A pair of lesser sandhill cranes in flight above California’s San Joaquin Valley
Two Sandhill Cranes in Flight. San Joaquin Valley, California. February 26, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
A pair of lesser sandhill cranes in flight above California’s San Joaquin Valley
Near the end of the winter migratory bird season in the San Joaquin Valley, where we photograph these birds all winter, the birds seem to collect in ever larger number and become more and more active, especially by this late-February period. On this morning visit to a favorite bird photography destination we found tens of thousands of Ross’ geese, along with many white-fronted geese and others, plus huge groups of lesser sandhill cranes. They became active shortly before dawn and didn’t stop until we departed hours later.
I have photographed the sandhill cranes here on many previous occasions, but this turned out to be one of my best opportunities yet to photograph them in the air. Large flocks were on the ground on both sides of the gravel road on which we were driving, and if we stopped in the right spots they would fly almost directly overhead and they moved from spot to spot. These are beautiful birds, graceful in their gliding flight with striking red patches on their heads, and an instantly recognizable cry.
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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