Tag Archives: lesser

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

Cranes Before Sunrise

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Cranes Before Sunrise
Sandhill cranes in wetlands before sunrise.

Cranes Before Sunrise. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sandhill cranes in wetlands before sunrise.

There are many special times of day out in the wetlands at this time of year, but I love these moments just before sunrise, especially on foggy mornings. The fog, even somewhat thin fog like this, shrinks your world and makes the scene more intimate. It also mutes the light and somehow adds to the quiet and tranquility of the scene.

On this November morning I decided to place my bets on this scene, stopping here and photographing as I waited for the first direct light to strike the birds after sunrise. This hour is a time of transition for the birds, who generally start to become more active as they prepare to depart in the early light. And sure enough, by the time I finished here most of them took off 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.

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

Crane Departure, Morning

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Crane Departure, Morning
Sandhill cranes take to the air in morning light above Central Valley wetlands.

Crane Departure, Morning. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sandhill cranes take to the air in morning light above Central Valley wetlands.

In my experience, bird photography often involves a whole lot of sitting around, thinking about where the birds might be, stopping and watching and hoping that they will engage in some interesting behavior. The actual picture making can take up a small percentage of the total time on task, with vast slow times in between. (And that’s not even counting the long drives — usually in the dark — to get there and back.)

My photographs of sandhill cranes on this autumn morning might be illustrative. I drove two hours in darkness to get here a half hour before dawn. I followed a levee road out into agricultural and wetland country, not seeing all that many birds, at least not of the sort I was looking for. Eventually, in a place where I was not necessarily expecting to find them, I came upon a large flock of sandhill cranes in a pond. It was still before sunrise when I decided to stop and see what developed here. I made a few quick images in the low light, but then I mostly just sat there and… watched. Eventually some of the birds became more active and a bit later the first semi-directional sunrise light came weakly through the fog. And a few minutes after that happened small groups of the birds began to depart. Then they were gone and… not much else happened until I left a few hours later.

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: Nature

Flock of Cranes Taking Flight

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Flock of Cranes Taking Flight
A flock of cranes takes to the air early on a hazy winter morning.

Flock of Cranes Taking Flight. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A flock of cranes takes to the air early on a hazy winter morning.

Most of the migratory geese have now left their California winter homes and are on their way back to the arctic shores for the summer. I was fortunate to be able to make a few trips out to see them before we were all locked down by the coronavirus pandemic. On the final visit, several weeks ago now, most of them had already departed.

I made this photograph near the beginning of March. (Remember those innocent days when we were just beginning to think about how our lives might change, but not yet registering the full impact?) This morning featured thin fog — enough of it to mute the light and the features of the landscape, nor to block that glow of dawn light on the bird as they took off toward the rising sun.

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 and Amazon.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Sandhill Cranes, Morning Light

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Sandhill Cranes, Morning Light
A group of sandhill cranes flies in early morning light

Sandhill Cranes, Morning Light. San Joaquin Valley, California. January 1, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

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.

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 and Amazon.
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