Tag Archives: birds

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

Cranes Departing

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Cranes Departing
“Cranes Departing” — Restless sandhill cranes take flight from wetlands on a winter morning.

On a typical winter morning where migratory birds hang out, the cycle of early photography often follows a familiar arc. I arrive in near-darkness and start photographing right away, especially when the birds are very active. Rather than being selective about where and when… I follow the patterns that the birds present. If cranes are taking off from a pond, I go there. If a huge flock of geese is flying out, I photograph that. Despite arriving with a plan, these first moments are often about improvising with the conditions I find.

Then, around sunrise or just afterwards, things may slow down a bit. A bit more strategizing may be effective, and I take stock of the light and atmosphere, the locations of birds before figuring out what I’ll do next and where I’ll do it. On this morning I settled on near a large group of sandhill cranes that was still hanging out in and around a shallow pond. I stopped and waited, expecting that they would soon become restless and begin to fly out, a few birds at a time. And, indeed, that is what happened.

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

Sharing the Sky

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Sharing the Sky
Three sandhill cranes share the Central Valley sky with a few geese.

Sharing the Sky. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Three sandhill cranes share the Central Valley sky with a few geese.

During the first part of March, the migratory birds that call the Central Valley home during the winter seem to become restless. At this time of the year I think back to my first late-autumn visits to the birds and recall how it was sometimes hard to find them at all back then, and when I did they were frequently in small groups and at times in places that were not accessible to me. But by the end of their annual residency, they become much more active and appear in greater numbers.

It seems to me that the different kinds of large birds interact with other species much more late in the season. In the early season I might find cranes in one place and geese in an entirely different sort of location. By late winter they often appear together, and mixed groups are often seen in the air and on the ground. In this photograph you can see three varieties of migratory birds — the large sandhill cranes in the middle, a couple of white-fronted geese below, and a group of white snow geese above.

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

Edge of the Flock

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Edge of the Flock
A large flock of migratory snow geese in a pond in California’s Central Valley.

Edge of the Flock. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A large flock of migratory snow geese in a pond in California’s Central Valley.

The conditions must be just right, you must arrive at the correct time, persistence is necessary, and a bit of luck is important. If all of this works out you may encounter stunningly large flocks of over-wintering migratory geese covering the landscape in parts of the Central Valley of California. If you are extra lucky and extra persistent one of the flocks may settle in right next to you.

I don’t know how many birds were in this flock, but it stretched across this large pond and over a great distance from side to side. The visual impact is obvious, but unless you are there you miss out on the sonic effect. The flock produces a constant audio drone, with sudden crescendos when a threat appears — and with that threat all of the birds’ heads rise straight up on their long necks until it passes.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Six Cranes in Flight

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Six Cranes in Flight
Six cranes in flight against California Central Valley winter sky

Six Cranes in Flight. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Six cranes in flight against California Central Valley winter sky.

This was a very cooperative flock of lesser sandhill cranes. Although, as expected, they did divert away from my position to avoid flying over me as they passed, the did face into the light in just the right way, and they managed to (intentionally, I’m sure!) coordinate their wing positions so that almost all of the basic wing positions are visible. Even more: not one of them blocks another bird, and all of them are completely visible.

I photographed this group on a late-winter day when I had gone to California’s Great Central Valley. Based on past years the departure of the great flocks of snow and Ross’s geese was only days away, and I hoped to photograph them one more time. The end of “goose season” (though a few other types of geese stick around) is perhaps the best time to photograph geese and cranes in their active modes. Huge flocks of both kinds of birds are around, and they are often easier to photograph at this time of year.

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. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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