Tag Archives: feathers

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

Pas de Deux

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Pas de Deux
A pair of sandhill cranes performing “the dance.”

Pas de Deux. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A pair of sandhill cranes performing “the dance.”

Sandhill cranes have become perhaps my favorite bird subject. These large and ancient birds behave in ways that fascinate me more and more over time. (Their distinctive call is the first thing I listen for when I arrive at my favorite bird photography locations.) Geese that first drew me to photographing birds, but the more time I spent in the field the more the cranes attracted me. (Perhaps the earliest push in this direction came years ago, long before I had even seen a Sandhill crane, when I read about them in the writings of Aldo Leopold.)

It is a constant challenge to try to figure out their behavior and its logic. For example, even though I’ve spent a lot of time watching them around sunrise, when they generally fly out for the day, almost every lift-off comes as a surprise. I learned to be strategic about where I placed myself when photographing birds. After watching groups of cranes fly successively over a particular spot, I would move quietly to that location and wait… at which point they would all avoid that location, sometimes diverting the place I had just left! The “crane dance” seen here also seems to be a bit of a mystery — and not just to me. From what I read, while there is a courtship angle to the behavior, that may not be its only context.

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: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Snow Goose Variations

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Snow Goose Variations
A group of snow geese exhibiting variations in coloration

Snow Goose Variations. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A group of snow geese exhibiting variations in coloration

Upon a first experience with these birds they seem to be nearly identical in every way — the initial impression is of white birds (with a pattern of black wing markings when in flight) and a certain uniformity of their calls. Surprisingly, perhaps, I was first alerted to the differences by a friend who has learned to detect the type of flock by subtleties in their cries. I hadn’t noticed, but once he pointed it out I started to pay a lot more attention… and I can hear this, too.

I soon realized that there is more than one type of “white goose,” and I began to consult various guides to understand how to identify them. Some of the cues are pretty obvious once you learn about them, but the guides also reveal that things are not as regular as you might think. For example, the supposedly white types of geese are most certainly not always white! The birds in this photograph are all the same type… but there is actually quite a range in coloration.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Flight, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

Wings of an Egret

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Wings of an Egret
Wings of an Egret

Wings of an Egret. San Joaquin Valley, California. January 16, 2015. © Copyright 2015 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An egret spreads its wings as it takes to the air above San Joaquin Valley wetlands

The great egret is an impressive and fascinating bird. They are found in many places here in California — along creeks and drainage ditches, near wetlands, along parts of the seashore. A few years ago there was one that lived at a small pond at a place where I regularly hiked and photographed, and I could count on finding it almost every time I went there. Their striking white appearance draws attention on the winter landscape, where they stand out against darker background and against California’s winter green. They are, perhaps surprisingly for such beautiful and graceful things, skillful hunters.

I first noticed them quite a few years ago in creek beds of urban areas in northern California, and eventually learned that they are found all over the place. They often stand almost completely still, though if you watch them a bit you’ll frequently figure out that they are hunting, observing and then slowly moving toward their prey. Because they seem so still, they look like they would perhaps allow a close approach, but they seem to usually have boundaries — get too close and they take off suddenly, displaying their large and beautiful wings and more than most birds they really do seem to float on the air. Photographing them on the ground isn’t too hard, though getting the in interesting poses can take some patience — but photographing them in flight is quite tricky. They take off suddenly, and I find it hard to be precisely ready for the liftoff when it comes. They tend to fly at very low heights, often flying along ditches and behind plants. And they are most often flying away from you. When I came upon this one I remained in my vehicle but got ready to photograph it if took flight, and when it did I have a tiny moment to fire of a small number of shot, one of which framed the beautiful wings fully spread and against a darker background.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

White-Faced Ibis

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White-Faced Ibis
White-Faced Ibis

White-Faced Ibis. San Joaquin Valley, California. February 14, 2014. © Copyright 2014 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

White-Faced Ibis feeding in San Joaquin Valley wetlands

As I have pointed out in the past, I’m no bird expert – but I do like to photograph them! For some reason the white-faced ibis has intrigued me for some time. The first time I photographed them it was an accident. I was photographing birds flying overhead on one winter morning when the sky was filled with birds – so many that I mostly just photographed without paying too much attention to the specifics of what I was seeing. Sometime later when I got home and looked at the files I saw that one large group of birds flying in a long row, silhouetted against the brighter sky, had the interesting curved bills that characterize the ibises.

More recently I have learned to look for them, and in some of the places I photograph I now know where to find them, down to the acre in a few cases. In mid-February I went to one of these locations and ended up at a spot where I have seen many of them in the past, often feeding in groups. But this time I saw exactly two. One was behind some reeds and did not make a good photographic subject, but this one was feeding alongside a gravel road right at the edge of the water. I stopped my car – which often serves as an effective blind – and opened a window and waited (somewhat) patiently as the bird worked its way along in the shallow water. The trick is to think of this almost as a portrait – I watch for the bird to turn into the best light, to stand in an interesting position, to face the camera, and to be in a spot that avoids distracting or interfering objects. The egret tends to spend a lot of its time with its beak deep in the water as it looks for food – not a very attractive photographic pose! But it periodically lifts the beak and every so often it briefly stands up straight as seen here. The plumage of this bird is very interesting. It can look just plain dull and almost black in some light. But if it turns its body toward the sun, the feathers become iridescent and have tints of green and red.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.