Throughout our current California journey, I loved some wonderful birding. I additionally developed my newest manifestation of a sequence of pores and skin infections that I’ve skilled over the previous 12 months, this one worse than all its predecessors. (Not a sugar drawback, in case anybody considered that; my fasting sugar ranges are completely wholesome.) Consider me, Staphylococcus aurea just isn’t the form of species I might select to write down about on 10,000 Birds. However right here I’m, packed filled with a number of antibiotics, retaining my leg up as a lot as doable, wishing I have been as soon as once more traipsing the hills of Michoacán.
An American White Pelican with its touchdown gear down
A uncommon upside to this example is that it has allowed me to do some lengthy overdue work on a byproduct of my birding obsession. Like many modern-day photographic birders, I’ve constructed up an enormous backlog of images on my long-suffering laptop computer. I need to return and eradicate my 1000’s of outdated images, I actually do. However every week a brand new batch of images clamor for my consideration. That’s, till a gap in my leg retains me from taking any new images for a few weeks.
Townsend’s Warbler
Black-vented Oriole
On any outing I’ll take a whole bunch, even 1000’s, of digital images. I’m fairly good at profiting from my preliminary pleasure to maneuver the perfect 100 or so right into a second file. I additionally normally get the perfect ones onto 10,000 birds, and a very powerful ones (for proving sightings, and so forth.) onto my eBird report. Generally I even get round to eliminating the unique massive file, as soon as I’m positive I received’t want any of these images. Area considerations with my laptop computer inspire me.
Clark’s Grebe, again when Michoacán’s lakes nonetheless had water
The at all times beautiful Elegant Euphonia
The place I actually fall behind is on my final step, which is to undergo some long-past day’s remaining images, put 3 or 4 on my screensaver rotation, save any with uncommon scientific benefit elsewhere, after which eradicate all the file for that day. How far behind have I fallen? Effectively, throughout my convalescence I’ve managed to eradicate some 1,500 or extra images — simply from December 2021, and January-February 2022. The disgrace! The occupied reminiscence!
A male Flame-colored Tanager
One in every of solely a handful of images of Nice Horned Owls that I’ve ever taken
Together with the satisfaction of clearing out a few of this occupied reminiscence, I’ve additionally loved discovering simply what number of very nice images I used to be attaining by that time-frame. In truth, together with including a pair dozen images to my rotating “Greatest Birds” file, I’m additionally making an attempt to eradicate many older images from that very same file. These older images simply can’t maintain as much as my more moderen ones.
male Hooded Oriole
An Iguana, profiting from a gap undoubtedly made by a Golden-cheeked Woodpecker
I’ve been photographing birds now for about 10 years, with out taking any lessons or receiving any coaching. Those I’m interspersing with this narrative are from these first two months of 2022, about 8 years into this journey. Some are extra inventive, whereas others simply symbolize their species unusually effectively, a minimum of so far as my portfolio is worried. (I must also notice that many, if not most, have in all probability already appeared in 10,000 Birds in posts from these dates.)
Two male Lazuli Buntings
A Nutting’s Flycatcher, with lunch
Luca just lately wrote right here concerning the birder/hen photographer dichotomy. I’m one other one who loves photographing birds, with none actual inventive pretensions or aspirations. However I need to say, it’s actually good to have the ability to have images to take pleasure in, when one is quickly unable to get out and see the precise feathered beauties.
An unusually gentle morph Pink-tailed Hawk
Savannah Sparrow
And whereas I do hope to quickly take some new images to share with you all, I hope these pictures, from early 2022, will do — whereas I nonetheless have a leg up.
Wilson’s Snipe, with a Western or Least Sandpiper
