Tag Archives: pond

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

Morning Dance, Sandhill Cranes

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Morning Dance, Sandhill Cranes
A quartet of sandhill cranes dances in foggy morning light.

Morning Dance, Sandhill Cranes. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A quartet of sandhill cranes dances in foggy morning light.

About a week ago I made my first visit of the season to areas of California’s Central Valley where I like to photograph migratory birds in the late autumn and winter. Many birds have already arrived, but a month or so from now there will be all sorts of them (migratory and year-round residents) up and down the Great Valley: geese, cranes, ibises, herons, pelicans, egrets, and more.

This first visit was a brief one — I arrived early but left at midday. I had been thinking of making the trip for a week or so, but had not seen the weather I was hoping for. Then I heard that there might be a bit of tule fog — that’s my kind of weather! — so I quickly decided to get up hours before dawn the next morning and drive over there in darkness. It was still too early in the season to find the vast flocks of birds that will arrive later, but I did spot some large groups of sandhill cranes. This quartet was holding forth near a larger group, and at this moment had begun a vigorous performance of the crane dance.

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: Nature

Autumn Trees and Morning Fog

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Autumn Trees and Morning Fog
Autumn fog clears above wetland trees in California’s Great Central Valley.

Autumn Trees and Morning Fog. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn fog clears above wetland trees in California’s Great Central Valley.

This past week I made my first trip of this fall and winter season to California’s Great Central Valley. During other times of the year I usually pass through this landscape on my way to some other place — to the Sierra, mostly, but perhaps to Southern California or even north toward Mount Shasta and then the Pacific Northwest. To be honest, it is not a place where I want to spend a lot of time in the summer! But in autumn the weather cools, beautiful tule fog rises in the morning, migratory birds are abundant, and the atmosphere and light can be subtly beautiful.

This is hardly a landscape of icons. The terrain is mostly flat and largely agricultural. Perhaps the closest to that sort of thing might be the occasional clear views of the Sierra Nevada. But if you poke around in the right places on the right days in the right conditions… there is a lot to see here. I made this photograph in a wetland area that I frequent. I was hoping for thick fog when I headed out there before dawn — I did not quite get that, but the thinner fog allowed a bit more light on the scene while the thin fog softened the colors and features.

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: Nature, Photographs: Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Rainbow and Afternoon Shower

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Rainbow and Afternoon Shower
A rainbow and afternoon showers in the Kings Canyon National Park high country.

Rainbow and Afternoon Shower. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A rainbow and afternoon showers in the Kings Canyon National Park high country.

This photograph is a somewhat different “take” on a scene and subject that I shared in another photograph a few weeks ago. A group of us had been camped near this little tarn (and dozens of other nearby lakes) for over a week as we photographed the heck out of the area. This spot was perhaps a ten minute walk from our base camp, so we visited often and photographed the area in a variety fo conditions — morning and evening, sun and rain.

Being established in one backcountry location for a lengthy period of time has all kinds of advantages for photography. While you might not see as large a swath of the range, you do see the smaller area in much more detail. Speaking for myself, my mental attitude toward the landscape changes in these circumstances and instead of always looking for the big thing I start to look more for the unseen thing or the unanticipated way of seeing it.

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: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Dark Forest and Pond

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Dark Forest and Pond
Beyond a small subalpine pond, dark forest rises into rocky terrain, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Dark Forest and Pond. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Beyond a small subalpine pond, dark forest rises into rocky terrain, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

The main fall color show in the Eastern Sierra Nevada (and in other higher portions of the range) comes from the October aspen color. But this most certainly is not the only Sierra Nevada Fall color. I always mark the start of the color season by the corn lilies taking on yellow and brown hues, and not long after that the bilberry plants turn areas (often around lakes) deep red in just the right light. Willows are some of the first plants to get real yellow leaves. Grasses begin to transition from green to yellow to brown.

Most of the autumn colors in this photograph are a bit more subtle than the brilliant aspen leaves. The beds of grass are well along on that transition from green through yellow to tan and brown. A few small plants along the base of the rocks are showing yellow. And beyond that, the overall sense is that of a scene of end-of-season quiet and stillness. There were fewer people than usual up in this area due to fires and the pandemic, and as I continued photographing into the dusk hours I was almost the only person left here when I arrived, and by the time I finished I had the silence of this scene to myself.

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.