Ever since I began birding seriously at the beginning of 2018, my wildlife photography of the same has improved in many ways too.
2020 was no exception, as I had taken further steps to produce better photographs and see more unique species.
I began “chasing” birds when they occurred in my area of Ohio, studying more birdsong and calls and perusing various field guides. Any and all resource, be it written or word-of-mouth of my fellow photographer friends was a boon to my birding success.
Another big thing I started in 2020 was keeping score with a “Year List” or participating in a “Big Year.” The goal is to simply record however many species you end up seeing in 12 months.
I kept a text file on my phones’ notes app and the information below is what I recorded as I saw or heard the species.
For anyone curious, all of these findings were in southwest Ohio and so were mainly North American avian species (perhaps with the exception of some of the more obvious invasive or non-native ones, and the East Asian-bred Mandarin Duck that was a late-year surprise near Cincinnati.)
Without further ado, here it is.. (an asterisk denotes not only a year bird but a life bird as well.)
My 2020 Year List! (About 124 species total)
| January (45): European Starling *Hermit Thrush Barred Owl *Short Eared Owl *Northern Harrier American Robin Northern Cardinal Tufted Titmouse Rock Pigeon American Crow Mourning Dove Blue Jay Belted Kingfisher Killdeer Bald Eagle *Greater White Fronted Goose Northern Flicker Brown Headed Cowbird Ring Billed Gull Red Bellied Woodpecker *Hairy Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Carolina Chickadee Dark Eyed Junco American Goldfinch House Finch Brown Creeper Carolina Wren White Breasted Nuthatch *Ring Necked Duck *Bufflehead White Throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Coopers Hawk Red Tailed Hawk Red Shouldered Hawk Eastern Bluebird Hooded Merganser Canada Goose Mallard Great Blue Heron Black Vulture House Sparrow February (3): Red Winged Blackbird Redhead *White Crowned Sparrow March (4): Turkey Vulture *American Tree Sparrow Mute Swan *Northern Shoveler April (23): Eastern Towhee Eastern Phoebe Blue Winged Teal *Wilson’s Snipe *Pectoral Sandpiper Yellow Rumped Warbler Double Crested Cormorant Ruby Crowned Kinglet *Eastern Meadowlark Tree Swallow *Northern Rough Winged Swallow Field Sparrow Chipping Sparrow *Brown Thrasher *Wild Turkey *Rusty Blackbird Blue Grey Gnatcatcher Gray Catbird Yellow Throated Warbler *Louisiana Waterthrush *Northern Parula Scarlet Tanager *Black Throated Green Warbler May (33): *Philadelphia Vireo Baltimore Oriole Palm Warbler Common Yellowthroat *Orchard Oriole Rose Breasted Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Ruby Throated Hummingbird Summer Tanager Red Headed Woodpecker Yellow Warbler Eastern Wood Pewee *Sora Great Egret *American White Pelican Prothonotary Warbler Eastern Kingbird Spotted Sandpiper Cliff Swallow Common Nighthawk American Redstart Blue Winged Warbler *Magnolia Warbler Yellow Throated Warbler Green Heron Great Crested Flycatcher *Yellow Throated Vireo *Henslow’s Sparrow *Warbling Vireo Willow Flycatcher *Bobolink Barn Swallow Purple Martin June (9): *Northern Bobwhite *Prairie Warbler *Lark Sparrow *Willow Flycatcher *Bell’s Vireo *Blue Grosbeak *Dickcissel Yellow Billed Cuckoo *Yellow Breasted Chat July (3): *Hooded Warbler *Sedge Wren Solitary Sandpiper August (0): September (2): *Greater Yellowlegs Chimney Swift October (0): November (0): December (2): *Snow Goose *Mandarin Duck |
As you can see, a couple months were dulled a bit in terms on new bird activity, whether it was a lack of migratory patterns or even personal life getting in the way.
Regardless, A number of life birds were very cooperative in front of the camera, and so in no particular order, here is twelve photos taken from this year. Some of more common year-round residents as well as birds I was seeing for the very first time.
Some of the photos are my favorite 2020 bird shots taken and fortunately the majority of them are lifers as well!
The species as they appear in the slideshow: (an asterisk denotes it being both a year bird and life bird.)
Brown headed cowbird, White throated sparrow, *American tree sparrow, *Sedge Wren, *Henslow’s sparrow, *Sora, Canada geese, *Northern bobwhite, Barn swallow, House finch, Tufted titmouse, *Mandarin duck
To all birders and bird photographers, did you have a productive and exciting 2020? Tell me how your outdoor adventures went in the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you!
Purchase my 2021 Calendar
The ‘All Outdoors Photography Podcast” is a show where we discuss stories from out in the field, techniques and gear with two outdoor photographers and various guests.
Available in video form on YouTube and audio on Spotify, Google Podcasts and all your other favorite podcast apps. Follow us on Instagram as well for more interaction and updates!
Blog | Ryan L. Taylor Photography 