At this time of year, all of the “real” media outlets are spending a fair portion of their bandwidth looking back over the ending year.  I thought that I could easily emulate this trick.  After three hours of PhotoShopping, I am just now starting to actually write this post, so much for a quick and easy blog post idea.  The “picture” with this post is an animated GIF.  As such, it may not actually play on your computer if your security settings are too tight.  I don’t think that it will play on the iPhone either.  I’m sorry folks, but my talent just cannot be constricted by limiting technology.  😉

 Assuming that you can actually see it, the following picture shows twelve pictures of birds that I have taken in 2010, one for each month.  Last year, I published a calendar and many of its months featured bird pictures.  I will not be making one this year.  In lieu of that production, I plan on blogging several more of these photographic catalogues of the year 2010.  Next week, I’ll be off from work and will have the time to devote to these projects.

• Trumpeter Swans in Flight, the Riverlands, 1/27 – This is the first and probability the best picture that I took this year.  I love the etherealness of this picture, three off-white birds sailing through a grey cotton sky.
• American Bald Eagle, the Riverlands, 2/26 – The Bald Eagles nest along the big rivers in winter.  When the weather turns cold and even the Mississippi freezes, they tend to congregate near the lock and dams.  When they do so, they become relatively easy to photograph.
• King Vulture, Saint Louis Zoo, 3/21 – Photographing birds in the zoo is a lot like shooting fish in a barrel, highly productive, but not very satisfying.  Occasionally though I have been able to engage the zoo’s inhabitants and this photo is an example of this kind of success.
• A Snowy Egret Performs a Mating Dance, Forest Park, 4/11 – It is springtime and a young male bird’s thoughts turn to love.
• Mallard Ducklings, Forest Park, 5/26 – If April is the cruelest month, than ducklings that survive to May are just ducky.
• Fluffed Up White Crowned Sparrow, Point Lobos, CA, 6/28 – Just a sparrow, but still a bird projecting personality.  Projecting its thoughts about a cold and windy day.
• Some Sort of Grouse, Grand Teton, 7/20 – We saw a lot of birds on our Yellowstone/Grand Teton vacation.  I’m sorry that I had to pick just one.
• All the Young Gulls in Paris Are Wearing Crayfish this Fall, the Cabin, 8/17 – This gull once had this crayfish in its mouth, but the crayfish escaped its beak and latched on to the gull’s breast.  It hung there until it was able to slip back into the lake and escape.
• Four American White Pelicans, the Riverlands, 9/24 – The pelicans are the fall migratory bird specie at the Riverlands.  They herald the winter species to come.  Now what the helican is that pelican rhyme?
• Red-tailed Hawk, Grant’s Trail, Saint Louis, 10/16 – Anne took this photo.  She takes many good photos, but the little point and shoot that she likes to use, doesn’t usually have the telephoto chops to get a decent bird picture.
• Anna’s Hummingbird, Monterey, CA, 11/5 – In this photo I demonstrate that I can take an non-blurry photo of a hummingbird.  The secret, just find where it roosts and then just wait.
• Belted Kingfisher in a Sycamore Tree, Forest Park, 12/18 – I was worried that I wouldn’t have anything to show for December, until last week.