Tag Archives: wetland

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

Snow Geese, Pond

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Snow Geese, Pond
A flock of snow geese stands in a shallow wetland pond.

Snow Geese, Pond. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A flock of snow geese stands in a shallow wetland pond.

This is a somewhat different photograph of geese than I might usually make. More often I photograph them in flight or in huge flocks, either landed or flying, and quite often the photographs feature Ross’s geese. This group is none of those things. When I came to this spot — and, yes, I was looking for big flocks — I found small groups of geese (and other birds) that were mostly quietly tending to their business in these shallow ponds. There wasn’t a lot of flying, a lot of noise, or much else.

However, their relative passivity did give me a chance to make some photographs that can (especially when viewed larger than these web images permit) reveal some of the individuality of the birds in the group. Their heads are up, which often indicates that they are aware of something that focuses their attention, possibly a potential danger of some sort. (It could have been me, but I was using a long lens and was pretty far away.) Because of their erect bearing, we get to see the juxtaposition of all those heads and beaks, pointing in various directions. It is also possible (again, in a larger version of the photo) the tell-tale “grin” pattern on the sides of the beaks that characterizes snow geese. (It is easy to mistake them for Ross’s geese and vice versa, and the indicators can be a bit subtle.) In addition, contrary to our expectation that such bird will all look pretty much the same, among the members of this group you can spot some significant variations in appearance. For example, note the two birds with darker feathers or the several with distinctly yellow features on their heads.

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

Trees, Marsh, Fog

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Trees, Marsh, Fog
Trees grow in flooded San Joaquin Valley marshland pond

Trees, Marsh, Fog. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

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.

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.