Tag Archives: america

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

White Pelicans and Geese

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White Pelicans and Geese
White pelicans and geese in the winter landscape of California’s Central Valley.

White Pelicans and Geese. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

White pelicans and geese in the winter landscape of California’s Central Valley.

This flock of white pelicans almost seems like family now — since the beginning of this season they have been hanging out in almost this exact spot every time I have visited. It used to be that I’d catch them in flight in the morning, but more recently they seem to stay right there almost the entire day. While the opportunities to photograph them flying over my position have been limited, this spot is close enough that I can photograph them on the ground… or, more accurately, on the muddy spot where they hang out in the middle of this pond.

The more distant birds are geese, almost certainly snow geese, though it is a bit difficult to make a 100% certain identification from this distance. Large groups of them were on the ground beyond the middle distance levee, and they were periodically taking off or being joined by new arrivals on this mostly-sunny morning.

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

Geese in Flight, Winter Sky

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Geese in Flight, Winter Sky
“Geese in Flight, Winter Sky” — A flock of snow geese in flight against a winter dusk sky, California Central Valley.

February seems to be the time of year when California’ over-wintering migratory birds become restless. Earlier in the season they often seem somewhat inactive and may be difficult to locate, but on February days, at least in my experience, they are more active throughout the day and are present in much greater numbers . I estimate that at one point I saw perhaps multiple tens of thousands of geese on one large system of ponds.. By evening they were everywhere, and the sound was simply astonishing.

I’ve written that my ideal winter bird photography weather calls for tule fog in the morning and hazy sky during the rest of the day. This was not that kind of day. The sun rose in clear air, and hardly any clouds appeared in the blue sky, aside from a few low clouds far to the east along the line Sierra Nevada. (At times, snow-covered peaks were visible above the clouds.) Just after sunset the sky turned pink above the blue-gray of the earth’s shadow, and this huge flock of (mostly) snow geese wheeled wildly in front of the pink-gray boundary.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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

Bluffs, Surf, and Haze

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Bluffs, Surf, and Haze
Thin fog obscures distant views beyond coastal bluffs and waves along the Pacific Coast of California.

Bluffs, Surf, and Haze. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Thin fog obscures distant views beyond coastal bluffs and waves along the Pacific Coast of California.

The scenes like this one that I photograph, visit and revisit… the more clear is the contrast between their timeless nature and the way we live our lives. This photograph comes from over almost a decade ago — which either feels like a very short time or a very long time right now — but it could have come from virtually any time in the past. There’s nothing obvious in it to link to any particular time.

The scene likely feels familiar to anyone who lives near or visits locations where coastal flatlands run up against the edge of the continent. The sea eventually wins the inevitable battle, and in the process produces a stark contrast between gentle, flat bluffs and the cliffs at their edges, which drop precipitously into the ocean and leave behind sea stacks and small islands. On this evening the sea was rather quiet and a thin fog was beginning to obscure distant views.

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: Pacific Northwest, Photographs: Urban/Street

Gazines

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Gazines
A store window in Portland, Oregon

Gazines. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A store window in Portland, Oregon

Does anyone remember these things? I believe they were called books. Full of paper pages (not web pages), and sold in places called “bookstores.” There is an entire world inside each of the volumes on the shelves behind this window. (Though not a single gazine in sight, from what I can tell.) I hear recall, though the memory is fading after a year in Pandemia, that we used to go to such places and just sort of browse.

Portland, Oregon residents might recognize the window and the shop it belongs to. The photograph comes from a visit to Portland some years back on which we had plenty of time to just wander around with no particular goals in mind — which tends to leave plenty of time for observing and photographing.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question.

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