For three years now, I’ve released a yearly “round up” of my favorite wildlife photographs from that year. Each year, I try to follow the same rules:
- Only use photographs taken in the prior year (so in this case, from Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2023.)
- Feature each chosen animal only once.
- Show off the mundane, and the extraordinary.
- Use captures that bring me joy.
This year was my most challenging yet–In August, my hard drive irreparably crashed, losing all of my photographs for the last 3 years. Learning to always back up my data was a lesson learned the hardest way (and I now have replicating hard drive storage for my “keepers”).
The bright side is, I suppose, all of my previously printed photos are now NFTs 🙂
As a result, I had to choose from photos between mid-August and early-December. A challenge for sure, but I’m quite happy with the results! Once these photos were selected and edited, it was a quick trip to Walgreens to capitalize on their yearly BOGO deal on calendar prints!
January
The first featured photo is a brilliantly blue dragonfly taken in southern Connecticut. This small fella landed atop a branch to groom his legs, allowing me to get close enough for a wide macro image. I love the reflection of light off his eye domes, and the lattice like structure of the wings.
This image was taken at an f/10 focal length to allow more depth of field, and luckily it was a very sunny day. After taking a few images he took off in search of food, careful to avoid the hungry gulls.
February
For the second month, I chose this image of an Osprey taken in October of 2023. This image was taken at the shoreline near Milford, CT. It’s actually one of my few pictures of Osprey.
Growing up, these birds were actually pretty sparse, due to DDT causing their eggs to not form hard shells. When the chemical was banned, they rebounded extremely well, along with other birds such as the Bald Eagle.
The bird was soaring towards me as it looked for prey. It actually snagged a fish shortly after, and was later chewing on it on a nesting platform put there by conservationists!
March
For the third image I chose this pair of Snowy Egrets. While far from my favorite shot I’ve taken, I have a sweet spot for Egrets and Herons! This was one of my first time photographing these birds at the CT Shoreline, and these two framed together beautifully while they searched for small shellfish and other morsels in the wetlands.
Truthfully, there were about a dozen of these birds all together, as gulls flew overhead looking for more scraps. I really love the soft bokeh from the low F-stop and how it highlights their depth on the image.
April
Another non-bird! This rabbit photo was taken on a walk in Windsor CT’s amazing River Trail, one of my favorite wildlife locations! A bunch of babies were hopping around, and momma was close behind, munching away but keeping an eye on us.
I rarely photograph furry animals, and I love the crispness of the fur on her face. I think of spring when I see rabbits, so I thought this shot was very fitting for April
May
There’s a lovely beaver dam at Northwest Park in Windsor CT. Though I’ve only ever spotted evidence of beavers rather than the dam-makers themselves, this spot is a hot spot for bug catching birds like the pictured Eastern Phoebe, as well as larger birds like the Great Blue Heron. I’ve even see a Wood Duck or two there in the past!
This Eastern Phoebe was sitting atop this tree stump in the center of the pond. He would take a long look around, then dart into the air to snatch a dragonfly or other large insect. After gobbling it down, he’d repeat the process, and went on for almost an hour getting his fill!
I’m always mixed on wide crops like this. I love that it gives more context to the bird, but I also worry the details in expression are a bit lost. This one however always makes me smile, and was an easy include for this year!
June
This year was a great year for ocean birds! This picture was taken on the Connecticut river, and pictures one of the gathering groups of Double-crested Cormorants. One of Connecticut’s iconic birds, these large waterbirds breed in Connecticut and can sometimes be found here year round.
They take turns performing deep dives into the river water, sometimes coming up with a fish. The ones pictured here were relaxing in the warm sun, which makes me think of the warm month of June.
July
My other secret love is photographing butterflies. While wildlife (especially birds) tends to be a game of using long telescopic lenses and patience to get close and take up close images, insects tend to be a game of trying to get a very close up focus on the animal.
I believe this is a White Admiral butterfly, though my identification skills are novice at best. This photograph was taken in the state of Vermont near the town of Guild Hall while on an overnight camping trip. The insect perched on a blade of grass between brief flights, and turned to face me long enough for a quick shutter snap, before it was off again.
Apparently the southern variant of the same species has a shimmering blue appearance. Very neat!
August
All year round in Connecticut the Tufted Titmouse can be seen, foraging in bushes and on the ground. This particular one was very curious and friendly, peeping out to see what the big shiny thing I was holding was.
Before long it had it’s curiosity satiated and flew away, giving me a fantastic “action post” just before jumping into the air. I love the feather texture visible in the photo, and the way the shadow dramatically crosses under the bird.
September
In the late summer/early autumn, these waterbirds (mixed breeds of gulls) were waiting on rocks down in Southern Connecticut. I spoke with a local fisherman nearby who was saying there were shoals of fish the birds were waiting for, and that if I was patience for the shoal to come back they’d dramatically attack.
I didn’t have to wait long, and what a show it was! The fish surged into the sky and out to dive into the water, many coming up with small fish in their beaks. There were dozens of birds in each ground–and dozens of groups!
October
For October, I decided on this image of a small fox taken in Connecticut. On a small island, he might be one of the few larger predators. Upon arrival the fox jumped out of some bushes, sat upon a small rock, and stared at me for several minutes. It’s one of the closest encounters with a fox I’ve had during daylight.
It looks like he might have some mange issues, and being it was a smaller island, it’s likely he was very accustomed to human visitors.
November
Vultures are by far my favorite class of bird, and this Turkey Vulture was right by my home in November! Landing up in a tree and basking in the warmth of the mid day sun, he was a tad curious what I was doing but quickly decided I was no threat and went back to grooming.
Turkey Vultures have one of, if not the, best sense of small in the animal kingdom. They’re very common here in New England, though their relatives the Black Vulture is also present. You can tell them apart by their pinkish skin (Black Vultures have dark skin on their head instead) and feather colors (Turkey Vultures are brownish instead).
December
The final image for this year is this Great Blue Heron. This Heron was spotted again at the River Trail in Windsor CT, and has been there since hatching.
If you look carefully, you can notice the baby feathers still in place, as this bird is probably only four to six months old. A mix of curious and careful, the bird watched me for a moment or two, before returning to preening. It’s always amazing to watch their use their long beaks on their own necks and the weird angles they have to contort to.
This bird is still sticking around due to the warmer than usual weather, but will hopefully be on their first migration soon!
I hope you enjoyed these photos. I appreciate comments and input! 🙂