🦅 RichKeller Photography 🏳️‍🌈

Photograph of a female common goldeneye duck swimming on the rippled surface of the Iowa River. The water is green-brown but reflects the blue sky above. The duck is in the left frame with its body facing away from the camera with its head turned to the right in full profile. Female common goldeneye ducks have white belly feathers, black and gray back feathers with white mottling, black and gray wing feathers with white markings, dark gray upper chest and neck feathers, brown head feathers, black bills, bright gold eyes with black pupils, and orange-brown legs and webbed feet. This species is a diving species, and the species is smaller compared to a mallard. The bird presents a low profile above the water except for its head when it is turned to the side presenting a large oval-shaped profile.

Goldeneye all tucked in.

#StormHour #birds #birding #BirdPhotography #waterfowl #wildlife #WildlifePhotography #nature #NaturePhotography #photography #AltText

Photograph of a juvenile American bald eagle flying against a blue sky. The view is from below, so the underside of each eagle is visible. The juvenile is in the center frame. Its body turned partly to the right in partial profile with its wings extended to its right and left and its head turned fully to its right in full profile. Bald eagles have brown body feathers, white head and tail feathers, clear light yellow-green eyes with large pupils, yellow-orange beaks that curve downward to a point, yellow-orange legs, and yellow-orange feet that end in sharp black talons. Juvenile eagles take 4-5 years to acquire their adult feathers. During that transition time the eagle's feathers begin brown and then become mottled brown and white prior to the adult stage with a white head and tail as well as a brown body. In addition to the mottled feathers this juvenile still has a mostly black beak indicating that it may be 2-3 yrs old.

Huge range of plumage among the juvenile/immature migrant eagles that visited us this yr. Cool to be able to identify individuals while editing. My guess is a 2-3yr old but it take 4-5yr for adult plumage so its not easy to tell.

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Most definitely! Was so happy with the D850 purchase. It allows me to do so much more. The old D3500 had no ISO button which was always limiting.

Thanks, Brian. Yes & I got a lot of tracking practice in. I kinda had no choice cause I couldn't get near them for a portraits, lol. Much shyer group this year. But I caught a few flight pics this yr w/ more than one eagle which is a treat👍

Photograph of a juvenile American bald eagle flying against a blue sky. The view is from below, so the underside of each eagle is visible. The juvenile is in the left frame and is flying to the right in profile with its wings extended to its right and left. Bald eagles have brown body feathers, white head and tail feathers, clear light yellow-green eyes with large pupils, yellow-orange beaks that curve downward to a point, yellow-orange legs, and yellow-orange feet that end in sharp black talons. Juvenile eagles take 4-5 years to acquire their adult feathers. During that transition time the eagle's feathers begin brown and then become mottled brown and white prior to the adult stage with a white head and tail as well as a brown body. In addition to the mottled feathers this juvenile still has a mostly black beak indicating that it may be 1-2 yrs old.

Photograph of an American bald eagle flying just above the brown, rippled Iowa River that reflects the blue sky above. The eagle is flying to the left in profile with its wings swept upwards and a freshly caught fish in its talons. Bald eagles have brown body feathers, white head and tail feathers, clear light yellow-green eyes with large pupils, yellow-orange beaks that curve downward to a point, yellow-orange legs, and yellow-orange feet that end in sharp black talons.

Juvenile and adult bald eagles for #TwoforTuesday .

#StormHour #eagles #birds #birding #BirdPhotography #wildlife #WildlifePhotography #nature #NaturePhotography #AltText

Thanks, Brian!

Thanks, Brian!

That's how I got my D850. I'm in need of a good wide angle lens in the 10-24mm range. Definitely gonna go with a used.

Thanks, Brian! Have a great week!

Thank you! There's a population here year round but I've seen big bunches of migrants coming in/through all with their breeding plumage on. Get the best photos of them in spring when they're looking sharp 👍. This one has some bright yellow eyeliner. Never seen that b4. Usually white🤷‍♂️

Photograph of a gray squirrel clinging to the side of a tree with a yellow grass lawn in the background. The tree trunk takes up most of the left frame with the grass behind. The squirrel is facing right in profile. Only the squirrel's head, upper back, neck, chest, and upper torso are visible with the squirrel's lower body above and behind the tree trunk. Gray squirrels have grey and brown fur with white abdomen and chest fur, a long bushy tail, a triangular head with dark eyes, proportionally large ears, a typical rodent muzzle, long, black whiskers, hand-like fore paws, and claws that allow the squirrel to cling to vertical surfaces.

Gray squirrel on a March morning.

#PhotoHour #spring #birds #birding #wildlife #WildlifePhotography #nature #NaturePhotography #photography #AltText

Photograph of an eastern bluebird perched on a grey tree branch with out of focus branches, orange leaves, and small patches of pale blue sky in the background. This appears to be a female or immature male. The bluebird is facing left in profile. Female or immature bluebirds have grey back and head feathers, blue wings with black markings, subdued orange on its chest and on either side of its white bellow, black beak, dark eyes, and brown legs and feet.

Late winter female bluebird blending in.

#PhotoHour #spring #birds #birding #wildlife #WildlifePhotography #nature #NaturePhotography #photography #AltText

Photograph of an American robin standing on mulch strewn ground with an out of focus gray heavily textured tree trunk in the background. The robin is facing the camera with its head turned to the left and tilted up in profile. American robins have orange chest and belly feathers with white under-tail feathers, grey back feathers, dark grey-black wing and tail feathers, black head feathers with white and black mottled chin feathers, dark eyes surrounded by white eyeliner, orange-yellow beaks, and brown legs and feet.

Handsome pre-Spring robin showing off those gams.

#PhotoHour #spring #birds #birding #wildlife #WildlifePhotography #nature #NaturePhotography #photography #AltText

Photograph of a large cluster of open or partially open purple mistflowers (Conoclinium coelestinum seems likely) surrounded by out of focus flower buds and hairy green foliage and stems. The cluster takes up most of the center frame. Mistflowers have small disk-shaped inflorescences covered in small pale blue-purple buds. The buds open first along the flower's circumference and then towards the disk's center. Each floret is filamentous and when opened create a fuzzy or "misty" appearance.

Came across mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) a few yrs back & was enamored w/ those pale purple flowers that remind me of coral or anemones.

Gonna try growing it in baskets in my garden this yr. Supposed to be easy to grow🤞

#PhotoHour #BloomScrolling #flowers #nature #photography #AltText

Photograph of an American bald eagle perched on a large gray branch with a gray overcast sky in the background. The eagle is facing mostly to the left but has its head turned further to the left to look directly at the camera. The eagle has a bit of blood on the side of its beak and feet which seems to indicate recent feeding. Bald eagles have brown body feathers, white head and tail feathers, clear light yellow-green eyes with large pupils, yellow-orange beaks that curve downward to a point, yellow-orange legs, and yellow-orange feet that end in sharp black talons.

The migrant eagles were so shy this yr that this is one of the few portraits I managed. Seems appropriate since I've taken many photos of eagles perched on that same, favored branch w/ the Iowa River behind & nearly directly below.

#StormHour #eagles #birds #wildlife #nature #photography #AltText

FYI, mine is the f/2.8. I started with a Nikon 40mm macro. The 40 is a great lens but the 105 is pretty awesome. It's a little tank of a lens. Quite heavy. Or at least the DSLR version is. It was ~$1-1.5K when I bought it new.

Thanks, Brian!

I'm using the Nikon 105mm macro w/ a Nikon D850. I use it almost exclusively for macro pics and flower portraits. It's an awesome lens imo.

Photograph of a male lesser scaup duck swimming in rippled green river water that reflects the cloudy sky above. The duck is in the center frame and is swimming to the left in profile. Male lesser scaup ducks have white belly feathers, , black and white mottled wing feathers, black tail, back, chest, neck and head feathers, black-gray bills, and black-gray legs and webbed feet.

Photograph of a female common goldeneye duck standing on ice with open water in the background. The duck is in the right frame and is facing left in profile. Female common goldeneye ducks have white belly feathers, black and gray back feathers with white mottling, black and gray wing feathers with white markings, dark gray upper chest and neck feathers, brown head feathers, black bills, and orange-brown legs and webbed feet.

Photograph of an adult trumpeter swan swimming in the reflective rippled waters of the Iowa River. The goose is swimming to the left in profile. Trumpeter swans have white plumage, black bills with a thin red line that runs along the top of the lower bill near the chin, dark eyes, and black legs and webbed feet.

Lesser scaup duck (1) along the Iowa River near the Iowa River Power Dam.

A 1st encounter/pic for me & in the same location as the goldeneye duck (2. 1st pic) the trumpeter swam (3, 1st pic) I caught back in February.

#Photography #wildlife #WildlifePhotography #nature
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Closeup photograph of a prayer plant flower with a gray background. The flower is facing the camera. Prayer plant (likely Maranta leuconeura) flowers have three white sepals supporting three asymmetrical purple petals. The petals are pale purple with dark purple feathering near the flower center with a white pistil and white stigma and white staminodes.

Photograph of a pair of yellow (likely) phalaenopsis orchid blooms with out of focus green foliage in the background. The flowers are facing the camera and are arranged vertically with the lower flower below and behind the upper flower. This orchid variety has five yellow teardrop-shaped petals that radiate from the flower's center where they fade to pink spots and pink with white feathering. The flower's center contains the yellow, pink, and white three-dimensional reproductive structures that extend horizontally from the flower's face.

Closeup photograph of a Schlumbergera cactus bloom with out of focus cactus foliage and flower buds in the background. The flower is pointed down and to the right in profile. Schlumbergera, sometimes called Holiday cactus, are a succulent and they have flat, segmented stems rather than leaves. The stems spread out from the main plant and new segments begin at the end of each stem. This variety has hot pink or magenta petals that fade to white and light pink near where the petal attaches to the flower center. Flowers begin as long, tight buds. They open into a flower with two rows of petals with one row telescoping from the other row in a tubular, oblong shape. Each row has around 10 petals. From the center of the flower extends long white stamens with yellow anthers and a long, magenta pistil with a magenta stigma.

My houseplants put on bloom just as the crocuses/tulips in my garden started growing. Seems like it happens every year so I think this their annual "I can bloom too" reminder before my attention turns outside, lol.

#PhotoHour #flowers #houseplants #BloomScrolling #photography #AltText

Thanks, Brian! Have a great day!

Photograph of a ring-billed gull in flight with out of focus gray rippled waters in the background. The gull takes up most of the left frame and is flying to the right in profile. Ring-billed gulls have white body feathers, grey wing feathers with black feathers on its wing tips, yellow-green eyes surrounded by partially visible red eye tissue, a yellow-orange beak with a black stripe around the beak near its tip, and yellow-orange legs and feet.

The visiting migratory eagles have moved on and have been replaced w/ large flocks of gulls like this ring-bill. In the past when there were large eagle #'s followed by large gull #'s, it's often followed by a large # of white pelicans🤞

#StormHour #wildlife #nature #Photography #AltText

YW!

Lovely photo, Brian!

Okay, it's a branch.

Bird on a Stick!

The bird is a lesser goldfinch
The gender is indeterminate
My guess is immature male?

The females have light eyes.

Bushtit!

I spotted this the other day in my backyard
She is a female

Actually, it was yesterday.

The other day there was this female Anna's hummingbird flying in my backyard

Everybody like pictures of hummingbirds filling up their timeline

Thanks, Brian! Got lots of opportunities this past few months. They've moved on but I still have a lot of pics to post 👍

Photograph of an American bald eagle flying against a blue sky. The view is from below. The eagle's wings are spread wide, and the tip of its right wing reaches to the of the frame and the tip of its left wing reaches down. The eagle is in the left frame and is flying to the right in profile leaving its under-tail, under-wing, legs, feet, belly, chest, neck, head, and right eye are visible. The eagle has dropped its feet to slow its approach while it's preparing to land on a nearby tree branch. Bald eagles have brown body feathers, white head and tail feathers, clear light yellow-green eyes with large pupils, yellow-orange beaks that curve downward to a point, yellow-orange legs, and yellow-orange feet that end in sharp black talons.

Almost there.

Back from hiatus but likely posting sporadically. Got a busy couple of weeks and at some point I'm gonna start clearing the gardens and getting ready for spring 👍.

#StormHour #eagles #birds #birding #BirdPhotography #wildlife #WildlifePhotography #nature #Photography #AltText

Photograph of a European starlings perched on a barkless branch or stump with out of focus branches in the foreground and out of focus branches and a blue sky in the background. The starling is facing forward with its head turned to the left in profile leaving its left eye visible. European starlings have black breast feathers that flash iridescent green and purple in the right light, dark wings with brown edging, dark eyes, sharp yellow beaks, and brown legs and feet. Starlings also have pointed feathers on the breast and head that can be raised and lowered creating a spiky appearance with each feather giving the impression of a porcupine's quill. This is likely a non-breeding/immature starling. In this case the starling has a brown head, back, and wings and large tan arrowhead-shaped spots on the tips of its spiky feathers.

Non-breeding/immature starling along the Iowa River Trail.

Whelp, had such a pleasant week away from social media that I decided to take another. The migratory eagle population has ⏬ but I still hope to get some more pics. See ya next week.

#PhotoHour #wildlife #nature #photography #AltText