Category Archives: Photographs: Birds

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Sunrise, Wetlands

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Sunrise, Wetlands
Winter sun rising through morning clouds is reflected in a Central Valley wetlands pond.

Sunrise, Wetlands. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Winter sun rising through morning clouds is reflected in a Central Valley wetlands pond.

This is a photograph from the same morning that produced another sunrise photograph I recently shared — one with the sun a bit lower and cranes flying above. Usually I might be disappointed to find morning clouds above the distant Sierra Nevada, but this time they were just thick/thin enough to be an advantage. The muted the intensity of the direct sun. I made this photograph just as the sun moved above a thicker band of clouds.

The foreground expanse of water obviously reflects the sunrise light and colors, but the closest portions reflect other clouds higher in the sky and less colorful. In the middle a large group of sandhill cranes stands in the shallow water.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Winter Landscape, Geese and Cranes

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Winter Landscape, Geese and Cranes
Flocks of sandhill cranes and various geese in the winter landscape of California’s Central Valley.

Winter Landscape, Geese and Cranes. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Flocks of sandhill cranes and various geese in the winter landscape of California’s Central Valley.

While I anticipate eagerly the start of the migratory bird “season” in California every fall, the most exciting time to see and photograph the spectacle is in weeks before the geese depart. By this point, it seems the birds are well fed and — from my subjective perspective — getting restless about their imminent departure. During the day I often find huge mixed flocks collected together and very active.

The primary activity seems to be feeding — which makes sense, given the monumental migration they will soon undertake. But they also seem to have a hair-trigger response to anything that concerns them — a raptor flying nearby, a coyote on the prowl, an airplane passing overhead. And when this happens they take off in huge groups, spiral around for a few minutes, land, and regroup. In this photograph a flock of geese is beginning one of these brief aerial forays.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Abstract, Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Geese in Motion

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Geese in Motion
Long exposure photograph of an airborne flock of migratory geese.

Geese in Motion. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Long exposure photograph of an airborne flock of migratory geese.

A day of my wildlife photography typically begins and ends in darkness — I arrive and set up before sunrise and “don’t pack until it’s black.” During the earliest and latest times there’s often barely enough to light to make photographs, especially with the long lenses that I favor for this subject. In the early morning I often just crank up the ISO and do the best I can. But in the evening I frequently go the opposite direction in my final shots of the day — lowering the ISO and intentionally working with rather long exposures that allow the birds’ motion to blur.

Given the popularity of sharp pictures of birds — something that I often aspire to, as well — this might seem counterintuitive. But it occurred to me some years ago that the mass of blurred motion actually better evokes the wild seeming-chaos of these mass flights. They are not so much about any particular bird as they are about the half-seen motion of the group.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Flight, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

An Eruption of Geese

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An Eruption of Geese
A large flock of migratory geese takes flight in early evening light.

An Eruption of Geese. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A large flock of migratory geese takes flight in early evening light.

The first time I witnessed one of these mass lift-offs, quite a few years ago, I could not. believe what I was seeing — the density of the flock, the sound of their wings and their calls, the tumult. I’ve seen hundreds of these events since then —sometimes many on a single day. But the thrill and astonishment remains. This group of (mostly) snow geese was settled in a field very close to us, and they would periodically take off in groups ranging from a few hundred individuals up to nearly the entire flock.

The light was fortuitous. Due to where the geese had settled, late afternoon and early evening light came from the right. (Full front or back light can be quite challenging with this subject.) Although rain had threatened earlier in the day, it cleared in the afternoon… and tremendous winds arrived. In nearby locations they were sweeping up large dust clouds, but not here — yet the slightly milky atmosphere softened the light just a bit.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.