Is it possible to get into the heart of a Western Grebe colony and witness the amazing and complex courtship of these water birds? It certainly is….if you use a floating blind/floating hide. In this episode of Shooting with Sparky he and Ryan take you out to central North Dakota’s prairie pothole region where spring bird courtship was in full swing! Western Grebes were the star of the show, performing their courtship rituals right in front of us including the “weed-dance,” “dip-shaking,” and of course, “rushing.”

Bird photography/Bird video from a floating blind is not an easy thing…but the Canon R5 makes it MUCH more possible. The animal-eye tracking works wonderfully when shooting at water level.

Other birds encountered included Eared Grebes, Red-necked Grebes, courting Forster’s Terns, American Avocets, Dunlin, and we visit an old friend at their nest, the Ferruginous Hawk.

http://www.thephotonaturalist.com

http://www.sparkyphotos.com

Ryan Marshik and I go on a bird photography video trip to the prairie pothole region of North Dakota …specifically Kidder and Stutsman counties west of Jamestown. We use our floating blinds in some alkaline lakes and cattail marshes to photograph ducks, grebes, shorebirds, gulls and more. 

Sparky risks his Canon R5 by putting it only inches above the water line in the floating hide/floating blind.

From the blind/hide we witness Western Grebes doing their rushing display/dance, Franklin’s Gulls courting, Willet courtship, mating ritual of the American Avocet, Eared Grebes dancing, Northern Shoveler’s and Wilson’s Phalarope preening and much more.

We also find a Ferruginous Hawk nest.

What a great place…and only 7 hours from home!

Sparky all dressed up with SOMEWHERE to go!
Kimmes-Tobin Wetlands, Douglas County, Wisconsin

It was a gorgeous afternoon in Duluth yesterday…Absolutely clear, sunny, and about 70 degrees. I knew I had to get out of the office and into my floating blind ASAP (“floating hide” according to the Brits). So Bridget and I picked up the kids at daycare and grabbed a take-out Hugo’s Pizza on the way home (1/2 green olive and black olive, and 1/2 sausage and mushroom if you must know…Best pizza in Duluth…Thin and greasy!) This expedited the usually lengthy dinner circus so I could get out to the marsh before sunset.

Fortunately for me, we live only five miles from one of the best and most expansive cattail marshes for many miles around. Kimmes-Tobin Wetlands is a string of manmade wetland mitigation ponds created in 1993 on 470 acres by the Wisconsin DNR to replace wetlands lost through the construction of US53, WI35 and WI13. I stepped into my new neoprene waders that Bridget got me for father’s day…Luxurious compared to the last few pairs of leaky hand-me downs. Pulled on my camo mask and eased the PVC floating blind into the water. There’s a few things you seem to conveniently forget between your trips…
1. Swamp gas really stinks!
2. Leeches thrive in these ponds
3. Muck and pond weeds are not easy to crawl through
4. Cold water ALWAYS spills over the top of your waders just as you’re leaning over to take an award-winning shot.
5. Every thing your leg bumps into under water MUST be a feisty Snapping Turtle
6. …and Wood Ducks are notoriously spooky!

It was nice just being out…even though it was under the dome of visibility-limiting camo netting. Not a breath of wind…Not a cloud on the horizon. A pair of striped juvenile Pied-billed Grebes gave me the slip…Too bad, they are interesting looking birds, Then in quick succession a female Mallard and two Wood Ducks wanted no part of this floating green and brown blob with one giant eye. But then I spotted a pair of loafing juvenile Wood Ducks. They seemed pretty relaxed on their log, so I slowly worked my way towards them.

juvenile Wood Ducks [Canon 7D with Canon 400mm f5.6 on ball head with Wimberly Sidekick, f5.6 at 1/1000 ISO 200]

Sora [Canon 7D with Canon 400mm f5.6 on ball head with Wimberly Sidekick, f5.6 at 1/1000 ISO 200]

Time to head home…So I plucked a few leeches off me, jettisoned about 100 pounds of pond weeds that were clinging to my legs, and waded to the narrow canal leading to my take out point…Then a movement caught my eye…It was a juvenile Sora coming out of its safe zone in the cattails to feed on a tiny mudflat. The light was golden and hit the Sora like a spotlight. I underexposed by a stop and a half so to keep the background black and keep the bird from blowing out. I was less than 25 feet away!

Virginia Rail juvenile stretching [Canon 7D with Canon 400mm f5.6 on ball head with Wimberly Sidekick, f5.6 at 1/250 ISO 1000]

A second rail was coming out to the flats…I assumed it was a second Sora, but turned out to be a Virginia Rail…Even more unusual than the Sora. It is a bird restricted to cattail marshes and we have few this far north. This was a juvenile also…Not as colorful as the adult but still a striking bird. By now the spotlight of sun was gone and it only backlit its hind end. But this rail put on a show. Check out the brief video clip (excuse the slight motion from trying to keep the blind stable while shooting). This is the real beauty of the floating blind…You could NEVER get this close to any rail, let alone watch it feeding, bathing and stretching. Oh, and did I mention that a Muskrat swam within five feet of me?

Virginia Rail juvenile [Canon 7D with Canon 400mm f5.6 on ball head with Wimberly Sidekick, f5.6 at 1/200 ISO 640]

frog [Canon 7D with Canon 400mm f5.6 on ball head with Wimberly Sidekick, f5.6 at 1/1000 ISO 200]

p.s. I have instructions on how to make a floating blind on my DVD (and much more video): Get Close & Get the Shot: Wildlife Photography Tips & Tricks. Available for purchase (DVD or download) at www.getclosevideo.com

Eight months in the making…and now it’s finally done…just in time for Christmas! Christmas 2012 anyway. Wouldn’t this make the perfect Groundhog’s Day gift? Wait, we missed Groundhog’s Day (or is it Groundhogs Day??) Okay, how about Father’s Day?

If you’ve ever wondered how wildlife photographers get those amazing shots you see in magazines, calendars, books and on the web, then this is the DVD for you. And we have alot of fun doing it. Check out the two clips below.

Click HERE or on sidebar icon to Purchase OR Download this 90-minute DVD (same price for each)

Want to see how these mini-adventures end? You can go to my online store: www.birdnerdz.net to purchase.

Crammed and jam-packed with helpful wildlife photography tips on getting closer to birds, mammals, reptiles and insects. In this 90-minute DVD you’ll learn tips and tricks of the pros, including…

FIRST & FOREMOST
Number 1 secret to great wildlife photography revealed!

EQUIPMENT
Why you DON’T need a 500mm f4
Teleconverters get a bad rap
“Leica” syndrome

HIDING
I once used a Blind and Now I see
Hunting Blind=Photo Blind
Grouse Blinds at Leks
The Perfect Perch: Place it and they will Come
Camouflage Clothing: Do you need it?
Camouflaging Your Equipment
The Floating Blind: Getting Mucky for Duckies
“Snow Blind”: Using Ancient Technology to get close in Winter
Canoes & Kayaks to Get Close
Floating Blind/Floating Hide
How to make your own inexpensive floating blind

ATTRACTING
Hummingbird Feeders
Backyard Bounty: Feeding our Feathered Friends
Christmas Tree Trick
Drips & Pools: Build it and they will Come
Attracting with Sound: iPod, MP3, FoxPro and your Mouth
Moose Calling
Plastic Owls: Hawk’s Worst Enemy, Photographers Best Friend

STALKING
Thinking Like a Predator
Crawling for Shorebirds: Sandy Knees equals Success
Ice-out Ducks and Otters
Get Wet to Get Close
The Stealthy Subaru: Using your car to find…and as a Blind
Bean Bags
The “Fruit Loop”: Find Fruit Trees for Fine Photos
Fence Post Friends: Roadside Routes with Fences

THE TOLERANT & THE HABITUATED
Wildlife that isn’t so Wild
Tolerant Species
Tame Individuals
Home Sweet Home: Nest Burrow and Den Photography

REMOTE SETUPS
It’s Working When You’re Not
Trail Cameras