2010 A Year in Pictures

As 2010 winds down it's a good time to look back at some of my best images from the year.

Mid January ushered in a warm spell that brought this chipmunk out of hibernation.  It used the nice weather as an opportunity to raid the natural bird feeders refilling its underground larder.  With cheeks stuffed this little guy has a lot of "cute" appeal; enough so to get him published in the 2011 Pennsylvania Game Commission Calender.

February gave me incredible images of my first close-up observation of an all-out Wild Turkey fight.  The Gobblers were so engrossed in fighting that they totally ignored Willard & me as I shot hundreds of still images and he kept the video rolling.

A trip to Conowingo gave me this close-up Bald Eagle shot.  The number of Eagles had declined dramatically by the time of our visit but the close-up encounter still made for a memorable day.

Visiting Middle Creek during March Willard & I just missed the major migration of Snow Geese.  With only an estimated 10,000 hanging around that day we had plenty of subjects for our photographic pleasure.

A March visit to Elk County allowed me to visit with Kisser for the last time.  I had grown fond of this gentle bull having photographed him over a number of years.  One of my 2008 images of him and a small cow was published in the 2010 PGC calendar.  Sadly I did not encounter him during the 2010 rut; he was killed during this years elk season.

March also ushered in the spring waterfowl migration.  Using an electric powered boat allows me to get some good images of waterfowl at this time of year.  This pair of Hooded Mergansers is one of my favorite images from the spring migration.

With the warmer days of April the Wild Turkeys begin their spring mating ritual.  Being at the right place at the right time can yield incredible images of these majestic birds.

A migratory flock of Bonaparte's Gulls passed through my area in early April.  These birds are incredibly trusting allowing me to drive the boat up to within a few feet of them.  This reflection shot of the gull with wings lifted is my favorite from the mornings encounter

The same day, shortly after shooting the gulls, I noticed something swimming in the lake.  Approaching closer with the boat I could see it was an Otter!  My very first sighting of a Otter in the wild!  This image also was published in the PGC's 2011 calendar.

May blanketed the area in fresh green foliage and I began spending evenings at a local wetland.  Wood Ducks, Mallards, Hooded Mergansers, and Canada Geese were nesting there.  This colorful Wood Duck male swooped in low giving me a wonderful passing shot.

And a Wood Duck hen with her tiny ducklings swam past my hide as she eyed me intently trying to determine if I were a danger.

Passing close by this young Wood Duck reflected beautifully in the placid water of the wetland.   These ducks are very wary and I was using the best camo I had and they were still picking me out allowing only a few shots at best before they disappeared.

2010 A Year in Pictures will continue with my next post.