Tag Archives: wildlife

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

Departure

January 9, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Waves of geese lift off into foggy early morning winter sky

There are many ways in which geese may depart, and almost any time I watch them I think about when and how they will leave. They might leave one or two at a time, perhaps circling around and returning, or possibly simply flying a short distance to a more interesting spot nearby. They might begin a mass departure by leaving in small groups of perhaps a half-dozen or a few more. The geese in this photograph were leaving in what might be described as waves — groups of perhaps a dozen or two lifting off at once and forming into lines as they headed to the north. There is also that most spectacular event, when many thousands of them erupt into the air simultaneously, with a shocking sound of thousands of wings along with their cries.

On this winter morning we arrived before dawn, as always, and watched as ground fog formed over the wetlands. We did not find the spectacularly large flocks that we sometimes see but there were groups still settled into ponds. As the first light arrived they began to fly away, first a few, then larger groups, until very soon all of them had left.

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

On Alert

January 7, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A flock of geese raises their heads in response to a distraction

We started 2018 with a New Year’s Day visit to wetlands to photograph migratory birds and engage in a few other fun activities. Among these were: arising hours before dawn, driving long distances in pre-dawn darkness, sharing a champagne toast to the New Year well before noon, and much more. To be honest, I’ve had been photography days out there at this time of year… but I haven’t had a better time.

This photograph shows a behavior that I’ve learned to watch for when photographing geese. Much of the time when they are settled in they are fairly passive, perhaps with their heads down to feed. But when anything worthy of attention happens — a raptor flies over, a plane passes by too low, someone gets too close or starts a vehicle engine — the flock’s sound changes and all of the heads rise with necks vertical. If the threat passes or is deemed unimportant the heads quickly drop. But if it is seen as serious, this might be an indication that the entire flock is about to dramatically take flight.

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.

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

Sandhill Cranes, Morning Light

December 27, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A group of sandhill cranes flies in early morning light

It wasn’t that long ago when I first began to photograph the birds in the San Joaquin Valley. I was oblivious to their presence for many, many years — which is strange, since I have traveled across that valley for decades on my way to and from the Sierra and other locations. Perhaps a bit more than a decade ago I got my first hint on a long drive to Seattle, when I passed through the Sacramento Valley and was shocked to see huge flocks of geese in the evening sky. Later, almost as an accident, a friend mentioned a location where there are sandhill cranes and, looking for something to photography, I went off to find the spot and, again, thousands of birds. From that time forward, photographing the birds in fall and winter has become a passion.

At first it was the geese that got my attention. Anyone who has seen flocks of thousands of snow geese or Ross’s geese suddenly fill the sky, or who has heard the sound they make will understand why them made such an impression. But somehow the cranes have become more and more the birds that define these places for me. Their call is like that of no other bird that I know, and they are often heard before they are seen. Their manner of flight is often more sedate than that of geese, and they often tend to fly at low elevations and in straight lines. This group flew overhead in the early morning light.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: wildlife

Departure

On Alert

Black-Necked Stilt, Sunset Reflection

Sandhill Cranes, Morning Light

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