For the last several years, I have produced a small run of calendars for my fiends and family. The best 12 images of the previous year. As simple as that might sound, over the course of a full year, I will shoot more than 20,000 photos, While that seems like a lot, it works out to about 400 per weekend, if I were to be in the field 50 of 52 weekends of the year. Some of the locations I shoot at, 400 is a quiet day. These 12 images must be decided upon by November 1st, in order to get them to the printer in the US, printed, and then shipped back to me here in Mexico.

This process starts out with about 60 photos. Then the culling process begins. First cut, second cut, third cut, and then, the final. The ones that will be in the calendar, the elite 12 are selected by not only the quality of the image, but most colorful, most unique, and in the case of a couple of birds cut out this year, species that appeared in last years Calendar.

While I am not going to post all twelve, here are my favorite 6 images ( including the feature image above) from the first 10 months of 2016.

 

Least Grebe

 

Varied Bunting

 

Mangrove Warbler

 

California Quail

 

Tri-colored Heron

Written by Tom Brown
Tom Brown grew up in the high desert area of central Oregon. His love for birds and photography started at a young age. Thru the course of time, travel, and a lot of different occupations, he ended up living in Seattle, and met a girl with a sailboat. When he is not scouring whatever area they are in, looking for the next great bird photo, he can be found trying to earn enough money for the next adventure, and of course, a new lens or camera body! Having been nick-named “The Bird Nerd” by his last remaining friends and family, Tom continues search for that next lifer, and the accompanying photo that goes with it. Find his continuing adventures, photographs, and guiding opportunities at Focus on Feathers.