Category Archives: Photographs: Northern California

Photographs from Northern California

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

Tundra Swans, Mount Shasta, Winter

March 9, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Tundra swans fly over Klamath Basin and in front of Mount Shasta

Near the conclusion of several days photographing along the Oregon/California border around Klamath Falls I packed up for the last time, loaded my vehicle, and started the long return trip to the San Francisco Bay Area. Since it was a gray and rainy morning I had been lazy, sleeping in until there was some morning light before leaving — it didn’t seem like much of a morning for bird photography, at least not by comparison to the past few days, with their beautiful morning and evening light. I drove through town, picked up my highway, and headed out.

As I drove it was raining lightly and there was mist everywhere. As usually happens, I began to see photographic potential in this winter landscape, and when I saw a cloud-shrouded lake off to one side, I quickly turned onto a side road to investigate. There wasn’t much there to photograph, but I realized that this was the far end of a road along which I had earlier photographed tundra swans. I had no idea how far away they might be, but I wasn’t in a hurry, so I decided to investigate. It turned out that I didn’t have far to go, and too I saw flocks of tundra swans lined up and passing overhead as the rain let up. i turned of this road and onto a gravel track, driving out to an area that appeared to be under the birds’ path, and from there I saw this wintry view of Mount Shasta, with layers of storm clouds stacked above its snow-covered lower slopes — and I waited until a group of the swans passed in front to make this photograph.

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

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Sunrise, Marshland, Birds

March 4, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Thousands of migratory geese fly above foggy San Joaquin Valley marshland at dawn

On this late-February day we arrived at the wetlands well before dawn, slowed by heavy tule fog along the final miles of our route. The fog was thick but not deep, and while our horizontal view was obscured we could see that objects as short as utility poles extended above the fog layer. At our destination we finally stopped, and got out of the vehicle to set up camera equipment and to get the lay of the land.

Almost immediately flocks of geese began erupting from ponds and taking to the sky, thousands at a time. First a group nearby, then one far off to one side, then another at the distant edge of the refuge, and so on until the sky was filled with them. We thought that it was perhaps the greatest bird tumult that we had seen, and we had arrived just in time to see it. (Of course, only a few days later we experienced an even more monumental evening, with tens of thousands of geese and cranes.) At first we simply photographed the birds in the low light, but eventually I turned my attention to the landscape and made a few photographs across the tule ponds toward the first light developing above the Sierra crest far to our east.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Sierra Foothills, Late Winter

March 1, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

First growth of the season brings green to Sierra Nevada foothills in late winter

During late winter many parts of California undergo stunning conversion. During the previous summer the landscape dried out under summer heat. As summer turns to fall the heat does not immediately abate, and the landscape may reach its driest point. Then, in a normal year, the winter rains finally arrive. At first the changes — mud, mostly — don’t speak of spring, but at some point in the middle of winter plants again gain a foothold and begin to sprout everywhere. Short and very greens grasses spring up. Wildflowers begin to appear on the hillsides.

This photograph is of an area that seemed to be starting the late winter transformation. Though some trees are still leafless, the hills are otherwise covered with the first, short grasses. A few flowers have begun to appear on some of the chaparral plants. And beautiful light is everywhere. This begins a short but intense period of wild land growth here. The short grasses turn to lush, thick grasses. Wildflowers take over, and the leafless trees begin to show new colors.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Rocks and Grass, Sierra Foothills

February 29, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Wildflowers and new grasses begin to sprout in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

The “impossible green” season begins early in California. I want to call this a “spring” photograph, but unlike many colder parts of the USA, these colors come to California in late winter. The effect is especially striking in years with good winter rains, and after four years of crushing drought much of California has received between normal and above normal rainfall this year. This past week it seemed like the Sierra foothills were taking advantage of all the moisture and of a recent warm spell.

Over three-day period we spend time in the Central Valley, Yosemite, and in the Sierra foothills. On the first day we were somewhat surprised to see the California Golden Poppies were already blooming in places in Merced Canyon, covering hillsides with a carpet of colorful flowers. Lower down in the foothills the short grasses have turned intensely green and wildflowers are beginning to bloom.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Category Archives: Photographs: Northern California

Tundra Swans, Mount Shasta, Winter

Sunrise, Marshland, Birds

Sierra Foothills, Late Winter

Rocks and Grass, Sierra Foothills

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.