2022 Highlights

A Summary of 2022

With 2022 being my first full year of birdwatching, it was also a fantastic year for my photography. For me, this past year involved many hikes and adventures into nature, all of which was incredibly refreshing in my life. So I decided to put together a little slideshow to look back on my favorite shots from last year. I hope you enjoy it!

Winter

The year started off with a few guided birding hikes at Scioto Audubon Metro Park and Darby Creek Metro park, where I learned about the Northern Harriers and Short-Eared Owls that spend winter in Ohio. While I didn’t find any Short-Eared Owls in 2022, I did see plenty of Harriers (although still didn’t get any good photos of them) at the Darby Creek wetlands. During my continued attempts to find and photograph these raptors, I began to encounter other birds in the wetlands, such as the bright yellow Eastern Meadowlark, various duck species, and even a pair of Trumpeter Swans that built a nest in the area.

Spring

As the weather warmed up, I learned of the famous warbler migration. Birdwatchers wait eagerly for spring migration to bring all kinds of colorful warblers and songbirds, and somehow I (and likely most people) have managed to not even notice this event that occurs all around me, year after year. And while I did manage to spot a few fun songbirds, I honestly found the warbler search a bit too ambitious for a new birder. The highlight of my spring season was actually the discovery of a local Barred Owl nest! It was pure luck that I even found the nest, but then returned a few more times to look for the owl. On one special visit, I got a pretty great view of the fledgling owl peeking out of his tree.

Summer

Summer approached too quickly, as it always seems to do, and my birdwatching slowed down. However, this gave me a chance to focus on some more family photography and other nature, such as wildflowers, frogs, and butterflies. I did wind up discovering a hotspot for American Goldfinches near my home, where they flocked and fed on the wild sunflower seeds. Late summer brought me back to the wetlands, where numerous shorebirds waded in the mud. Great Egrets are one of my favorite birds, despite being such a common species. Their elegant poses and white feathers (and the fact that they stand still and are easy to photograph) just make them a treat to watch!

Autumn & Winter

Then the leaves began to change, and we entered Autumn. This was another migration season that I largely chose to ignore, while my focus shifted to colorful fall hikes with the kids, apple-picking, pumpkin patches, and an animal-filled family adventure to the Farms at Walnut Creek. Before I knew it, winter was here. I managed to squeeze in a couple more small hikes before the year ended, including one to check out the Tall Pines area at Walnut Woods Metro Park.

Conclusion

Overall, 2022 was a good year and I greatly enjoyed learning more about bird and wildlife photography. My hope for 2023 is to use what I’ve learned to capture even better photos of these creatures, as well as to expand my knowledge about more species and the best times and places to find them. I’ll also be encouraging my kids to explore nature with me, (and get plenty of photos of them) too! And of course, I will be continuing to work on this blog so that I can share more of the stories around my photos. Thank you to everyone who has followed my photography on Facebook, and I hope you will enjoy my work throughout 2023 as well!