Tag Archives: nature

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

White-Faced Ibis

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White-Faced Ibis
“White-Faced Ibis” — A white-faced ibis feeding in California Central Valley wetlands.

Photographing this and some other birds was a serendipitous event at the end of October. I was on my way from the San Francisco Bay Area to Yosemite to photograph autumn color. Rather than show up during the midday flat light period in the Valley, I decided to detour to a wildlife refuge, just to take a look around. I wasn’t really expecting to see much this early in the season, but I was surprised to find plentiful sandhill cranes, egrets, and white-faced ibises.

At one point I came upon a big flock (or, technically perhaps, two flocks intermingled) of ibises and egrets. Although I had intended my visit to be brief, I ended up spending some serious time photographing this group. The birds were feeding among short wetlands plants near the edge of a large pond in the early morning light.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Levee Road, Tule Fog

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Levee Road, Tule Fog
“Levee Road, Tule Fog” — Tule fog shrouds the winter landscape along a California Central Valley levee road.

A couple of weeks ago I made my way out to California’s Central Valley for what I hoped would be a day of bird photography augmented by landscape work. My favorite days at this time of year begin with tule fog that clears before noon. There is wonderful transitional light as the conditions change, and once the fog lifts there are usually opportunities for bird photography. Well, I got the fog I came for… and it never left! (The birds? Not so much.)

This spot along a levee road skirting wetland ponds is very familiar to me. I photograph here all the time, and I’ve photographed literally this same scene often — at dawn, in fog, late in the day, after dusk. It includes several elements I associate with this place: skeletal winter trees, new growth after winter rains, and the landscape fading into the distance under the fog.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Manley Lake, First Light

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“Manly Lake, First Light” — Early morning light on the Panamint Range reflected in Manly Lake, Death Valley.

Death Valley National Park is so large that it is often hard to fathom the its scale. Lake Manly, the temporary body of water occupying a section of the Valley near Badwater, is small by comparison to the valley as a whole. The mountains in this photograph are many tens of miles away. (A couple of roads reach that ridge, and it would take 1 1/2 or 2 hours of driving to reach their high points from the shore of Lake Manly.)

In the daytime most of this desert landscape is not particularly colorful. In fact, in flat light and haze it can sometimes seem almost monochromatic. But early in the morning and then again in the evening, the sunrise and sunset light paint the scenes with vivid colors that contrast with the hazy blues of the shadows.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Badlands and Wash

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Badlands and Wash
“Badlands and Wash” — A small wash spills from desert badlands into Death Valley at sunset.

Another recent post of a Death Valley photograph noted the interesting subjects found in remote and hard-to-access areas of this national park. This is not one of those photographs. In fact, I made it a short distance from a popular lodging and camping spot, and my tripod was set up at the back of my vehicle! The subject is eroded badlands terrain where a small wash empties into the main valley.

The terrain of this park is remarkably varied, ranging from harsh, sun-baked desert playas to high summits that can be topped with snow. Among them, desert washes emerging from canyons are a favorite of mine. I love to walk the quiet washes, and they often provide trails into deep canyons and mountain heights.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.