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Tips, advice and philosophy on photography

A Peaceful Morning With The Loons, et al, June 8, 2022

On June 8, 2022 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Monday morning was a beautiful spring morning to visit the loons and friends. Provided one doesn’t object to paddling about in 42° weather. Let’s see what I found.

The Adirondack Loon Center is raffling off a Hornbeck Canoe to raise funds for loon preservation in the Adirondacks. Hornbeck boats are beautiful, very light weight boats, worth taking a look.

One of our pair of loons was patrolling the pond and foraging as the sun rose.

A few minutes later, the loon departed on an errand. The pond is surrounded by hills. Often departing loons have to circle the pond to gain enough altitude to clear the hills, giving me an extra change to get in flight shots.

A song sparrow went through his repertoire to greet the morning.

Mr. Oriole was busy hauling groceries to his nest.

A couple mergansers promenaded around the pond.

Even Mrs. Kingfisher was generous enough to hold still for a photo – quite the rare occurrence.

Our loon on nest duty took a break to stretch, preen, forage and nap after a time.

birds, common loons, loons, nature photography, new hampshire wildlife, vermont wildlife, wildlife photography

More Of The Usual Suspects, May 15, 2022

On May 15, 2022 - Wildlife Photography

Last week’s beautiful spring weather let me head out in the kayak six times in various ponds and streams around the area. There is lots of wildlife activity going on, with plenty of photo ops.

A North American porcupine foraging along the water’s edge.

You can follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uppervalleyphotos/ or @uppervalleyphotos.

Geese are still raising a ruckus, though they’re beginning to quiet down a bit as they’ve claimed their territories and have eggs or goslings.

Goslings are still sticking very close to their parents.

A wood duck drake showed himself – briefly – before taking flight.

A trio of mallard drakes pose nicely on a log.

But, every family has that one kid that doesn’t want to pose nicely.

Kingbirds are still sorting out who gets what territory and the number of kingbirds has grown greatly in the last week. Dragonflies have started showing up for the spring, giving the kingbirds nice targets for a meal.

This little olive-sided flycatcher is a deceptive one. He repeatedly called ‘quick, free beer!’ But, not only did he refuse to provide said beer, he refused to dispense beverages of any sort.

I got lucky and noticed a chickadee flying into a hold in a stump at the water’s edge. I got to watch both chickadees as they worked to improve the hole for their nest.

Both chickadees in the pair would fly into the hole and disappear for a few seconds before flying out with some debris they didn’t want in their nest.

A male yellow-bellied sapsucker working his sap line. Sapsuckers bore holes in living trees. They’ll return to the holes to feed on the sap and any insects trapped in the sap.

A swamp sparrow foraging along the shoreline.

There is lots of loon activity on one pond. I think there is a pair that have claimed the lake, but they’ve faced several challengers for the territory. One morning there were eight loons on the pond. So far, I’ll I’ve seen a fairly peaceful dispute. The loons circle each other and occasionally display to try to drive the other loons away. This is enough to settle some loon disputes, other times there can be a fight to the death.

This is one of the loons that was involved in the territory dispute. It has decided to leave.

One of the loons on the pond came over to have a look at me.

The loon apparently found me not worthy of interest and gave a stretch before heading back to the other loons.

One morning the pair of loons on the pond seemed to be searching for real estate to build their nest. They’ll explore along the shoreline and hummocks in marshy areas. They’ll occasionally poke at the brush, while having a quiet conversation. Eventually, the male will decide on a spot for the nest.

One of the loons with water dripping off his bill after pulling his head out of the water.

What I think is the resident pair of loons on the pond had a peaceful morning foraging on the pond.

birding, birds, common loons, loons, new hampshire wildlife, porcupine, vermont wildlife

Toadapalooza! Toad Mating Season Is Here

On May 15, 2022 - Wildlife Photography

Spring takes a while coming to the North Country. A couple of pretty good signs that the risk of snow has passed is turtles coming out to bask in large numbers and American toads gathering to mate. I recently ran across a knot of about 200 toads getting together to find mates.

An American toad sitting on a log in the water near a gathering of toads looking for mates.

Many of my images are available as prints at: http://IanClark.com.

A male American toad calling to attract a mate. Toads inflate their dewlap to give a shrill trilling call to attract females.

Toads gather in groups in response to the male’s call. Here’s a toad floating not far from the brush pile where the toads have gathered.

A toad hopping out of the water onto a log.

Adult toads live most of their lives on land, coming to the water to mate and lay eggs. The eggs will hatch into tadpoles which will develop into toads.

The male in the foreground was sitting on a log calling when he was approached by another male.

Male toads try to grab onto any other passing toads to find a mate, sort of like a every frat party. If they realize they’ve grabbed another male, they’ll let go and move on.

male grasps the female from behind. She’ll lay her eggs in the water, he’ll fertilize them as she lays them.

A head on view of a pair of toads mating.

Sometimes many males will try to mate with a single female. They’ll grab on where they can, making a toad ball.

It was hard to tell what was going on with this toad ball. I think there were five toads involved when I found it.

The males will keep trying to improve their grip and to knock the other males off of the female. It is hard to tell who is whom while they wrestle.

The males continue their struggle to get closest to the female and drive the other males away. And, here, the toad in the foreground is a newcomer to the ball.

Take your best guess for how many toads are in the ball. They stayed together long enough that I began to worry about the female at the bottom of the pile drowning.

American toad, amphibian, herpetology, herps, nature photography, new hampshire wildlife, toad, vermont wildlife, wildlife photography

The Usual Suspects, May 6, 2022

On May 6, 2022 - Uncategorized, Wildlife Photography

Let’s round up the usual suspects. I finally had time to get the kayak in the water and have ventured to a couple of the local waterholes. Let’s see who I’ve found.

Geese seem to be everywhere near the water this time of year. Lots of them coming & going or squabbling over territory. Here’s one inbound.

One of a pair of geese that landed near what another pair of geese considered their territory. This goose left in a hurry.

Lesser yellowlegs foraging along the bank.

A swamp sparrow surveying the territory.

A male yellow-rumped warbler, aka ‘butterbutt’ and lots of his friends have been out gleaning along the water’s edge.

Mrs. Butterbutt thinks nabbing a tasty bug is as easy as falling off a branch.

Elvis, the kingbird, is back for the season.

I was headed upstream when I met a muskrat coming downstream.

An adult bald eagle flew down the river, briefly silencing the geese.

A murder of crows escorting a red-tailed hawk from the premises.

The crows seemed pretty insistent that the hawk move along.

I was lurking peacefully in the reeds when this bittern let out a pump-er-lunk just a few feet from me.

This beaver escorted me from one end of his pond to the other, slapping all the way.

This is just after the tail slap, just a foot remains above water.

A common gallinule appeared – briefly – from the reeds.

And a male red-winged blackbird claiming his territory.

There was a pair of loons foraging on the pond Sunday evening. That’s the beaver in the foreground. The loons seemed unimpressed by his tail slapping.

A local common loon heads out on some errand. Loons are excellent fliers, but have to run across the water for many yards to get enough speed for liftoff.

Our outbound loon had to circle the pond a couple times to gain enough altitude to get over the hills surrounding the pond.

A loon stretching. That’s the beaver in the background.

I’ll be following a couple loon families throughout the summer, along with other critters. Sign up for notifications to follow along.

bald eagle, beaver, beaver slapping, bird in flight, bird lovers, birds of new hampshire, birds of vermont, canada goose, common loon

Mrs. Bluebird Works On Her Nest

On April 7, 2022 - Bluebird Cam, Uncategorized, Wildlife Photography

You need to add a widget, row, or prebuilt layout before you’ll see anything here. 🙂

Today is the third day that Mrs. Bluebird has been working on her nest in our camera equipped nesting box. She made several trips in with material this morning before taking a midmorning break.

I installed a camera inside the box to let us watch their progress without disturbing them. Today’s video is in black and white because the camera has a automatic exposure sensor that switches to B&W in low light. We’re having a gloomy morning here in Vermont and there isn’t much daylight.

bird nest, bird video, birding, birds, bluebird, bluebird nest, bluebirdcam, eastern bluebird, wildlife video

Turkey Shoot – Photographing Wild Turkeys

On March 27, 2022 - Game Birds, Wildlife Photography

Wild turkeys are starting to strut here in Vermont. Strutting is a display by the males to attract the ladies. They’ll fan their tailfeathers and keep moving around to be in in front of the females. This is a great time to photograph them. Not only are the males showing their finery, but you’ll often see fights as the males try to drive each other away from the flock.

The light on turkeys makes or breaks the image. With low angle, early morning light, turkeys are iridescent and the male’s face and wattle are brightly colored. Wait a few minutes after sunup and they appear a drab brown. Shooting just after dawn is critical.

Finding turkeys is relatively easy. They’re sort creatures of habit. You’ll usually find a flock working through the same field(s) every morning. They roost in trees come dusk. You can hike along the edge of the field you’re planning to shoot the evening before to see where they’re roosting to give you an edge the next morning.

Turkeys are hunted regularly and are very wary of people. For the best photos, you’re going to need a blind. Fortunately, there are lots of blinds made for turkey hunters. They’re perfect for photography. If you have to hike in to your spot, a chair blind is easy to carry. If you’re shooting not far from your car, a larger tent style blind gives you more room. (Vermont is still chilly, having more room to pour some tea out of my Thermos is a big plus.)

You’ll want a relatively high, 1/1000th or faster, shutter speed to be ready when the kerfuffles start. Mounting your camera on a tripod with a ball or gimbal head saves the hassle of holding the camera and lets you pan to the action.

Be sure to check your local hunting laws, you don’t want to be in the field with hunters. If you’re on private land, you can usually coordinate with the landowner to keep you and the hunters apart.

So, get out and get some turkey pix. If you’re timing it right, you’ll be home early enough for a good breakfast.

how-to photograph wild turkeys, wild turkey, wildlife photography

Loon Chicks at Ten Weeks, September 7, 2021

On September 7, 2021 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Our loon chicks are now about ten and a half weeks old. I had a chance to catch up with them this morning. Both chicks seem to be doing well. They’re growing fast. Both are feeding on their own – as well as pestering their parents for food.

They’re getting very independent, one wander off something like a half mile from the parent on duty this morning. (Only one parent was around this morning, the other has probably headed off for a short break.)

One of the osprey made an appearance as well. It flew over the pond a few times, then settled on a branch to watch.

After several minutes, it flew back over with a nice breakfast.

Most of the loon’s morning was spent foraging, or pestering the parent to forage. The loons didn’t seem to have much luck catching fish. The parent surfaced several times with fingerlings, but never a good-sized fish.

Here’s our parent inbound with another crayfish.

The crayfish didn’t get far, our chick ties again..

The chick is determined and tries again.

No! Not again! Once more the crayfish makes a break for it!

As soon as our parent surfaced this morning, at least one of the chicks would head over and start pestering the parent for a meal. If the parent was delivering a meal, the chick would eat that and immediately start pestering. The parent was rarely on the surface for more than a few second at a time. The parent was pretty good at deflecting the chick’s bill away, but the chicks were persistent and often managed to pinch the parent.

The chicks seem to prefer to grab a bit of neck to get attention.

One of our chicks eventually took a break from foraging and did some feather maintenance. First the feathers on top…

Then a good wing flap to get everything back in place.

This shot gives a good view of the flight feathers along the bottom of the chick’s wing. Won’t be long before they’re put to use.

The trees on the hills around our pond are already turning a little rusty. We’ve got just a few weeks left before our family moves on.

Checking In With The Loons, August 4, 2021

On August 4, 2021 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Our loon family with two chicks was receiving visitors yesterday morning, August 3. The chicks are now 46 & 47 days old. They both appear to be doing well. They’re diving, and occasionally catching food, on their own. But, they’re always hungry and encouraging the parents to feed them.

The loons will have to take a brief hiatus. I’ll be down at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Fair for through August 15. I’ll resume the story as soon as possible after the Fair.

The loons were foraging at the far end of the pond from the boat launch, I ran into some of the usual suspects along the way to see the loons. This is the most common view I get of common mergansers.

The fishing wasn’t very good this morning. Hank caught just one small fish while I watched.

This osprey made seven or eight dives without catching anything before perching to watch for a meal.

This was the largest fish I saw the parents hand off to the chicks.

The parents were foraging fairly far away from the chicks. They were covering a good portion of their pond.

One of the loons took some time off from feeding the chicks to preen….

The chicks are getting big. From a distance, it is hard to tell them from their parents. Their fluff is going and their feathers are growing in.

The chicks were actively foraging in the shallow water. They both managed to catch food. There appeared to be several dragonfly nymphs, but most of what they caught was too small for me to ID.

And one last shot of the chicks before I had to head out.

birding, birds, loons

A Visit With The Loons, Chicks Are 22 & 23 Days Old, July 11, 2021

On July 11, 2021 - Herons, Loons, Raptors, Wildlife Photography

I spent the morning visiting the loon family with two chicks in the Upper Valley area. Both chicks appear to be doing well, both are growing rapidly, are active and feeding eagerly.

The loons aren’t the only inhabitants of their pond. This great blue heron was out and about a little before sun up.

I got too close to Hank for the shot with my long lens before I noticed him. I debated it it was worth turning around, getting further back and waiting for the water to settle again. I figured he’d move along before I was set. Glad he didn’t.

After the fog lifted, an osprey was up hunting for breakfast, and came to a hover almost directly overhead. Loons appear to differentiate osprey from other raptors at long range. Hawks and eagles are met with cries and the chicks flatten out to hide. But, the loons pretty much ignore the osprey (whose diet is almost entirely fish).

One of the adults stretching. I think this is our banded loon. The Loon Preservation Committee banded a bird with this combination of bands at Lee’s Pond in Moultonborough, NH, in 2015. The weren’t able to determine the sex while banding (I’m betting this is mom – the other loon is clueless about dealing with the chicks). It was spotted on Lake Tarleton in 2015 and on the current pond since 2018.

UPDATE: I guessed wrong. Eventually I was able to catch this bird yodeling, which only males do. He’s a much more attentive parent than mom.

This pair of adults seems particularly fond of crayfish for feeding the chicks. They delivered several large crayfish early in the morning.

This chick has learned to toss the crayfish up to grab it tail first for easier swallowing.

After the first feeding, there was a break while the parents preened and the chicks napped. One of the adults swam close to my boat to preen. I got great views as it cleaned and oiled its feathers. (And, ‘close’ is a relative term, these were with an 800mm lens and cropped.)

Feathers adjusted, time to give them a fluff and check to see if they’re repelling water.

The family spent most of the morning in shallow water, with the chicks practicing diving and foraging. It will be a while before they can feed themselves, but they’ve started learning. This guy made a successful dive and managed to catch a stick. Sticks apparently do not make good snacks.

The parents eventually got serious about feeding the chicks and started bringing in fish.

Adult loons seem unfamiliar with the concept of volume. They brought in fish that appeared way too big for a chick to swallow. This little guy was up to the challenge, but had to work at it.

The other chick got a shot at the next fish that was delivered.

The adult recovered it, and handed (billed?) it back over.

This fish proved to be too big, one of the adults ended up eating it.

And a last shot of one of the chicks stretching.

Another Morning With The Loons

On July 8, 2021 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Tuesday morning found me back out with our loon family. We had a dark, cloudy start to the morning, but the sun broke through by the time the loons got going with their day.

One of our parents taking a break during preening to have a look around.

Both chicks appear to be doing well, they’re growing quickly. Both were active and eager to feed. I parked my kayak near the shallow water where they’ve been feeding. It didn’t take long before they came over and started scrounging up breakfast. This little guy seemed curious about me.

The parents made many forays for food for the chicks. Here’s one with a horned pout for the chicks. This is the first time I’ve seen a parent kill (or at least seriously wound) food for the chicks. Usually they deliver it alive, often dropping it in the water in front of the chick to let the chick practice hunting.

This parent is trying to deliver what appears to be a pickerel to the chicks, but let it slip. It had to be relocated and grabbed again.

The parent drops the fish back in the water and the chick looks for it.

The chick has caught the fish and is working to get it down.

Here’s another delivery, this time a small enough fish to swallow easily.

One chick managed to hunt down a leaf all on his own.

The leaf received a good thrashing, but still turned out not to be tasty.

The chicks are both preening and cleaning feathers regularly.

Here’s a chick reaching back to rub his uropygial gland.

But, mostly, the chicks spent the morning just being cute.

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