Best of 2020: Photography

Most people want to rid their minds of the year that was 2020 but for us it was a solid year bird-wise. In no particular order here are some of our favourite photos.

Saw-whet Owl

In a popular city park we chased a blackpoll warbler into some dense bushes where a saw-whet owl was having a nap.

Loon

One of our pandemic activities involved paddling an inflatable boat around a lake. We came by a family of loons and it was incredibly memorable.

Waxwing

In spring we came by a flock of waxwings feeding in a tree that was in full bloom which was very beautiful.

Horned Lark

Before this encounter with a flock of horned larks we never truly appreciated what a spectacular bird they are.

Red Crossbill

In Waterton National Park we spent a day hiking in cold rain and it was miserable. Near the end of the hike we fell into a pocket of birds that included red crossbills -- a lifer!

Cuckoo

We were hiking in Barranca El Choncho on a trip to Mexico and spotted two amazing squirrel cuckoos hanging out at eye-level in the open.

Pewee

Although flycatchers and pewees are bland looking we made an effort to pay more attention to them this year and it gave us a better appreciation for them.

Oriole

When we took this photo of a streak-backed oriole we already had a hunch that it would be a contender for our best photos of the year (even though we were only 1 month into 2020).

Bunting

One of our favourite birds is the orange-breasted bunting. These birds are unique to the part of Mexico we like to visit and are impossibly bright and cheerful.

Ibis

The white-faced ibis is a very desirable sighting for Alberta birders and it's easy to see why -- their plummage is incredibly vibrant and their shape looks very exotic.

Looking back

We started the year off well and when the pandemic hit we were going out birding a lot. The number of lifers we saw on those trips blew us away. We kept up our activities for the summer but had a massive drop when it got cold. In 2021 we did some reflection and are getting out again because birding makes everything better.

Virtual birding
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