Category Archives: Photographs: Birds

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

White Pelican In Flight

Image Leave a comment
White Pelican In Flight
A white pelican in flight on a foggy Central Valley morning

White Pelican In Flight. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A white pelican in flight on a foggy Central Valley morning.

From time to time, as you may have realized if you have followed me for a while, I declare some bird to be my favorite. At various times the “favorite” has been the trumpeter swan, one or another type of egret, ibises, geese (snow? Ross’s?), sandhill cranes (they keep returning to the list), bald eagles, water ouzels, and others I am perhaps forgetting. OK, so I’m fickle! This year I’m starting to think that white pelicans may get the nod this year. For a long time I didn’t know about them. Then I recognized them but didn’t realize how common they are around here. Then I became more fascinated by their stand-offish manner, their lumbering flight, and their prehistoric quality.

As I photograph birds I gradually learn more about their behaviors, at least those that affect how I photograph them. I’ve learned of a few places where I can somewhat reliably find these birds on the ground, typically at a distance that is too great to photograph them well. But I’ve also learned that eventually they take flight, and I’ve figured out a few things about their likely trajectory, thus allowing me to place myself in position for a possible fly-over. That’s exactly what happened on this morning when, after watching them on the ground for some time, they took flight away from me (so as to take off into a slight headwind) and then circled back around to cross almost directly over my position.

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.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Flock In Flight

Image Leave a comment
Flock In Flight
A large from of Snow Geese in flight. against late-fall foggy sky.

Flock In Flight. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A large from of Snow Geese in flight. against late-fall foggy sky.

If you spend time around birds that live in flocks, especially very large flocks, you will frequently see (and hear!) events like this where many hundreds or thousands of birds take to the air at once. I’ve seen it with geese, to some extent with sandhill cranes (sometimes along with the geese), and even with starlings. It is always a remarkable experience, and the group behavior of flocks never fails to evoke wonder.

This time of year, up and down the western United States, the Pacific Flyway provides plenty of opportunities to experience this. I’ve seen it from Washington to California. And, believe it or not, I’ve also seen much bigger and denser flocks! I am pretty certain that these birds are snow geese.

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.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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

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

White Pelicans, Island

Image Leave a comment
White Pelicans, Island
A small flock ofwhite pelicans on a small wetlands island and reflected in the surface of a pond.

White Pelicans, Island. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A small flock ofwhite pelicans on a small wetlands island and reflected in the surface of a pond.

Growing up in California, early on pelicans were more or less mythical birds to me. I heard stories about them (“Its beak can hold more than its belly can”) but I don’t recall actually seeing them. That is somewhat odd, since my family frequently visited the California coast where the brown pelicans are often seen — flying past almost any coastal location or sometimes settling down on rocks, headlands, or even beaches. When I finally did “discover” pelicans, they were these brown pelicans. Much to my eventual surprise, these were not the only California pelicans, and the beautiful white pelicans are found all over the place, from coastal to inland locations. It was only in the past decade or sot that I made their acquaintance.

In my experience, the behavior of white pelicans is much different than what I’ve see among brown pelicans. My impression of the brown pelicans is that they are often (most of the time?) in flight, coasting along shoreline bluffs and not spending all that much time on the ground. On the other hand, most of the time when I’ve seen white pelicans they have been on the ground, as with this group. Often when I photograph them I spend a lot of time watching flocks on the ground like this one, waiting for them to eventually take to the air. Sometimes it is a long wait! This group posed on the small island for quite a while before they finally took to the air, made a swooping turn, and passed almost directly over me.

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.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Feeding Black-Necked Stilt

Image 2 Comments
Feeding Black-Necked Stilt
A black-necked stilt feeding in a season wetland pond.

Feeding Black-Necked Stilt. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A black-necked stilt feeding in a season wetland pond.

The black-necked stilt is a fascinating bird, even to someone like me whose knowledge of birds is somewhat limited. (I know a lot by osmosis and observation, but not much at all from formal learning.) I often seen them along the margins of wetland ponds, where the water is just about the right depth for their long legs. Sometimes I see one of them alone, but more often they are in small, loose group. They seem to spend a lot of time foraging, and much less flying about — though every so often they will quickly take off.

They are an interesting combination of gangly awkwardness and sleek beauty. Those long legs can almost give them a comic appearance at times, but they also allow them to wander about in water that is several inches deep. Their coloration is simple but striking — white on the bottom and black on top — and their round heads hold long narrow beaks. When you observe them you are bound to see them do some odd things with their legs — sometimes moving them with great deliberation, occasionally holding delicately balanced poses, sometimes bending awkwardly.

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.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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