About the Image(s)

The Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, in the northern California Valley, is flooded late each year to attract and protect thousands of migrating snow geese, white-fronted geese, Northern Pintail ducks, Eurasian teal, Northern shovelers, snowy egrets, great blue herons, bald eagles, and hawks.



This fallen tree limb sticks out of a pond at the entrance to the area. It attracts various birds, who use it as a resting and grooming spot. This double-crested cormorant juvenile caught my attention because of its light feathers. It is far from the Pacific coast, and is a bird type not typically found in this wildlife refuge.



Nikon Z9, Nikon Z180 –600, f/5.6–6.3, 600 mm, 1/2000 sec, f/6.3, 0 EV, ISO 7200



A storm was approaching, and the sky had darkened considerably, hence the high ISO. I was just leaving the refuge when I saw the bird and noticed its feathering. This is another case of when I should've stopped and set up a proper exposure.


Using Lightroom Classic, I cropped the photo and used my typical workflow. I used Topaz Denoise and then the Basic panel in LRC to adjust highlights and shadows. I used the Tone Curve panel to change the mid-tones slightly and then sharpened slightly.