Tag Archives: migratory

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

Five Cranes, Sunrise Light

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Five Cranes, Sunrise Light
Five lesser sandhill cranes fly toward the sunrise

Five Cranes, Sunrise Light. San Joaquin Valley, California. December 26, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Five lesser sandhill cranes fly toward the sunrise

“High horns, low horns, silence, and finally a pandemonium of trumpets, rattles, croaks, and cries that almost shakes the bog with its nearness, but without yet disclosing whence in comes. At last a glint of sun reveals the approach of a great echelon of birds. On motionless wing they emerge from the lifting mists, sweep a final arc of sky, and settle in clangorous descending spirals to their feeding grounds. A new day has begun on the crane marsh.” — Aldo Leopold, “A Sand County Almanac”

When I began photographing California Central Valley migratory (and native) birds a few years back, the initial draw was geese — snow geese, Ross’s geese, and others. But soon I become aware of the sandhill cranes, and I remembered reading Aldo Leopold’s descriptions of these birds all the way back in college. Something in his description was magical and even though I did not know these birds, I remembered his description.

The cranes’ distinctive cry is the first thing I listen for at dawn in the wetlands. They often seem to settle into places a bit more remote than those favored by geese, at least until later in the season. Their flocks are not as large. They often fly in small groups of three, four, or a few more. Their pattern of flight is more level, their wings work more slowly, and they often glide. They also people. Frequently I’ll spot a group heading straight towards me, but with very few exceptions they divert and take a path to one side.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Three Snow Geese

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Three Snow Geese
Three snow geese in flight over San Joaquin Valley wetlands

Three Snow Geese. San Joaquin Valley, California. December 3, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three snow geese in flight over San Joaquin Valley wetlands

There are many ways to photograph geese in these California Central Valley locations, where they spend the winter months after migrating down from points far to the north. Great flocks of them settle in on ponds in these areas, or sometimes gather in fields. At other times giant flocks fill the sky, especially when something spooks them and thousands will take to the air at once, producing a sound that is the combination of their excited cries and the rush of wind from their wings. Large groups of them come and go throughout the day. Occasionally smaller groups, like this trio, arrive and circle before finding a spot to land and join the flock.

I confess that part of the fun with these groups comes from the challenge of trying to track and photograph them as they move so quickly. With practice one can find a few hints about their trajectory — they will circle a few times and they always land facing into the breeze — but they move fast, the light on their feathers changes, and they spend most of their time facing in the wrong direction! I saw this group coming in from a good distance away, and I tracked them as they approached a spot to my right, banked into a turn, and passed in front of me as they crossed to my left, circled away, and then returned to face the wind and 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.
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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: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

Sandhill Cranes, Island, Fog

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Sandhill Cranes, Island, Fog
A group of sandhill cranes stands on a small wetland island on a foggy morning

Sandhill Cranes, Island, Fog. San Joaquin Valley, California. December 3, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A group of sandhill cranes stands on a small wetland island on a foggy morning

I love the Central Valley tule fog during this part of the year — perhaps not for driving, but when it comes to creating moody and interesting atmosphere, the fog produces. In fact, quite often I’ll check the weather forecast before heading that way during gate late-fall through early spring period, and if the weather looks too nice I won’t go. But if the weather calls for fog, I’m on my way! This visit started out to be an exception to that rule, since the weather forecast did not mention fog at all. But when I checked the current conditions before departing there was an indication that some fog had developed in a few areas.

My drive, 100 miles done entirely in pre-dawn darkness, did not suggest fog… until I left the final town before arriving at my slightly remote location. I immediately encountered a surprise fog bank, and it only got thicker as I turned off the main highway onto narrow country roads. I arrived at my destination in freezing temperatures and light fog which continued to thicken for the next hour. These lesser sandhill cranes were hanging out in a spot where I can reliably find them early in the morning, though they were a pretty good distance off across a network of wetland ponds. This group was assembled on a small island, and they must have been comfortable there, as they were the last group to finally take to the air and fly off.

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: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

Arrival of Geese, Dusk

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Arrival of Geese, Dusk
Geese land in a wetland pond at dusk

Arrival of Geese, Dusk. San Joaquin Valley, California. December 3, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Geese land in a wetland pond at dusk

In an earlier post I alluded to my occasional good fortune in being the recipient of unanticipated events while out photographing, in this case the unexpected arrival of a dusk flock of geese right in front of the spot where I was standing and quietly watching the dusk light fade, thinking that I had finished my photography for the day. In that last moment, a flock took to the air a good distance away across wetland ponds, expanded the circle of its flight, and without warning began to land in the pond next to my position.

The relationships between luck and skill and preparation are complex, but there is no denying that luck plays a role in photographing the natural world. While I could tell that the sky was becoming beautiful, and while I am prepared to make technical and esthetic decision about how to photograph things as they happen, the fact that this flock took off in the dusk light and then landed perhaps fifty feet from my position is certainly nothing for which I can take credit. It does pay to be prepared, to have done this enough times to have a good chance of making the right decisions quickly when the opportunity arrives and, perhaps most of all, to be out there in the field as much as possible. One moment like this one makes it worthwhile.

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+ | LinkedIn | Email

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