Tag Archives: geese

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

Migratory Geese, Wetlands

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“Migratory Geese, Wetlands”  Migratory geese (likely snow, Ross’s, and white-fronted) in Central California wetlands.

Our little band of photographers gathered once again on New Year’s Day to greet the new year together and photograph migratory birds and the often-foggy Central Valley landscape. This photograph holds what I think of as the main elements of this winter landscape: birds, a bit of fog, sky, trees, and grasses. (OK, cattle and crops are part of the scene, but not in this photograph.)

There are various natural cycles to observe when photographing these birds. The most obvious is annual — they return from the arctic every autumn and around the start of spring. There’s a cycle during that period, too. At first they are often harder to find, settling into remote areas of the valley and being more uneasy around humans. As the season goes on they seem to be a bit easier to locate as they collect in gigantic flocks, and the become extremely active in the final month before their departure for points north.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Geese, Morning Clouds

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Geese, Morning Clouds
“Geese, Morning Clouds” — A flock of geese in flight against morning clouds, Central Valley, California.

Sunrise often produces remarkable light, especially when the right sorts of clouds are present. These clouds were a bit unusual for this location, where I usually either encounter thick tule fog or high clouds produced by large scale weather patterns. These morning clouds were lower than usual, but not ground fog, and having a bit of the “mackerel sky” look. I photographed them as the first light arrived and a flock of migratory geese passed overhead.

I photograph a lot of different subjects, but in the late fall and winter months the migratory birds become a major focus. It is easy to miss their arrival if you live in a city, but in rural parts of California their presence, often in astounding numbers, is pretty obvious. I photographed these in an otherwise nondescript agricultural area in the Central Valley.

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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Winter Sunrise, Central Valley

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Winter Sunrise, Central Valley
“Winter Sunrise, Central Valley” — Winter sun rises beyond the Sierra Nevada as thin fog drifts among trees.

This photograph is one of the final remaining photographs from this past winter in California’s Central Valley. (Who am I kidding? There are probably more that I’ll uncover when I eventually revisit the archive.) I made it on my final visit of the season to photograph migratory birds. This photograph is the result of an unfortunate situation that ultimately turned out OK. I arrived before dawn to find that the gate was locked. As I listened to thousands of birds begin their fly-out beyond that gate, I decided that it made more sense to head off to find other opportunities, and I found this sunrise view a few miles away.

These Central Valley locations fascinate me for a variety of reasons — the migratory birds, the fog, the long views of the Sierra Nevada (as in this photo), the open vistas. Years ago I would never have imagined that such agricultural areas could provide so many photographic opportunities, but then I “discovered” the winter birds. I was hooked, and I’ve gone back every year since then.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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

Winter Dawn, Central Valley

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Winter Dawn, Central Valley
“Winter Dawn, Central Valley” — Tule fog lingers among trees and fields as migratory birds fly though winter sunrise sky and the Sierra Nevada towers in the distance

One of the pleasures — yes, I wrote “pleasures” — of starting a long California drive before sunrise is the chance to see the Sierra Nevada profiled against the pre-dawn sky. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I often see variations on this view as I crest the western California hills and descend into the Central Valley. This is a variation on that view, not from the western edge of the Valley but out in its center.

For frequently obscures this long view when I am out in the Valley photographing winter birds. Even when the fog lifts, the atmosphere is often opaque. But from time to time in clears to reveal this striking view of ridges and peaks. This photograph was a “happy accident.” I had arrived at my planned destination only to find that access was blocked temporarily. Rather than wait, I decided to drive and see what I could find. It wasn’t long before I found this view across the agricultural landscape, draped in low tule fog, and extending toward the distant peaks.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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