Tag Archives: lesser

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

Geese Above, Cranes Below

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Geese Above, Cranes Below
Late winter flocks of Ross’ and other geese and lesser sandhill cranes in the San Joaquin Valley

Geese Above, Cranes Below. Central Valley, California. February 26, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late winter flocks of Ross’ and other geese and lesser sandhill cranes in the San Joaquin Valley

Although it isn’t quite over yet, as the first day of spring approaches I have been thinking back over this winter season and especially the experiences of again photographing Central Valley migratory birds. There is far too much write about all of it in a single post, so I’ll just share a bit about the transitions and process of the season, at least as I observed it.

In the early fall I begin to look forward to this season of birds and fog and winter light, though the anticipation is tempered a bit by early season opportunities to photograph other subjects, especially the fall colors of the Sierra and elsewhere. But sometime in late October I start to think a lot about the great annual migration, and I start to watch for signs that it is beginning. This past year I think it was probably late November or early December when I made my first trip, and I recall enjoying the landscape once again but being disappointed that the birds hadn’t really shown up yet. After four years of drought I wondered if the bird population had been damaged. Then a bit later in September I began to see a few more geese, but they were not very plentiful and they were not always where I hoped to find them. It wasn’t until January that they began to be a bit more common, but soon the numbers increased and by February I was seeing absolutely huge numbers. By the time I made this photograph in late February I was frequently seeing tens of thousands of geese, along with many hundreds of perhaps thousands of cranes — which is exactly what we see in this photograph.

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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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Lesser Sandhill Crane

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Lesser Sandhill Crane
A lesser sandhill crane in flight above California’s San Joaquin Valley

Lesser Sandhill Crane. Central Valley, California. February 26, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A lesser sandhill crane in flight above California’s San Joaquin Valley

These beautiful birds have a big place among the Central Valley migratory birds. Although they appear in smaller numbers than the geese, at times you may see hundreds or thousands of them in one place at various locations up and down the valley. They have a striking cry that is instantly recognizable and very different from that of other Central Valley birds. With their size, their slower wing flapping, frequent coasting, and level flight from place to place they are also easy to recognize when they are airborne.

Tracking individual birds with a camera and long lens is a challenge, especially when the bird gets close enough to become large in the frame. (It takes practice to track them. The ideal is to eventually become quick and smooth, and to remain aware enough to think about the bird’s wing and head position and even about what it in the background.) On the day when I made this photograph there were many, many cranes about. I managed to position myself between two groups, and I waited there quietly for cranes to fly across my position.

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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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

Three Lesser Sandhill Cranes

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Three Lesser Sandhill Cranes
Three lesser sandhill cranes fly against blue sky above the San Joaquin Valley

Three Lesser Sandhill Cranes. Central Valley, California. February 15, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three lesser sandhill cranes fly against blue sky above the San Joaquin Valley

These beautiful sandhill cranes are found up and down California’s Central Valley and beyond. Many things characterize the winter “bird-scape” in the state, but high on my list is the sound of these birds, whether directly overhead or somewhere off in the fog, invisible but often present in large numbers. They are not as numerous as the geese, but at times their numbers can become quite astounding, especially when they find a good place to feed. I think that they can be a bit awkward looking on the ground, but in flight they are transformed. Their flying pattern features slower wing motion, periods of gliding, a flat trajectory, and often wingtip-to-tail relationships with other cranes.

They aren’t always easy to photograph, though if you come (quietly!) upon a group on the ground and they don’t fly away you can often get good photographs, and you may even see the “dancing cranes” behavior. Photographing them in flight can be just a bit tricky. They seem uneasy about flying directly over humans, and birds that appear headed for your position will often divert at the last moment. Fortunately, they can be very attractive viewed from the side — perhaps more so that a straight-on view or photographed from underneath. These three were part of a larger group that was flying at low elevation between two areas of pasture-land.

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 | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

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

Photographs: Flight, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Two Sandhill Cranes in Flight

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Two Sandhill Cranes in Flight A pair of lesser sandhill cranes in flight above California’s San Joaquin Valley

Two Sandhill Cranes in Flight. San Joaquin Valley, California. February 26, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A pair of lesser sandhill cranes in flight above California’s San Joaquin Valley

Near the end of the winter migratory bird season in the San Joaquin Valley, where we photograph these birds all winter, the birds seem to collect in ever larger number and become more and more active, especially by this late-February period. On this morning visit to a favorite bird photography destination we found tens of thousands of Ross’ geese, along with many white-fronted geese and others, plus huge groups of lesser sandhill cranes. They became active shortly before dawn and didn’t stop until we departed hours later.

I have photographed the sandhill cranes here on many previous occasions, but this turned out to be one of my best opportunities yet to photograph them in the air. Large flocks were on the ground on both sides of the gravel road on which we were driving, and if we stopped in the right spots they would fly almost directly overhead and they moved from spot to spot. These are beautiful birds, graceful in their gliding flight with striking red patches on their heads, and an instantly recognizable cry.

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 | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

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