In a nod to all the pet birds out there, this blue parakeet or Budgie made the cut. I had a bird that looked just like him when I was little. His name was Pitty Pat.
Photo #3
Who’s a pretty bird? I seem to have a knack for bird photos. There were quite a few birds in the top 10 last year. Here’s a pretty Cockatiel.
WELCOME 2017
Happy New Year!
Welcome 2017
Photo #2
I’m still sorting through the Whale pictures. I went on quite a few whale watches this summer so there are a ton of pictures. I eliminated all of the flukes and tails because I have lots of those so they lack that “special” quality I’m looking for.
This one is another surface feeding humpback. I like this because of the boat in the background and the shoreline. It gives you as reference point for size and the relationship to the shore. The water depth is relatively shallow where these whales are feeding.
Check out all of the gulls flying around hoping for an easy dinner.
Photo Number 1
Although I called this Photo Number 1, I don’t mean it’s necessarily the best. I mean it’s the first photo to make the cut.
This is a photo of a humpback whale “Surface feeding” as he skims the surface with his mouth open, the baleen strains the water out leaving the tiny fish and krill in his jaws.
The photo is sharp, can be enlarged and caught an unusual subject. It’s not everyday you see a whale feeding like this.
Baleen – Stellwagon Banks, Massachusetts Bay, MA
Anyone who knows me understands that I have a fascination with humpback whales. I’ve been following them and whale watching for over 30 years. This season was one of the best whale watch season I can remember. I even saw my first breaching whale. Unfortunately it was too far away for the picture I got to pass the top 10 criteria test.
Humpback Breaching, Stellwagon Bank, Massachusetts