Here are a few of my photographic highlights from this past year. These aren't necessarily the photos that had the most likes on Instagram but are moments that I was happy to capture and share. Mostly, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your support throughout the year...please know that I truly appreciate it. I wish you and your families good health and much happiness in 2021! Happy New Year.✌

 

House Sparrow (male).

 

Mallard drake having a little sip.

 

The first light of day illuminates Hamilton Harbour (2015 with cell phone).

 

Shy guy.

 

Horned Grebe (immature) that popped up beside me and didn't seem to mind the close quarters.

 

Scenes from our peaceful Christmas morning walk. Just us, some snowy vistas and a few feathered friends.

 

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and all the best in 2021.🌲🦌✌🤗❤

 

Red-breasted Merganser nosedive.

 

Going all in on the berry bush.

 

A serious (and seriously puffy) American Tree Sparrow.

 

Common Goldeneye guy on the fly.

 

Blended in.

 

Northern Cardinal in her puffy winter coat.

 

The contortions it takes to do swan feather maintenance.

La Salle Park, Burlington, ON.  Dec. 15, 2020.
 

Whie-tailed Deer and her golden hour gaze.

 

Red-bellied Woodpecker displaying a little smudge of its red belly.

 

Red-breasted Merganser female.

 

We were keeping an eye on each other through the snow-laden boughs.

 

White-breasted Nuthatch with a slim, easily stored seed. The nuthatches we watched gathering food didn't eat what they found rather they would stow it in tree crevices or behind bark. But if another bird was lurking nearby or seemed interested in the storage spot, the nuthatch would immediately extract the food and look for a more secure cache location.

 

Herring Gulls monitoring the shoreline.

 

White-tailed Deer about to make short work of our neighbour's backyard berry bush.

 

Northern Cardinal looking vibrant in the wintery woods.

 

Mute Swans

 

The serene beauty of Hendrie Valley on a snowy morning.

 

Downy Woodpecker

 

Red-breasted Merganser female.

 

"Skeletons of drowned trees reaching like thin grey arms." - Fiftymen

 

Black-capped Chickadee.

 

Cooper's Hawk resting in the backyard after harassing the bird feeder denizens. The second photo shows what Cooper (the pooper) thought about me lurking below.

 

The chariots wait patiently as the new day breaks.

 O'Sullivan Lake,  May 2019

Cardinal moving to ground forage mode after feasting on the berries.

 

Mallard with a wee feather on his beak.

 

Just a tad rugged coastline. (Jan. 2012)

 

Dainty nibbler.

 

Face to face with a serious Canvasback.

 

Love it when the late afternoon sky gets all fired up.

 

I reminisce frequently and fondly of the warm afternoon in May when fourteen different bird species, many of them migratory, stopped by our backyard for a sploosh in the bird bath. That included my first ever Scarlet Tanager. It was pretty surreal.