Category Archives: Photographs: Wildlife

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Egret on the Hunt

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Egret on the Hunt
A great egret on the hunt, Pacific Flyway.

Egret on the Hunt. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A great egret on the hunt, Pacific Flyway.

Egrets were somewhat mystical and magical birds for me when I was younger. I first became aware of them in college, when the science professor teaching one of my classes became very enthusiastic about snowy egrets. I don’t recall ever actually seeing one (not until many years later), but the stories stuck in my mind. It wasn’t long after this that I became aware of the presence of great egrets. I recall seeing them on my long bicycle commutes early in the morning. My route took my past a few creeks, and every so often I would see one of the striking white birds in the creek or, more rarely, flying near one.

They still get my attention, though I confess that other birds perhaps now fascinate me more. While I’ll almost always stop and comment when I see an egret, I’ve now seen and photographed so many that the novelty has worn off a bit. Encounters usually seem to fall into several common patterns. On occasion in winter I’ll see a group of them, perhaps in a field. Occasionally I’m fortunate enough to see one in flight. But more often they are alone, usually near water, and almost always on the hunt. They are careful and patient hunters, focusing intently on their prey as then sneak up and then, with a sudden stab of the beak, make the catch. This one was so intent on hunting that it barely noticed me as I drove by at a close distance — about as close as I have gotten to one of these birds.

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

Great Blue Heron, Fog

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Great Blue Heron, Fog
A great blue heron, photographed on a winter morning of heavy fog along the Paciic Flyway.

Great Blue Heron, Fog. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A great blue heron, photographed on a winter morning of heavy fog along the Paciic Flyway.

Fog can make for lovely, evocative atmosphere when photographing birds. In fact, I often try to time my winter bird photography for foggy days. On the best of these days, the sunrise hours begin with slightly translucent fog, colored by dawn light. Then a transition begins as the sun rises and begins to make the shallow tule fog layer glow. The fog continues to thin and the light becomes more directional. Every one of these stages in the evolution of the light has its attractions, and such mornings are often quite busy.

Then there are the foggy days like this one. There is such a thing as too much fog, especially when it comes to bird photography. On this morning conditions were verging on the “I can hear them but I can’t see them” state — and at first I was unable to see most of the birds that I could hear off in the fog. I finally came across this magnificent great blue heron near the edge of a pasture, and I almost missed seeing it in the murk.

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

Departure

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Departure
Sandhill cranes take to the air in the ealry morning tule fog.

Departure. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Description

My expectations are pretty straightforward. When I arrive at these locations before dawn to photograph birds, I want exactly the right amount of fog, enough developing sunrise light overhead to warm to the light a bit, the right birds against a photogenic background. (A cup of coffee and a fresh muffin would be nice, too, but that might be pushing things.) The reality is usually a bit more complicated.

I certainly found fog when I arrived on this morning. Perhaps a bit too much fog. It wasn’t quite the sort where you might be more successful making audio records of birds than photographing them, but it was close. As I moved around looking for the right birds in the right place, I eventually came upon a group of cranes, barely visible at first in the gray light. Although it isn’t really apparent in the photograph, it was sunrise, and the birds seem to know this even when the sun’s light is blocked by the tule fog. And if it is sunrise, the birds know that it is time to rise from the ponds and head off to wherever it is that they spend their days.

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 | 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: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Red-Shouldered Hawk

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Red-Shouldered Hawk
A red-shouldered hawk perched in a wetland thicket.

Red-Shouldered Hawk. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Description

I had several opportunities to photograph what I believe was this same red-shouldered hawk on several days in early 2022. While visiting a location in the Central Valley on New Year’s Day I (and several friends) saw a hawk just like this one in almost this exact same spot. I made this photograph a few days later on a return visit. Is it the exact same bird? I can’t say. But it was perched very close to where the previous bird was and it was equally willing to allow me to be close enough to photograph it. (For those who wonder… I was photographing from the “mobile blind” of my vehicle and using a very long lens, both of which allow me to minimize any disruption to the bird.)

If you look closely at trees in places like this you’ll almost always spot some sort of predatory bird — hawk, owl, or similar — hanging out in the branches. In fact, there are a few trees I’ve gotten to know rather well over the years where I can pretty predict the specific branches on which such birds will be perched. Most of the leaves had fallen from this tree, making the bird easier to spot, and the filtered sunlight illuminated its features.

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 | 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.