Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Levee Road, Trees, Fog

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Levee Road, Trees, Fog
“Levee Road, Trees, Fog” — Morning tule fog clears beyond a pair of Central Valley trees next to a levee road.

I love tule fog and the mysterious atmosphere it creates. But even more, I love what happens as it clears. Out here in the Central Valley the fog often seems to drift and thin unevenly. It moves away in one place to reveal a hazy landscape, but nearby the fog lingers and blocks longer views. Visible overhead through the shallow layer is combination of blue morning sky, high clouds, and sometimes soft remnants of the dissipating fog.

This scene is along a levee road, one of a seemingly infinite number of similar roads out in the wet parts of the valley. Many Californians, including me, tend to think of the summertime Central Valley, a place that is known for heat and dryness. But in the winter it can be the opposite, a cold and damp place, often dotted by seasonal ponds and lakes.

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

Foraging Snowy Egret

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Foraging Snowy Egret
“Foraging Snowy Egret” — A foraging snowy egret about to eat its catch in Central Valley wetlands.

Almost any time I spot any sort of egret, it seems like the bird is busy eating. The snowy and great egrets, in particular, always seem to be hunting — and they are quite expert at it. I had gone to a little point overlooking a pond, intending to photograph small birds, when I noticed this snowy egret in the plants along the shoreline. I began photographing, figuring that it would quickly fly off or at least begin to edge away — but it stuck around and continued foraging.

The first I heard of these birds was in a college natural history class. The professor was a particular fan of the snowy egrets — I believe he wrann a group working to protect them. Oddly, I don’t recall actually seeing the birds or at least learning to recognize them until decades later. The first egrets I remember seeing were great egrets that I would encounter along creeks in the early morning, but since I began paying more attention I have seen many snowy egrets and a few of their other cousins.

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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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Wetland Pond and Trees, Dawn

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Wetland Pond and Trees, Dawn
“Wetland Pond and Trees, Dawn” — A line of trees along a levee between wetland ponds silhouetted against winter Central Valley sunrise sky. with the Sierra Nevada in the distance.

I made this photograph in a quiet corner of a place where I often photograph in winter. Trees grow along a levee separating a small pond from a much larger body of water where migratory birds sometimes land. I had a brief window of sunrise light on this morning, as clouds from an arriving weather system moved overhead and on toward the east, darkening the sky except for a narrow strip above the distant Sierra Nevada.

I have photographed these trees before, though in quite different light. Birds often are found here, though not typically the larger geese and cranes. (By good luck, a line of geese passed along the trees as I made the exposure, but you might have to look for them.) More common birds are the various “little brown birds,” plus some raptors and the occasional owl.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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

Winter Geese, Winter Pond

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Winter Geese, Winter Pond
“Winter Geese, Winter Pond” — Migratory geese (including Rosss, snow, and cackling geese) settle in a California Central Valley pond as a weather front approaches.

On the best winter days, migratory birds gather by the hundreds of thousands (millions?) up and down California’s Central Valley, especially where the winter wetland ponds form. I first became vaguely aware of this decades ago on a winter drive up the Sacramento Valley on my way to Washington, when for the first time I saw multitudes of birds in the winter sky. Later a chance comment by a friend led me to a location in the delta where birds gather by thousands. Since then, I’ve been addicted to experiencing and photographing this annual wonder.

I made this photograph on a cloudy morning. The cloud shield overhead extended to the edge of the Sierra, which meant we had a brief but brilliant sunrise above the mountains. Then everything went mostly gray and hazy, and the light turned soft. These geese — largely a mixture of Ross’s, snow, and white-fronted — settled into a pond where I paused.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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

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