Tag Archives: flight

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

Departure

January 9, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Waves of geese lift off into foggy early morning winter sky

There are many ways in which geese may depart, and almost any time I watch them I think about when and how they will leave. They might leave one or two at a time, perhaps circling around and returning, or possibly simply flying a short distance to a more interesting spot nearby. They might begin a mass departure by leaving in small groups of perhaps a half-dozen or a few more. The geese in this photograph were leaving in what might be described as waves — groups of perhaps a dozen or two lifting off at once and forming into lines as they headed to the north. There is also that most spectacular event, when many thousands of them erupt into the air simultaneously, with a shocking sound of thousands of wings along with their cries.

On this winter morning we arrived before dawn, as always, and watched as ground fog formed over the wetlands. We did not find the spectacularly large flocks that we sometimes see but there were groups still settled into ponds. As the first light arrived they began to fly away, first a few, then larger groups, until very soon all of them had left.

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

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

Sandhill Cranes, Morning Light

December 27, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A group of sandhill cranes flies in early morning light

It wasn’t that long ago when I first began to photograph the birds in the San Joaquin Valley. I was oblivious to their presence for many, many years — which is strange, since I have traveled across that valley for decades on my way to and from the Sierra and other locations. Perhaps a bit more than a decade ago I got my first hint on a long drive to Seattle, when I passed through the Sacramento Valley and was shocked to see huge flocks of geese in the evening sky. Later, almost as an accident, a friend mentioned a location where there are sandhill cranes and, looking for something to photography, I went off to find the spot and, again, thousands of birds. From that time forward, photographing the birds in fall and winter has become a passion.

At first it was the geese that got my attention. Anyone who has seen flocks of thousands of snow geese or Ross’s geese suddenly fill the sky, or who has heard the sound they make will understand why them made such an impression. But somehow the cranes have become more and more the birds that define these places for me. Their call is like that of no other bird that I know, and they are often heard before they are seen. Their manner of flight is often more sedate than that of geese, and they often tend to fly at low elevations and in straight lines. This group flew overhead in the early morning light.

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

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

White Pelicans, Winter Sky

December 24, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A flock of white pelicans flies toward post sunset light above the San Joaquin Valley

There are many things about the winter landscape of the Great Central Valley of California that are worth of attention and photography: the agricultural lands, the distant mountains, but especially the vast sky with its cloud landscapes, and the birds. I made this photograph earlier this year — actually on the first day of 2017! I hope to be out photographing this same subject again on the first day of 2018, too.

For many years I’ve known about and been interested in the brown pelicans that are commonly found along the California coast. However, I’m almost embarrassed to admit (as a long time Californian) that I was completely unaware of the beautiful white pelicans that are found in many locations in the state, including these inland wetland areas. This group flew over in the twilight sky and lined up in a form paralleling that of the evening clouds.

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

Morning Cranes, Pond

December 15, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A large flock of cranes, resting in a pond on a foggy morning, prepares to take flight

I made this photograph on a bit of a gray morning. As I drove toward this place the sky was clear, but just before sunrise the typical Central Vally tule fog began to develop. It did not completely sock the area in, but it turned the sky gray and obscured views of distant trees and other subjects before long.

As things come to life in the early morning hours in these wetlands areas, the cranes are often the first birds to take flight in large groups. (Though, unlike geese, whose groups may include thousands of birds, a group of cranes is often fewer than ten.) I was early enough to spot where the cranes were coming from before all of them were gone, and I arrived at this spot to see a large group of them standing in the shallow water, gradually taking off a few at a time. If you watch quietly, the birds seem to be very quiet — but almost without warning some of them will appear to stretch forward a bit, and soon they take to the air.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: flight

Departure

Sandhill Cranes, Morning Light

White Pelicans, Winter Sky

Morning Cranes, Pond

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.