Two Geese Landing. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two geese descend to land in a wetland pond

Since we’re well into my “bird season,” focused on migratory and other birds, I’ll stick with that theme a bit longer. I photographed this pair of geese (I’m pretty sure they are Ross’s geese) back at the beginning of December. Near the end of the day I moved to where the light would come in from the right, highlighting light and shadow and the textures of the birds features. Not too long before sunset, geese began to arrive and land in the pond, and I was able to photograph their descent.

I often marvel at the contortions of these birds during the final instants of their flights. In the air they are often graceful, but the landings vacillate between that grace and nearly-out-of-control clumsiness as they transform from creatures of the to earthbound animals. They glide in, instinctively facing into the breeze, and can sometimes then seem to almost drop right out of the sky. Wings go upwards, feet extend down, and necks stretch forward, and quickly they are on the ground.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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