In late November I had the opportunity to make another trip to California’s Great Central Valley in search of migratory birds. This valley is an important stopping place for many of these birds in the late fall through early spring season, and a great variety of them may be found at the many wildlife refuges up and down the state.

This time I had a single morning to photograph. I arrived just before sunrise to find that ground fog was muting the light and the colors. As I continued shooting through the morning the fog gradually cleared, leaving blue sky and a soft light above the marshland. I saw (and heard!) many birds, including the white-faced ibises, black-necked stilts, redwing blackbirds, and Ross’s an snow geese included in this small collection.

White-faced Ibis. San Joaquin Valley, California. November 24, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

White-faced ibises feeding in a California Central Valley marsh

Black-necked Stilt Taking Flight. San Joaquin Valley, California. November 24, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A black-necked Stilt takes off from a California Central Valley pond

Female Red Winged Blackbird. San Joaquin Valley, California. November 24, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Female red-winged blackbird perched above a California Central Valley pond

Snow Geese in Flight. San Joaquin Valley, California. November 24, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A flock of snow geese in flight about a San Joaquin Valley wildlife refuge

Four Snow Geese in Flight. San Joaquin Valley, California. November 24, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Four snow geese bank steeply through a turn above a California Central Valley marsh

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.