Category Archives: Photographs: Wildlife

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Wildlife

Pelican in Flight

January 8, 2011 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

A solo pelican in flight about the Pacific Ocean coast of California.

Last May I made one of my spontaneous drives over to the Pacific coast – a 30-45 minute drive from my location in Silicon Valley – and ended up engaging in my idea of sport, “hunting” pelicans with my camera and a long lens. I know a few places where the “pelican highway” passes along a high coastal bluff where I presume that the birds can coast on updrafts caused by onshore winds rising from the water. In one or two spots I can consistently find the birds passing very close to the edge of the bluffs, and it is often just a matter of waiting a while to see them fly past at very close distances. This bird came by a bit lower than some and instead of presenting itself against the more typical backdrop of the horizon and sky, this one gave me an overhead view with the surface of the Pacific as the background.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Wildlife

Gulls, Pacific Grove Shoreline, Monterey Bay

January 6, 2011 G Dan Mitchell 6 Comments

Hundreds of gulls line the rocks of the Pacific Grove shoreline with the waters of Monterey Bay beyond.

I was tempted to call this “Lotsa’ Gulls,” but I’ll stick to my more typical descriptive naming scheme. As we drove along the coastline near Pacific Grove we came to one particular section where hundreds or perhaps thousands of gulls were perched all along the shoreline rocks. As soon as any would start to leave, another huge flock would arrive from somewhere else to take their place. I had not seen so many clustered together in such a small area right on the shoreline before.

The shot looks back into Monterey and towards the large dunes that ring in near the town of Monterey. Beyond are the hills at the lower end of the Salinas River Valley, just barely starting their annual transition from tan to greener-than-you-can-believe. One rather unique feature of this part of California is that, unlike colder states, the greenest season starts in the middle of winter, especially in rainy years like this one, and extends into about late April or so. One of the oddest juxtapositions, and we saw it later this day while driving back to the Santa Clara Valley, contains the last brown or yellow leaves of fall on trees standing above the new green grasses.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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

First Light, Tioga Meadows

August 5, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 6 Comments

The first morning light touches trees at the edge of Tioga Meadows, Yosemite National Park.

I always enjoy photographing the light at the edges of shadows as they move across the landscape early and late in the day, and I especially like the way that this light can gradually pick out subjects like these trees against a still-unlit background. With this in mind I was near Tioga Pass early in the morning as the light began to work its way down into Tioga Meadow as the sun rose above the ridges of Mounts Dana and Gibbs.

A bit of an ironic note: I was so focused on the light and the trees that I failed to notice that two deer were grazing in the scene until I began working on the photograph after returning home! If you look very closely you may be able to find one that is right at the shadow/sun edge, but I’d be surprised if anyone can find the second one.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: first, light, morning, tioga, meadows, pass, forest, mount, dana, lodgepole, tamarack, pine, deer, yosemite, national, park, california, usa, north america, sierra, nevada, mountain, range, alpine, black and white, monochrome, nature, landscape, scenic, travel, stock, shadow, hill, grove

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Wildlife

Pelicans Skimming the Waves

June 29, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

A flock of pelicans skims inches above the surface of the Pacific Ocean off of Waddell Creek Beach, Big Basin State Park, California.

Low flying pelicans skim just inches above the surface of the water near the shoreline at Waddell Creek Beach in Big Basin State Park along the California coastline. Having spent some time staring at these birds as they fly along the coast, I’m more and more amazed by their ability to closely track contours of beach and waves as they fly so low – they flow over this moving “terrain” like water over rocks. In this photograph the water picks up subtle light reflected by the slightly foggy evening sky beyond.

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