Some of Our 2011 Favorites: New Collections

Each excursion into the field is filled with expectation. Will the mated pair of Pileated woodpeckers be at the nesting cavity today? Will we get another shot at photographing a Great Egret catching gar? Sometimes expectations pan out and sometimes we are pleasantly surprised by a new sighting, a new interaction, or a new discovery of some sort. In many ways, last year was our first year of serious photographic effort. We became willing to go great distances and work under hostile environmental conditions: we visited deserts, swamps, jungles, and mountains, and braved heat, cold, high-altitude electrical storms, bugs, alligators, and Grizzly Bears to get the shots. We had a blast!

We hope you will stop to take a look at Chris’s selected 2011 favorites, stay a while to see Elisa’s selected 2011 favorites, and then come back for more. Welcome!

Curious Empidonax Flycatcher at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Texas
Empidonax sp. flycatcher, Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Texas. 
Empidonaxes are notoriously hard to identify to the species level. Elisa watched for hours as this unidentifiable but undeniably charming little bird flew to and from this riverside perch occasionally bringing back a tasty insect treat.
Male Mountain Bluebird at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.
This proud and confident bird allowed Chris to approach within twenty feet. Male Mountain Bluebird at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.