Four Sandhilll Cranes Taking Flight. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Four sandhill cranes take to the air above California Central Valley fields.
Some folks are perpetual bird photographers, but I (mostly) photograph them on a seasonal basis. My serious interest began with migratory geese coming to California along the Pacific Flyway, and I got in the habit of heading into the field during their season. Along the way my interest expanded to include other birds I saw on my excursions: sandhill cranes, white pelicans, ibises, various herons, egrets, the occasional eagle, hawks, and more. Each year, about half way into the fall season, my attention turns back to the birds. I made this photograph back in early November on an early foray out into California’s Central Valley.
Sandhill cranes are marvelous birds in many ways. They flock but typically in much smaller groups than geese, so it is much more possible to photograph individual animals. (They do collect in larger numbers at times, too.) They are fairly large birds, and when they take to the air there is an initial interval when they can appear a bit awkward. They get a bit of forward motion, launch themselves upwards, and flap strongly to get altitude. In this photograph the four birds are nearly, but not quite, past that point in the take-off, and there is still a bit of what seems like flailing going on.
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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