Tag Archives: flight

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

Winter Geese, San Joaquin Valley Farm

January 9, 2015 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Flock of migratory winter geese circling above a San Joaquin Valley farm

Every winter California’s Great Central Valley becomes the home of astounding collections of migratory birds. (I’m still a bit surprised that folks from the state will travel great distances to other states to photograph some of the very same birds, when they are at their backdoor!) Historically the Central Valley (consisting of the Sacramento Valley to the north and the San Joaquin Valley to the south) supported even larger populations of birds, but as the area was developed for agriculture the majority of the wetlands were lost. However, places were set aside, and in many areas the agriculture areas become the homes of the birds in the winter.

We visited one of these protected areas late December, an area where I frequently photograph throughout the bird season. The photography in this area was good, but it still seemed like there were not as many (mostly) Ross’s geese as we would expect. We figured out why — huge numbers of them were settling in just outside the area where we usually find them, and across a nearby road on farmland. Here the flock of thousands of geese takes to the air above one of these Central Valley farms on this foggy morning.

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

Geese, Tree, Dusk

January 6, 2015 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Ross’s geese fly low past a tree at dusk, San Joaquin Valley

A small group of photographer friends spent (for the third year in a row) New Year’s Day in California’s San Joaquin Valley, greeting the dawn of 2015 by photographing it! Dawn wasn’t the only attraction — we are also drawn here by the landscape, the incredible wildlife (geese, cranes, egrets, herons, ibises, pelicans, and much more), and the beautiful winter light in this part of California. We began our day in the pre-dawn soft and foggy light and ended it in post-dust light when it finally became to dark to photograph.

For me this simple photograph of a field, a tree, and some geese evokes many of the things that draw me back to this landscape every winter. Even on a day when the tule fog thins, the atmosphere rarely seems to fully clear, and the dusk light is soft and mysterious and full of colors. And at this hour the geese seem to be settling in for the evening, often collecting in large groups in fields of ponds. As they do, they often seem to fly low between groups, flowing across the still landscape and between trees like the wind itself or like the flow of water.

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

Four Sandhill Cranes

January 3, 2015 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Four sandhill cranes take flight above a dormant San Joaquin Valley field

At some point every fall my attention turns to (along with a few other seasonal things) the arrival of migratory birds in California’s Great Central Valley. In earlier times this was a landscape full of seasonal pools and marshlands, and it reportedly supported uncountable numbers of birds. Much of the wetland terrain has now been taken for farming and other purposes, but some has been preserved and the birds still come. By the time late fall and early winter roll around again, an impressive number of birds arrive: geese, sandhill cranes, swans, and more. I lived in California since I was a small child and I never knew about this, even though much of the action takes place within a day’s drive of where I grew up. Even today, it seems that few Californians are aware of the rich annual spectacle that takes place so close to them.

I made my first bird photography foray of the season a few weeks before this visit, but by this late December visit a lot more birds had shown up — including the geese who seemed strangely absent earlier. (The three years of very serious drought in California are doubtlessly part of the explanation.) There were a lot of sandhill cranes. I’m not sure if the numbers have increased, of it they just happened to be in places where I could find them more easily, but I sure saw a lot of them. When photographing these birds we always take steps to make ourselves less visible and threatening to the birds — we often photograph from inside our vehicles, and when we can and do get out to photograph we try to avoid disturbing the birds. However, this group was a surprise, showing up very close to us as we crept past slowing in a vehicle and taking to the air almost immediately. Fortunately I had my camera handy and I was able to stop immediately and track their flight as they took off and circled us.

(This photograph appeared here previously in a an article about a new lens that I used to make the photograph.)

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

White-Fronted Geese in Flight

August 9, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Four white-fronted geese in flight about California’s San Joaquin Valley

I do have to confess that one reason for sharing this photograph is that I don’t believe I have previously posted photos of white-fronted geese. This is an oversight and a bit strange, since they are very common in many of the place where I photograph winter migratory birds. I suppose that my main excuse is that the white Ross’s and snow geese tend to attract my attention a bit more, with their very visible white coloration and habit of appearing in very large flocks.

I’ve written before that I do not regard myself as remotely close to being any sort of bird expert. In line with my typical difficulty remembering the accurate names of trees and flowers — I can describe them, tell you where to find them, and when they will appear… but often not name them — it is a challenge for me to identify birds accurately. I’ve learned a few tricks, especially with geese, but I’m still more likely to shout, “look at the dark-colored ones” than “look at the white-fronted geese!” Fortunately, there is the internet. And, even better, I have friends who know the birds very well, and I photograph in their company quite often. One swears that he can tell by the sound whether the geese are Ross’s or snow varieties. I’m impressed!

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: flight

Winter Geese, San Joaquin Valley Farm

Geese, Tree, Dusk

Four Sandhill Cranes

White-Fronted Geese in Flight

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