Tag Archives: central

Photographs: Agriculture, Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Winter Corn

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"Winter Corn" — Old corn left on the stalk in a winter field.
“Winter Corn” — Old corn left on the stalk in a winter field.

We don’t usually see corn on the stalk this late — by now it usually has been harvested, either for human food or animal feed. The stalks are left to decay for a while or sometimes salvaged for seasonal autumn decorations. Eventually they are knocked down — and it parts of California they get burned. It is quite unusual to find stalks with fully mature ears of corn on New Year’s Day, which is when I made this photograph.

So, why are the ears still there in this field? Not everyone understands the multiple factors driving support for wildlife refuges. Many of us are simply grateful they are there, providing safer places for migratory and other birds. But hunting and agriculture have played a big part. Here, attracting birds to places that are not someone’s field is one of the goals, and this crop provides feed for migratory 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: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Two Snow Geese Landing

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Two Snow Geese Landing
“Two Snow Geese Landing” — Two snow geese in the final moments before landing in a Central Valley wetlands pond.

The larger migratory birds often are graceful or powerful in flight, individually or in flocks. But that tends to break down in some ways as they land. They approach the ground, slow to stalling speed, crane necks forward, extend feet downwards, orient their bodies more vertically… and sometimes look downright silly at the last moment. (An exception can be the angle-like uplifted winds of geese in descending groups.) This pair is just at that moment then they transition from flight to landing.

This is a challenging moment to photograph the birds, but knowing a few tings about their behavior can increase your odds. Like airplane pilots, they come around to land facing the wind. If you can position yourself upwind from their likely landing point you get bird faces instead of bird butts. Also, at the last moment they tend to appear in front of distracting backgrounds. Here a larger aperture can blur the background, and looking for backgrounds that don’t include things that you don’t want in your photo — automobiles, buildings, power lines, etc.

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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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

Red-winged Blackbird

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Red-winged Blackbird
“Red-winged Blackbird” — A red-winged blackbird perched in wetland plants, San Joaquin Valley.

I photographed this red-winged blackbird perching on wetland plants on New Year’s Day, 2024. (In this light and with the wing in this position, it is possible that it could be a tri-colored blackbird.) Anthropomorphizing animal behavior can be a mistake, but these birds always impress me as a happy bunch. Perhaps that is because their cries and their flight patterns make me happy. They also do a pretty good job of producing synchronized-flight “murmurations.”

They are not easy to photograph. They are small birds, and they fly quickly and often erratically. They hang out in vegetation and retreat to more obscure spots when you come close. And the black plumage of the male birds can lose details in a photo. (I usually over-expose them a bit to retain some detail.) A combination of quiet patience and quick reactions is required if you want to get the shot.

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.

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Meadowlark Song

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Meadowlark Song
“Meadowlark Song” — A meadowlark perches on a post and sings a New Year’s Day song.

We spent New Year’s Day with friends in a natural area full of birds. Mostly we were looking for big flocks of migratory geese along with cranes and ibises, but there were lots of other interesting critters in the neighborhood, too. This little meadowlark took up residence on top of a sign post and sang its heart out… and let me photograph for quite a while without flying away.

I don’t usually say much about photographic equipment in these posts, but I’ll make an exception this time. I have been using Fujifilm APS-C x-trans cameras for my travel and street photography for about a decade. (This gear compliments the Canon full-frame system that I use for things like landscape photography.) Recently I decided to try using the Fujifilm gear for some new things such as bird photography, and this was one of my first outings with a suitable Fujifilm telephoto. I think it works pretty well!

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.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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