Tag Archives: pond

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Trees, Marsh, Fog

January 11, 2018 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Trees grow in flooded marshland pond

On January 1st, New Year’s Day 2018, a group of friends and photographers gathered to greet the dawn (literally!) of the New Year, raise a toast or two, hang out, and photograph birds and the expansive landscape. It meant going to bed early on New Year’s Eve, but I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the first day of the new year. (Though that 4:00 AM alarm and two-hour drive in the dark was perhaps just a bit less festive…)

After photographing all morning the bird action seemed to slow and we all gathered for a quiet little party in a parking lot near large ponds. A bit later all of us felt like we needed a walk, so we broke off into groups and followed a trail around a marsh and to some tall trees. I was the last one to start, and I decide to simply bring along my smallest camera with a single little lens, foregoing the usual Big Bag Of Gear and Gigantic Tripod. As much as I was more of a mind to walk and think than to photograph, I couldn’t help but stop and make a few handheld photographs of the complex landscape of the marsh.

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

Black-Necked Stilt, Sunset Reflection

January 4, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A black-necked stilt wades in shallow water reflecting sunset sky.

In this place where we gathered to photograph migratory birds on New Year’s Day, our attention often turns to the most impressive sights — giant flocks of thousands of birds, collected on ponds and fields, or suddenly rising into the sky all at once. Or perhaps to other birds at dawn, or to their return at dusk. Sometimes the landscape and sky can produce spectacular scenes.

The end of this day wasn’t like that. We did find a very large flock of geese, but they were hunkered down on a close-cropped field, feeding in low and flat light as much of the sunset was cut off by clouds to the west and haze was everywhere. However, sometimes it is possible to find smaller subjects at times like these, and we spotted a few of these black-necked stilts wading in shallow water with a bit of colorful sky as a backdrop.

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

Crane, Tree, Morning Sky

December 25, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A solitary sandhill crane flies into pre-dawn sky above a silhouetted tree and San Joaquin Valley wetlands

By now you may be getting the idea that I like the brief pre-dawn interval, especially out in this autumn and winter wetlands of Central California. If so, you are right! There is a period of perhaps a half hour or so when the sky begins go glow, and the wetlands birds start their morning rituals — flying out from their overnight spots and generally raising a ruckus. Aside from their noise and fury, the rest of the landscape can be very quiet, as in this photograph.

On this morning I arrived early as usual, paused to set up my gear for photography, then began a circumnavigation of the area, slowing and stopping as various subject appeared. This bare tree, surrounding by reflecting water and set against the pre-dawn sky, caught my attention and I paused to make a few photographs. During this one a solitary crane passed through the scene.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Wetlands And Sky

December 21, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Clearing clouds reflected in the surface of a San Joaquin Valley wetland pond

On the first day of winter, as this year approaches its conclusion and a new year approaches, it always seems like time to look back over the past year. With that in mind, this photograph looks back to the very first day of 2017, when we met the dawn of the new year out in the San Joaquin Valley, accompanied by a few good friends and tens of thousands of migratory birds.

This photograph comes from a bit later in the day, when the edge of low clouds was close to our position and the sky and clouds were reflected in the wetland ponds. There were few birds in this scene when I made the photograph, which is likely why I put down my “bird camera” and its big lens and picked up a smaller camera with a wide-angle lens to photograph this larger view.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: pond

Trees, Marsh, Fog

Black-Necked Stilt, Sunset Reflection

Crane, Tree, Morning Sky

Wetlands And Sky

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.