My Top Ten (or so) Photos of 2024
Here are my “Top Ten” photographs of 2024, according to my sophisticated evaluation system I’ve developed over the years, aka, wholly arbitrary. This year I didn’t go by month so that is why it’s not the Top 12. But don’t worry, I cheated anyway and got more in as you’ll see below. I can’t pick a favorite (it would be akin to picking a favorite child, never a good idea unless you only have one or none) so these are in no particular order. Feel free, though, to give me your feedback of your favorite(s) in the comments below. (As always, these images are best viewed at a larger size which you can do by clicking in the photo.)
Let’s cheat right away and show you my favorite non-bird photograph of the year. It is still nature and the main subject(s) do fly. It’s of a rare Monarch Butterfly and a Yellow Jacket having a territorial dispute over a flower. This was fascinating to watch as the bee kept trying to approach the flower the Monarch was on. The Monarch would swat the bee each time with its wings only to have the persistent bee return. his time they seemed to lock horns - well, antennae actually - and had a momentary standoff until the bee flew off for good.
Above - Monarch Butterfly and Yellow Jacket lock antennae in dispute over a flower’s territory. Photographed at South Platte Park.
You know me and reflections - I can’t resist them! Here are three of my faves below.
Above - Even the ever-common Ring-Billed Gull can be the subject of a fun shot. I was actually photographing eagles at Chatfield State Park when I saw this guy start to “wind up” for a takeoff right in front of me.
Above - A Cormorant in takeoff mode at Sterne Park.
Above - And if you know my stuff, you just KNOW I’ll have an egret in there somewhere like this one at Ashbaugh Pond.
The image below was photographed in November from Chatfield State Park as I was leaving the park. It was the most epic sunset I’ve ever seen because it wasn’t just the colors in the sky, it was the textures and shapes of the clouds. I have about a dozen variations of the clouds that evening but this image has birds (so it qualifies, right?) and it was used on Channel 9 of Denver during their newscast a couple nights later!
Above - An epic sunset of colors and cloud shapes over the foothills (and geese conveniently flying through). Taken from Chatfield State Park.
Gotta have an eagle photo in here. I had several to choose from but I love the story this one tells.
Above - Mated pair of Bald Eagles on their favorite tree in Chatfield State Park almost seem to be exchanging shocking neighborhood gossip
Meal time is always something I enjoy watching and photographing like the two images below.
Above - European Starling in Chatfield State Park carries a beakful of insects back to its nest, likely a meal for its newborns
Above - I not only was able to get this Pied-Billed Grebe at Chatfield State Park catching a nice-sized fish, I got a bonus reflection of both in the water.
Every March or so we get a migration of Mountain Bluebirds through here for a couple of weeks. This year I first spotted them after a snowstorm had just deposited sizeable amounts of snow which made for a great backdrop for this male bluebird.
Above - Male Mountain Bluebird rests on a wispy plant in the snow at Chatfield State Park.
I had a major treat this past summer that involved no travel expense to Costa Rica. In fact, my only travel expense was the cup of coffee I was drinking on my back patio when I suddenly noticed that three hummingbirds decided to take a quick bath in the sprinkler nozzle that was sitting in my raised vegetable garden. When i first started shooting I realized my settings were way off and that the shutter speed was way too slow for hummingbirds. But later when i saw the images on my computer I realized how unique some of them looked. The next two after this one are from the same series but had different settings. I’m considering these three as just one shot because I can’t make up my mind which I like the best and I’m using a technicality that any shots taken within 20 seconds count as one shot!
Above - Broad-Tailed Hummingbird takes a bath in the sprinkler. I accidentally had a slow shutter speed on when I grabbed my camera and the effect is that the water droplets turned into long “needles”.
Above - Broad-Tailed Hummingbird takes a bath in the sprinkler. I had changed my camera settings to a more traditional faster shutter speed but you can still see some water “needles” in this one.
Above - Broad-Tailed Hummingbird takes a bath in the sprinkler. I had changed my camera settings again to a fast shutter speed.
I have to do one more hummingbird shot from my yard as I’m really proud of this one. Getting two hummingbirds in focus in one image has been a nemesis shot of mine for a long time. I saw two birds in one of my trees but they weren’t close together. Eventually one flew over to the other (likely a mom with a soon to fledge young ‘un) and I very quickly caught this conversation between them.
Above - A Broad-Tailed Hummingbird adult has a conversation with its soon-to-fledge juvenile in a pine tree in my back yard.
Great Blue Herons always fascinate me. I don’t know why but whenever I see one I just have to take its picture. It was hard to decide on one so I once again cheated and am including my two favorites out of literally dozens I liked a lot. Both were taken at Chatfield State Park in the late Fall about a week apart.
Above - A perfect storm happened for this shot. An early snowfall combined with gorgeous magenta reflection in the water at sunset as the heron stood erect at he water’s edge.
Above - This Great Blue Heron may or may not be shy but I loved how it tucked its head in its feathers in perfect light against a shadow background. Photographed at Chatfield State Park.
And last but definitely not least, two of my very favorites…
Above - I got up at 4 in the morning to photograph the Great Horned owlets before sunrise on an extremely cold day when to my surprise Momma Owl swooped up to the tree-cavity nest just as I was snapping a photo. The owls appears to be closer than they really are as I was using a 700mm lens and this is heavily cropped.
Above - This is Sunny the Great-Horned Owl who shooting partner Shelley and I literally chased as it began to fly to different trees at a sunset in front of spectacular clouds. He alighted on this branch for a few seconds, posed and took off. Photographed in the Denver metro area.
That’s it. hope you enjoyed my Top “Ten” (ha-ha, told you I’d cheat). Let me know in the comments below your favorite.