THE BEST OF 2024

 

2024 has been another excellent year of bird photography!  It was a bit different from my normal years though and I did not have a major shoot in South America.  Instead, I planned a few smaller shoots in Alaska, Appalachia and then a big one in Australia at the end of the year.   In addition, I was able to tack on some extra days here and there on my Photo Workshops and pick away at a few target species.

This was the third really busy year in a row. Which is great.  But I am planning to slow things down a little bit in 2025. With that said, I still have some fun shoots that I am really looking forward to. So, stay tuned!

I hope you will enjoy this portfolio of images from 2024.

All the best!

Glenn

COLOMBIA + EL ENCANTO

My first trip of the year was to Colombia to lead my annual photo workshops down there.  We had some incredible opportunities on the two tours I led.  And afterwards I flew down to the southern part of Colombia to visit a really cool reserve I had been wanting to visit called "El Encanto". It was a great visit and I was really happy to get some nice shots of special species like the Hooded Antpitta and Schwartz's Antthrush. A great start to the year!

Crimson-mantled Woodpecker

Toucan Barbet

Empress Brilliant

Black and Gold Tanager

Lanceolated Monklet

Oncilla

Purplish-mantled Tanager

Chrestnut-breasted Chlorophonia

Indigo-capped Hummingbird

Black-collared Jay

Bar-crested Antshrike

Bay-headed Tanager

Collared Inca

Greenish Pufflegs

Velvet-purple Coronet

Red-bellied Grackle

White-crowned Manakin

Brown-billed Scythebill

Common Potoo

Gold-ringed Tanager

Gray-breasted Mountain Toucan

White-throated Quail Dove

Sword-billed Hummingbird

Barred Fruiteater

Crimson-backed Tanager

White-bellied Antpitta

Crescent-faced Antpitta

Hooded Antpitta

Schwartz's Antthrush

White-vented Plumeleteer

Crowned Woodnymph

Scaled Antpitta

Hooded Mountain Tanager

Crimson-mantled Woodpecker

Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager

SOUTHERN ECUADOR

From Colombia I headed straight to South Ecuador to lead another tour. We had a great trip and I picked off a few shots here and there. It was great to improve my shots of the Black-crested Tit Tyrant and finally get some images of Red-hooded Tanagers!

 

Black-crested Tit Tyrant

Purple-throated Sunangel

Wire-crested Thorntail

Band-bellied Owl

Spangled Coquette

Chestnut-breasted Coronet

Red-hooded Tanager

SPRING IN APPALACHIA ONTARIO & VANCOUVER ISLAND

Unlike last year where I barely took any pictures in North America, this year I had several fun domestic shoots.  During a family visit to Ontario I finally managed to get some nice images of Bohemian Waxwings. I spent a week camping out down in Appalachia and was really happy with the portfolia I was able to create from there. And I also snapped a few nice frames during my annual Vancouver Island photo workshops...

 

Worm-eating Warbler

Prothonotary Warbler

Kentucky Warbler

Prairie Warbler

Hooded Warbler

Indigo Bunting

Blue Grosbeak

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Screech Owl 

Hooded Warbler

Bohemian Waxwing

Northern Flicker

California Quail

 

CHURCHILL

Later on on June I had the pleasure of leading a group of photographers around Churchill, Manitoba.  I always love visiting this area. Spending time out on th Tundra and along the shore of the Hudson's Bay is such a treat. We had great success with the birds and I was finally able to track down a nice Harris's Sparrow. These guys were my nemesis up there!!

 

 

Hudsonian Godwit

Pacific Loon

Black Scoter

Blackpoll Warbler

Ruddy Turnstone

Sanderling

Common Merganser

Harris's Sparrow

Red-throated Loon

Hudsonian Godwit

Long-tailed Duck

Palm Warbler

Red-throated Loon

 

 Snow Bunting

Willow Ptarmigan

SAINT PAUL ISLAND

The streak of North America photo shoots continued in July with a trip to the remote Island of Saint Paul in Alaska. What a crazy place to visit and what a cool exerience. I had always wanted to se these Seabirds on their nesting cliffs and the experience did not dissapoint. Afterwards I spent a few days in mainland Alaska to pick off a few more birds. 

Crested Auklet

Tufted Puffin

Rock Sandpiper

Tufted Puffin

Thick-billed Murre

Least Auklet

Parakeet Auklet

Thick-billed Murre

Tufted Puffin

Black-billed Magpie

American Three-toed Woodpecker

Northern Hawk Owl

Crested Auklet

Tufted Puffin

Red-faced Cormorant

Tufted Puffin

Thick-billed Murre

Tufted Puffin

Red-legged Kittiwake

Tufted Puffin 

Grey-crowned Rosy Finch

Tufted Puffin

Horned Puffin

Tufted Puffin

Horned Puffin 

Tufted Puffin

Parakeet Auklet

Tufted Puffin

Rock Sandpiper

Tufted Puffin 
 

AUSTRALIA

Before long it was time to head off again. My big international trip for 2024 was a month in Australia. This time around I focussed on the areas in tropical North Queensland, the Darwin area and also further West near Kununarra. The birds in Australia can be tricky and really make you work for your opportunities. But in the end I was happy with the portfolio I was able to create.

Victoria's Riflebird

Double-eyed FIg Parrot

Gouldian Finch

Rainbow Pitta

Blue-winged Kookaburra

Australian King Parrot

Azure Kingfisher

Southern Cassowary

Shining Flycatcher

Australian Figbird

Sahul Sunbird

Laughing Kookaburra

Metallic Starling

Blue-faced Honeyeater

Double-eyed Fig Parrot

Red-collared Lorikeet

Straw-necked Ibis

Masked Lapwing

Comb-crested Jacana

Star Finch

White-bellied Sea Eagle

Black Bittern

Little Kingfisher

Rainbow Pitta

White-browed Crake

Green Pygmy Goose

Golden Bowerbird

Metallic Starling

Crimson Rosella

Spotted Catbird

Victoria's Riflebird

Red-winged Parrot

Great Bowerbird

Australian Bustard

Southern Cassowary

 

COSTA RICA AND PANAMA

To finish up this busy year I had back-to-back photo tours in Costa Rica and Panama. These are always lovely countries to visit and our groups had fantastic opportunities.  I reached for my camera here and there when some of the really special opportunities presented themselves. Definitely the highlight for me had to be getting good images of the Maroon-chested Ground Doves in the highlands of Panama. What a great wy to end the year!

Fiery-throated Hummingbird

Flame-throated Warbler

Violet-bellied Hummingbird

Long-billed Starthroat

Black-bellied Hummingbird

Magenta-throated Woodstar

Keel-billed Toucan

Collared Aracari

Keel-billed Toucan

Montezuma Oropendola

Maroon-chested Ground Dove

Fiery-throated Hummingbird

 

Overall 2024 was another fantastic year of photography and I'm proud of the work I put in and the images I was able to capture.  It's always nice to look back through the photos and remember all the beautiful places that I am lucky enough to visit.

I'm plannin for a bit of a quieter year for 2025. But I still have a few shoots in the works.

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Happy 2025 Everyone!