“Winter Plants, Fog, and Bird” — A solitary bird perches in wetland plants on foggy winter morning.
Winter is the time of fog and migratory birds in California’s Central Valley. But once again and all too soon, we are approaching the end of that season. Orchards are blooming and temperatures are rising, and in a week or two the migratory geese will be on their way north again. The thick tule fogs will give way to the clearer skies of spring.
This photograph comes from a visit to the Valley back in January, on a day I chose precisely because it was going to be foggy. It turns out that I got too much of what I was looking for — the fog never cleared, and in the murk I could not find many of the birds I came for. Instead, I photographed the quiet and mysterious landscape.
“Great Egret Portrait” — A “head shot” of a great egret.
Great egrets are a common sight here in California, from the coastline to inland wetlands and creeks. Their distinctive white plumage makes them stand out in almost any landscape. It doesn’t hurt that they are quite large, too — the largest of several different egret species. I photographed this one at a wetland area in California’s Central Valley on a foggy day that softened the light.
In some ways it is easy to photograph them, but in others it can be tricky. It is a bit easier to fill the frame with an egret since the birds are large. They also tolerate human presence… up to a point. So, it isn’t too hard to photograph them on the ground. Catching them in flight is a different matter. Most often they will be flying away from me, and when they take off they often do so suddenly and without much warning.
“Winter Fog and Trees” — Thick tule fog in a thicket of trees, Central Valley.
TWinter is the season for migratory birds in California’s Central Valley, and I try to get out there as often as I can. This region is also the site of extraordinary tule fog — frequently thick enough to make driving quite challenging. My ideal day of bird photography In the Valley starts with early morning fog that begins to thin after dawn. But sometimes the fog does not thin.
This was one of those persistently foggy days. I could hear birds around me, but I could rarely see more than a hundred feet or so into the murk, so bird photography was not happening. That’s my signal to revert to landscape photography, and fortunately the fog produces a moody and mysterious effect on the landscape.
“Fire Trail, Calero Hills” — A trail through Central California oak grassland with winter morning light.
This is an unusual post — a “make up” post to restore a lost photograph to the archives. It is an old photograph from 2006 that probably once appeared on this website but seems to have disappeared. I regularly share older “From the Archive” images on social media, and as I prepared this photo for sharing I was unable to find an original post here. Consequently, I worked up this slightly revised version and am sharing it here today.
The photograph comes from a San Francisco Bay Area park where I have hiked and photographed for decades. I visit at all times of the year and in all imaginable conditions. This one comes from a morning hike in the winter, when the low angle sun cast strong shadows across the landscape beneath the skeletal forms of winter trees.
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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