Category Archives: Photographs: Wildlife

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

Crane, Tree, Morning Sky

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Crane, Tree, Morning Sky
A solitary sandhill crane flies into pre-dawn sky above a silhouetted tree and San Joaquin Valley wetlands

Crane, Tree, Morning Sky. San Joaquin Valley, California. December 9, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A solitary sandhill crane flies into pre-dawn sky above a silhouetted tree and San Joaquin Valley wetlands

By now you may be getting the idea that I like the brief pre-dawn interval, especially out in this autumn and winter wetlands of Central California. If so, you are right! There is a period of perhaps a half hour or so when the sky begins go glow, and the wetlands birds start their morning rituals — flying out from their overnight spots and generally raising a ruckus. Aside from their noise and fury, the rest of the landscape can be very quiet, as in this photograph.

On this morning I arrived early as usual, paused to set up my gear for photography, then began a circumnavigation of the area, slowing and stopping as various subject appeared. This bare tree, surrounding by reflecting water and set against the pre-dawn sky, caught my attention and I paused to make a few photographs. During this one a solitary crane passed through the scene.

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.
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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: Wildlife

White Pelicans, Winter Sky

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White Pelicans, Winter Sky
A flock of white pelicans flies toward post sunset light above the San Joaquin Valley

White Pelicans, Winter Sky. San Joaquin Valley, California. January 1, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A flock of white pelicans flies toward post sunset light above the San Joaquin Valley

There are many things about the winter landscape of the Great Central Valley of California that are worth of attention and photography: the agricultural lands, the distant mountains, but especially the vast sky with its cloud landscapes, and the birds. I made this photograph earlier this year — actually on the first day of 2017! I hope to be out photographing this same subject again on the first day of 2018, too.

For many years I’ve known about and been interested in the brown pelicans that are commonly found along the California coast. However, I’m almost embarrassed to admit (as a long time Californian) that I was completely unaware of the beautiful white pelicans that are found in many locations in the state, including these inland wetland areas. This group flew over in the twilight sky and lined up in a form paralleling that of the evening clouds.

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.
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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: Wildlife

Birds Before Dawn

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Birds Before Dawn
A flock of small birds rises into pre-dawn sky about San Joaquin Valley wetlands

Birds Before Dawn. San Joaquin Valley, California. December 9, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A flock of small birds rises into pre-dawn sky about San Joaquin Valley wetlands

This was a long day with lots of driving. In the evening I would be in Oakhurst, in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Yosemite, where I planned to attend the reception for “AVIAN: Birds In A Changing Landscape,” an exhibit of art related to the lives of birds in California. (Two of my photographs are in the show, and it runs through January 14 at Gallery Five.) But before going to Oakhurst I figured I would start my day by visiting the San Joaquin Valley wetlands, the environment where the birds actually live.

After a two-hour drive I arrived a half hour or so before dawn. I grabbed a quick cup of coffee from my thermos, put the big lens on my camera, and turned my attention to the surrounding bird-filled landscape. Within moments I was stunned to see something new to me — an absolutely huge flock of very small birds rose in the distance. My best guess is that they may have been tai-color blackbirds, but the numbers were far beyond anything I had seen here before. The light was too low and they were too far away to make an effective photograph, but before long a very small fraction of the flock came across this section of the wetlands closer to my location, and I was able to photograph them against the pre-dawn sky.

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 | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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: Wildlife

Morning Cranes, Pond

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Morning Cranes, Pond
A large flock of cranes, resting in a pond on a foggy morning, prepares to take flight

Morning Cranes, Pond. San Joaquin Valley, California. December 9, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A large flock of cranes, resting in a pond on a foggy morning, prepares to take flight

I made this photograph on a bit of a gray morning. As I drove toward this place the sky was clear, but just before sunrise the typical Central Vally tule fog began to develop. It did not completely sock the area in, but it turned the sky gray and obscured views of distant trees and other subjects before long.

As things come to life in the early morning hours in these wetlands areas, the cranes are often the first birds to take flight in large groups. (Though, unlike geese, whose groups may include thousands of birds, a group of cranes is often fewer than ten.) I was early enough to spot where the cranes were coming from before all of them were gone, and I arrived at this spot to see a large group of them standing in the shallow water, gradually taking off a few at a time. If you watch quietly, the birds seem to be very quiet — but almost without warning some of them will appear to stretch forward a bit, and soon they take to the air.

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 | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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