set the camera to ”crop mode”, which uses a smaller part of the sensor only, but gave me the equivalent of 1275 mm focal length. I thought without heat shimmer, as often present at this time of the year above the water surface, I can try it and had indeed quite a few sharp images.

Before driving back home I headed to the gravel road on the westside of the wetlands and found another Greater Yellowleg foraging in the water that covered the field below after the rain. The sun was setting behind me and the bird still searched for food and flew away only after all direct light was gone.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, @850 mm (1275 mm DX mode), 1/1250 s, f/9, ISO800

HAYSTACK ROCK AT ANY WEATHER

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, Pacific North Coast of Oregon

The coast of Oregon is not a place that has sunshine all the time, especially at this time of the season. There were quite a few hours during our explorations and hikes along the shore when the colors were muted. But rain, fast moving clouds, and the surf on these stormy days created drama and the question I asked myself was, how can I make it visible in my photos? Seeing in black and white and envision how the final picture may look needs practice and I certainly could use some more of that.

The photo was made at low tide in the town of Cannon Beach. The iconic Haystack Rock attracts many people and it has been photographed probably several million times before. I did not go too low with my tripod because I wanted to have a bit more of the surf in the frame. To give the waves a sense of movement and keep the mist in the air visible I exposed 2 seconds at f/7.1. I tried longer and shorter times but this seemed to lead to the most harmonious results. The pattern in the sand changed quickly and it required reposition of the camera several times for some lines with reflections and shadows. Crushing waves broke frequently on this basalt sea stack and I was able to capture one of these moments. Who says you can’t make a photo on a stormy and rainy day…? 😉

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head,   @ 52 mm, 2 s, f/7.1, ISO 100

YAQUINA HEAD

Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Newport, Oregon

One of my favorite locations we visited at the Oregon coast last week was Yaquina Head with its lighthouse and rocky sea stacks all around. It is a great place for bird watching and offers many different angles for having some photography fun.

Colony Rock is a great habitat for thousands of seabirds. We saw Common Murres, Pelagic Cormorants, lots of Western Gulls, and some other species.

Western Gull on a rocky cliff

The lighthouse guides ships and their supplies along the west coast since the light was first lit on August 20, 1873.

View to the North Coast from Yaquina Head

NATURE CLICKS #571 - COMMON MURRE (FIRST SIGHTING)

Common Murres, Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, near Newport, Oregon

Our trip to the coast of Oregon was still a little too early for a big deal of bird photography. Nevertheless, we had a few good encounters and some of them were first sightings for us. The Common Murre nests on sea cliffs above the ocean and we found them on the cliffs at Yaquina Head Light, north of Newport, OR. During breeding season they lay one egg directly on a ledge without adding nesting material. The Common Murres feed mostly on fish, squid, or octopus and catch their prey in the bill during deep dives. They use their wings for propelling themselves and can remain underwater for up to one minute. These birds look a little bit like penguins with their tuxedoed look, but they are relatives of auks and puffins.

I had plenty of images already on the memory card when suddenly this flock took off and moved to a different cliff below the lighthouse in the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,   @ 850 mm, 1/5000 s, f/9, ISO 1250

TEMPERATE RAINFOREST, GOOD FOR THE SOUL

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head  @ 70 mm, 0.5 s, f/14, ISO 100

The landscapes along the coast of the Pacific Northwest have many things to offer for nature lovers and photographers in particular. From sandy beaches to sea stacks, the big rocks standing in the water, to a great variety of birds and sea animals. I’m always fascinated by the temperate rainforests along the coast with their gigantic trees and lush vegetation, including ferns, moss, and lichens that cover much of the forest. After a winter in the Midwest this green environment is good for the soul!

Munson Creek Waterfall, near Tillamook, Oregon

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head  @ 70 mm, 1/30 s, f/13, ISO 100

We drove a few miles inwards to see Munson Creek Falls, the tallest waterfall along the Oregon coast range (319 feet / 97 m), which is surrounded by beautiful forest. Due to a road closure we hiked a little longer as planned to get to this waterfall but every bend in the trail revealed new and interesting views. Very little light hits the bottom of the valley and it doesn’t require a neutral density filter to show some motion in the flowing water of the waterfall or Munson Creek. A tripod is of course recommended for such photos.

A CLASSIC VIEW

Cannon Beach with Haystack Rock, Ecola State Park, Oregon

This classic view from Ecola Point down to Cannon Beach, with the iconic Haystack Rock in the back, has been on my list of locations I like to visit since a long time. I’m glad we did it in the afternoon a couple days ago because the evening sky was filled with nothing but gray clouds again later in the day.

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head,   @ 36 mm, 1,6 s, f/10, ISO 100