Tag Archives: wade

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Avocet, Sunset Reflection

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Avocet, Sunset Reflection
An avocet feeds in shallow water reflecting sunset light

Avocet, Sunset Reflection. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An avocet feeds in shallow water reflecting sunset light

I remember, many years ago, taking a college class that included a section on birds in the San Francisco Bay Area. The birding gene didn’t initially take for me — that came many years later — but I remember what must have been a very effective presentation on differences among shore birds. The birds found along the edges of bodies of water vary greatly in size and shape, from very small to quite large, and their leg and bill sizes vary, too. What I recall is the obvious point, that I hadn’t thought of before, that each bird, with its long or short legs and its long or short bill, is adapted to a different niche in this environment, and even to differing depths of water.

The avocet is a striking bird in many ways. This one, like most that I’ve seen, was an almost solitary specimen. If another was nearby I did not see it. The bird has long legs, which it puts to use by wading in a few inches of water as it feeds. The long, curved beak allows it to reach down and pluck edibles out of the water. This one was feeding close to the shoreline and moving toward water that reflects the sunset sky, so I held still and waited for it to move into just the right position, where the colors of reflected sky were most strongly reflected in the water.

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

Two Black-Necked Stilts

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Two Black-Necked Stilts
A pair of wading black-necked stilts and their reflections

Two Black-Necked Stilts. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A pair of wading black-necked stilts and their reflections

For decades I did not think of myself as a “bird person,” much less a “birder.” I’m still no birder — I’m not great at identifying the critters and I don’t necessarily seek out new sightings as much as photographic opportunities. However, my fascination with them has increased as I have spent more time photographing them. The first time I intentionally went out to photograph birds, I had basically no idea what I was seeing — it was just, “Wow! Lots of birds!” And that was exciting. This led to a focus on photographing migratory birds, and ,ore recently I’ve become more aware of some of the smaller birds, too.

One of the first to these “smaller birds” was the black-necked stilt. At first I only noticed them tangentially while looking for other things. On a few occasions when those “other things” were nowhere to be found, I turned my camera toward the stilts. They are attractive, though sometimes gangly, birds, with their stark contrast of black and white feathers. They often permit a relatively close approach, and they frequently work their way slowly around a small area, making it easier to photograph them. But getting somewhat unusual photographs of them requires patience and some luck. They do fly, but when they do it is often sudden and very quick… and not at all easy to keep them in the viewfinder. And while one feeding stilt is interesting, that is a pretty common sight. It is more challenging to try to photographs groups of them in ways that are visually linked and interesting. This pair obliged for a moment to two, coming close together and moving in parallel before separating and going their separate ways.

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.
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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

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Black-Necked Stilt, Sunset Reflection
A black-necked stilt wades in shallow water reflecting sunset sky.

Black-Necked Stilt, Sunset Reflection. = © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

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.

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 | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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

White-Faced Ibis

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White-Faced Ibis
White-faced ibis wading in shallow water

White-Faced Ibis. San Joaquin Valley, California. December 1, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

White-faced ibis wading in shallow water

Late each fall I begin heading out into California’s Great Central Valley to photograph migratory birds and the winter (plus a bit of autumn) landscape of this place. That landscape is largely agricultural, but Americans had enough foresight in the past — and one hopes we’ll return to those roots again soon — to put aside many areas in this midst of these areas for the use of birds, largely migratory birds who spend their summers thousand of miles to the north and then magically appear in my neighborhood during the colder months. Here, under the Central Valley’s open sky (often obscured by tule fog at this time of year!) I find cranes, herons, ibises, geese, egrets, hawks, eagles, and more.

Yesterday I made my first real bird photography foray of the new season. As usual, I was up and on the road many hours before dawn, arriving at my destination a half hour before sunrise to find the place socked in by tule fog so thick that bird photography wasn’t really possible at first. I took my time, slowing down to synchronize with the less-hectic flow of time here, and a bit later in the day came upon a group of ibises feeding near the edge of a pond. The coloration of ibises used to confuse me. Guides show everything from nearly black to quite colorful, but the first time I saw these birds they looked dark and, to be honest, somewhat drab. However, as this photograph shows, in the right light their feathers can produce a wild array of color including red, blue, green, yellow and more.

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 | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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