Tag Archives: refuge

Photographs: Flight, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

White-Fronted Geese in Flight

March 25, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A small group of white-fronted geese in flight about the Sacramento Valley

I photographed this group of white-fronted geese on one of my excursion to new California bird photography locations this past winter. It wasn’t that many years ago that I first “discovered” the huge population of migratory birds in California’s Central Valley, on a weekend after a colleague made an off-hand comment about birds as we waited in line at a coffee stand that sent me off to investigate. I went to a place where there were sandhill cranes and, eventually, a sky magnificently full of birds, most of which I could not identify. I was hooked. Soon I went to a location near that spot, and eventually became quite a frequent visitor to several places including one that isn’t too far from where I live.

Last year I started thinking that I should expand my horizons a bit and start to seek out other locations along the Pacific Flyway. I pushed a bit further up the Central Valley and eventually managed to spend time up along the California-Oregon border. I photographed this photogenic group at one of those upper Central Valley areas. Visiting such a place for the first time can be a bit tricky. It takes a while to get to know the rhythms of a place — where and when which birds show up, where the interesting backgrounds are, how far to drive to get a cup of coffee… At this new refuge I had almost no idea what I was doing. I hoped to find one kind of geese, but they were scarce — yet I found other things that I saw less often in my usual haunts: bald eagles, lots of night herons, an occasion tundra swan, and many white-fronted geese. Eventually I found a spot by a pond where huge flocks of geese were coming and going, a mixture of mostly snow geese and white-fronted geese, and I began to feel that I might be able to figure the place out.

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

Geese Above, Cranes Below

March 17, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

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.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Snow Goose

March 14, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A solitary snow goose in flight against winter blue sky

There are two common types of white geese in California, the Ross’s goose and the snow goose. Although one or the other may be more predominant in a give location, they often are found together and it can be a bit tricky to tell them apart at first. Size is one hint — the snow goose is a bit larger, and after a while this seemingly subtle difference becomes more obvious. The two birds also have differently shaped bills that are different sizes. Also on the bill is another hint — the snow goose bill has a characteristic “grin” pattern on its sides. A friend tells me that he can identify the difference by sound, too, though I can’t do that consistently at this point.

When first visiting the Central Valley bird locations, the sight of sometimes-huge flocks of white geese makes a strong impression. I can report that it continues to make an impression many visits later, especially when combined with the cacophony of thousands of the birds or the wild group take-offs that occur when they are spooked by predators or other triggers.

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

Evening Geese

March 12, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A large flock of geese takes to the air in evening light

Each day among these migratory birds moves through a kind of cycle, with variations that eventually become familiar but which don’t become any less compelling or exciting. It typically starts with a pre-dawn drive and arrival at a likely spot to find them — preferably in fog! It is always thrilling to catch the first sight and sound of the birds. The day continues, likely passing from fog to hazy sunshine, as the birds tend to settle into midday routines. Sometime after lunch it is (almost always) time for a break, but the work resumes by mid-afternoon. At first things happen slowly, but as evening approaches the pace picks up – more birds coming and going, more frequent take-offs, light that evolves in beautiful ways — and before long it is sunset and then dusk.

Early morning and evening are times of daily transition for the birds, so there is often a lot of action. Although a mass take-off can occur at almost any time if something sets off the flock, they become more likely and more impressive in the evening. They also become more difficult to photograph! As light fades and the subject becomes more interesting, the photographic challenges of low light increase. Rather than giving in to the dimming light I often take a different approach and embrace the motion blur, following the general mass of birds but allowing the fine details to soften and merge.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: refuge

White-Fronted Geese in Flight

Geese Above, Cranes Below

Snow Goose

Evening Geese

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