Tag Archives: usa

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Snow Goose Quartet

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Snow Goose Quartet
Four snow geese in flight against blue sky.

Snow Goose Quartet. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Four snow geese in flight against blue sky.

There was a time when migratory bird photography for me was all about the geese. Their autumn arrival still is the signal that brings me back to the migratory bird areas of Central and Northern California, though I have so many photographs of geese now that it is challenging to find a new away to see them! (Often the photographs end up being as much about the place of the birds in the landscape as about the birds themselves.)

This years “goose photography season” is rapidly drawing to a close, and I expect the flocks to depart for the arctic any day now. (They were still there late last week, but a year ago they were gone by the end of the second week of the month.) I managed to isolate this small group out of a much larger flock, and they obliged by holding formation long enough to make this photograph.

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: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Shoreline and Slabs

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Shoreline and Slabs
Glaciated granite slabs rising from shoreline meadows reflected in the still water of a backcountry Yosemite lake.

Shoreline and Slabs. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Glaciated granite slabs rising from shoreline meadows reflected in the still water of a backcountry Yosemite lake.

This photograph comes from the early morning hours, before the sun had risen high enough above the surrounding peaks to directly light the immediate landscape. The light is soft and blue-toned, the water is smooth, and the entire scene at this backcountry lake was serene. My recollection is that I had been up at the first hint of light, and that I spent the next few hours exploring the periphery of this lake. .

The photograph comes from very early autumn back in 2009, when I hiked in solo to join a larger group of my friends who were starting a weeklong photography visit to this area. I had teaching responsibilities back in the “real world,” so I was only able to remain for a few days before heading out to civilization. I later found out that I has missed some, uh, “special” weather… that brought the temperatures at this location down to about 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Ah, autumn in the Sierra! Most of the time it is pleasant and comfortable, but every so often an early bit of winter sneaks in to bite you!

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

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Sandhill Cranes, Morning Light

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Sandhill Cranes, Morning Light
“Sandhill Cranes, Morning Light” — A group of sandhill cranes, flying in morning light above California’s Central Valley.

The sandhill cranes are still my favorites among the migratory birds that I photograph every winter. They aren’t quite as abundant, as noisy, or as active as the geese, but they have other attractions. Their characteristic cry is often the first one I hear when I arrive in the field, and their morning take-off often starts my days of photography… and their twilight return concludes it. Their flight patterns are a bit more sedate than those of geese and are characterized by a slower pace of wing motion.

Photographing a group like this can be a bit challenging, and a lot of pieces have to fall into place to make it work. In my experience, flying cranes often tend to divert from their trajectory rather than fly over a photographer, often breaking to one side or the other at the last minute. They also tend to not pay a whole lot of attention to photographic considerations such as orienting themselves ideally to the sun’s light. And when groups do fly overhead they often block one another from view. This little group, however, did everything just right! The flew almost into the early morning light, diverting just enough to put a bit more light on the side facing the camera, and they managed to do so while lining up so that all of their heads were visible!

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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

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Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Goose Bedlam

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Goose Bedlam
A large flock of geese in twilight flight above California’s Central Valley.

Goose Bedlam. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A large flock of geese in twilight flight above California’s Central Valley.

Today I’m back from what will likely be my last opportunity of the season to photograph seasonal migratory geese here in California. I know that I photographed them on about this date last year… and that about a week later (on March 13, 2020) when I went to look for them they had left. I remember that date well, as it was the last such trip I took for a long time, as California was in the process of entering a fairly hard lockdown as the trajectory of the pandemic became clearer. In any case, these geese should be heading back to the arctic for the warm month any day now.

Near the end of their California visit they seem to become increasingly active, and that was the case this week. Although they did spend time on the ground feeding or settled on ponds, they were frequently in the air. As darkness approached a huge group of them — snow, Ross’s, white-fronted, and probably other geese — was in constant motion in an area of recently cleared fields. I like to photograph them at slower shutter speeds in the twilight since it seems to me that the motion blurring effect may suggest this wild activity better than pure stop-motion.

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.

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.