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Into The Air

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Into The Air
Lesser sandhill cranes rise from a wetland pond into foggy Central Valley winter sky.

Into The Air. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Lesser sandhill cranes rise from a wetland pond into foggy Central Valley winter sky.

Although this isn’t glorious dawn light, it is rather typical of what you’ll find in places like this one on a late-winter morning around sunrise — some combination of fog, a bit of haze, and (on this morning) some high clouds. All of this combines to produce an atmosphere suggesting cold, damp, stillness, and quiet. (Though the cries of a few thousand birds may interfere with the “quiet” part of that.)

As the first light begins, the sandhill cranes are mostly standing in shallow wet areas, presumably for protection from predators. As sunrise approaches they begin to become more active, and gradually small groups begin to take to the sky and fly off to distant locations. Unlike geese, who often take off by the thousands, the cranes tend to depart in groups of two or three, and rarely more than a dozen. The hints of their imminent departure can be subtle, and I often get barely any warning before they take off. Among the birds in this photograph you can spot individuals at almost every stage of departure, from standing and waiting through fully airborne.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Walking Cranes

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Walking Cranes
A flock of sandhill cranes crosses a rural roadway in Central Valley pasture land.

Walking Cranes. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A flock of sandhill cranes crosses a rural roadway in Central Valley pasture land.

Why did the crane cross the road? In some of my recent posts I have written about how the behavior of geese and cranes seems to change as the time for them to fly back to the north approaches. From what I have seen, the birds become increasingly active — I’m tempted to use the word “restless” to describe it. They appear in larger flocks, and they assembly in different and more predictable places. They seem to be active at all hours of the day, there are frequent “lift offs” by thousands of them, and the cranes and various kinds of geese often seem to intermix.

It also seems like they become a bit less hesitant about being where humans are. You still can’t (and should not) get too close to them, but they start to show up alongside roads and paths and in ponds very close to such places. It isn’t at all uncommon to arrive in places along gravel roads… and find that the flocks are stretched right across the roadway. I often end up stopping to wait for them to finish their business or else approaching very slowly, giving them time to slowly move out of the way. I stopped to let this group of cranes finish its activities — I was in no hurry, and it gave me a chance to photograph them.

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 to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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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

Sandhill Cranes, Morning Flight

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Sandhill Cranes, Morning Flight
A flock of lesser sandhill cranes takes to the air in early morning light.

Sandhill Cranes, Morning Flight. © Copyright 2022.G Dan Mitchell.

A flock of lesser sandhill cranes takes to the air in early morning light.

It was late February when I made this visit to Central Valley wetlands to photograph migratory birds, mainly geese and sandhill cranes. From what I can tell, they tend to depart for their northern homes in early to mid-March, so I planned to squeeze a couple more visits while they were still here for their winter stay. That’s not the only reason, though, for visiting them at this point in the season. It also seems to be the time when they are the most lively, and most likely to be found in large groups that often remain quite active all day long.

As per my usual plan, I arrived a half hour before dawn and set up my camera equipment in the near darkness. Then I headed out into the surrounding wetland terrain, looking for subjects that might work in the first light of sunrise. I soon found groups of sandhill cranes standing in shallow water. Although it wasn’t in the forecast, there was a bit of low tule fog, just enough to soften the light a bit. As the cranes began to fly out from the pond they rose into the reddish first light of sunrise.

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 | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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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

Cranes, Dawn Light

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Cranes, Dawn Light
A flock of lesser sandhill cranes in dawn light, reflected in a wetland pool on a late-winter morning.

Cranes, Dawn Light. © Copyright 2022.G Dan Mitchell.

A flock of lesser sandhill cranes in dawn light, reflected in a wetland pool on a late-winter morning.

By the time most of you see this photograph, there is a very good chance that these birds will have departed for the season. Every autumn, all sorts of wonderful migratory birds arrive in California from points north. Among my favorites are the geese, especially Ross’s and snow geese, and the sandhill cranes. They come to many places around the state, in particular in locations in California’s Great Central Valley. But, like typical tourists, they don’t stay all year, and before spring arrives they depart for locations as distant as the arctic shoreline.

I photographed these cranes on a late-February morning just as the first sunlight arrived. The sky was still red with dawn light, and for a few moments that color infused the entire landscape. A bit of valley fog softened the light just a bit. The birds stood in the shallow wetland pond for a bit and soon began flying out in small groups.

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 | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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