Tag Archives: fog

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

Dawn Birdscape

April 5, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Flocks of Ross’s geese take to the foggy dawn sky above California’s Central Valley

I arrived at one of my favorite migratory bird locations before dawn. It was foggy, but the tule fog was already beginning to thin even as the first light came to the sky. Often when I arrive I hear nearby flocks as soon as I get out of my car, but on this morning the birds all seemed to be a bit further off in the distance. In fact, my initial inclination was to photograph landscape, since it didn’t seem like there were all that many birds around..

I went ahead and got ready to make some landscape photographs in the fog as dawn came closer — it seemed like one of those mornings when the fog was shallow enough that the colors of sunrise sky might suffuse the scene. But the fog was thick enough that it was difficult to find subjects to anchor the landscape… until a large flock of geese began to take to the sky just beyond a few scattered bushes and small trees. I quickly swung the camera in that direction and photographed as the flock rose into the colorful, foggy sky.

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: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

Birds, Fog, Dawn

March 31, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Birds fly over foggy Central Valley wetlands at dawn on a winter day

It is only the last day of March… and I’m already missing these winter wetlands with fog and the sound of birds. These places are found up and down California’s Great Central Valley, and each has its own personality. I know I can find eagles at one, night herons at another, cranes at several of them, and huge flocks of Ross’s and snow geese and yet another.

In my view, the best days at these refuges begin before dawn. The air should be cold — at or just below freezing is about right — and there must be at least some fog in the air. I favor thick fog that gradually clears as the morning develops, though on this morning it was thinning even as the sunrise began. The raucous sounds of the birds — mostly geese and cranes — are everywhere, and here and there small groups take off and fly past. If a faint view of the High Sierra emerges, as in this photograph, it is even better.

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

Geese, Fog, Dawn

February 15, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Geese take flight in dawn Central Valley tule fog

The sensory experience of arriving at a place like this is remarkable. To understand you need to consider how it begins — a wake-up call at 3:00 or 3:30, a very quick cup of coffee, gear tossed into my vehicle, and departure for a two-hour drive in darkness out into California’s Great Central Valley. Most of the drive is on high-speed roads, at least until I get close to my destination, where I frequently encounter very thick winter tule fog — treacherous driving conditions that may force me to drop my speed to 20 mph or slower as I stare into the foggy darkness. Finally I arrive, pass through an entrance gate, and drive to a parking area and turn off the engine.

I open the door. The air is cold and damp. It is still and it would be silent… but for the wild calls of thousands of geese and cranes and other birds, often concealed behind the fog. In an instant I switch from my high-speed world cocooned in my heated vehicle to an entirely different world of fog, cold air, and the birds. Often I can’t help by smile when I hear the wild calls of those birds, and sometimes I almost laugh out loud. On this morning the fog thinned just a bit when I arrived, and it was possible to make out flocks of geese rising from ponds not far away as the first color came to the morning sky.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Distant Sierra, Wetlands Dawn

February 13, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Seen from foggy Central Valley wetlands, dawn comes to the sky above the Sierra Nevada

Driving toward this spot in the pre-dawn hours I encountered the usual winter tule fog as soon as I left the main highway for the narrow back roads that criss-cross the agricultural lands. I figured that it would be a foggy morning out in the wetland with the birds once I got to my destination, but instead the fog thinned as I arrived and, to my surprise, I could see the pre-dawn sky. I stopped, quickly set up my camera for bird photography… and immediately began photographing landscapes!

A bit of thin fogged hugged the ground a ways off in the distance. (And later it would glide back in and cover this area to the point that visibility was near zero.) Above the fog, the ponds, and the scattered trees the silhouette of the Sierra crest stretched from north to south. When I looked closely, I could pick out familiar peaks along the distant skyline. A few birds — geese and cranes — began to fly over, and I made this photograph as the sky lit up just before sunrise.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: fog

Dawn Birdscape

Birds, Fog, Dawn

Geese, Fog, Dawn

Distant Sierra, Wetlands Dawn

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