It is a few days after the great storm of 2020 and a few days before Christmas. I am getting my work done earlier than usual so my editor can clear the decks and have a relaxing bit of time off. For you it is the Monday after Christmas and we are just days away from seeing 2020 in the rearview mirror.
I can’t say that I’ll be sad to see the year close, but I can’t help but think that this very strange year has been one that allowed me to set a long-time personal goal. Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have taken 20,000 photographs in 2020. For only the third time in the past 10 years, I have passed that milestone and, for the first time, I have done so with time to spare.
No last-minute trips to coastal New England to chase number 20,000, this time I did it before Christmas — and what a way to do it, too.
It was the day of the big storm. Like many of you, I woke up, looked out the window and said, “What the what?” They said snow was going to fall, but this time the snow surpassed the hype.
In fact, I think the local meteorologists were caught by surprise.
With so many commercial airliners grounded, there is far less atmospheric data being collected than usual. It was a wonderful surprise. So, with classes canceled due to power and internet outages, I sat down at my kitchen window and started taking photos.
As number 20,000 approached I waited for something especially beautiful to appear and, right on cue, a female red-bellied woodpecker crept up the branches of a lilac bush and then froze in “statue mode.”
This is usually a response to the presence of a predator and I took full advantage of her perfect pose. This photo is actually the real number 20,000.
The morning did not stop providing me with wonderful opportunities for photography, however. The snow was deep and falling at 1 to 2 inches per hour and the birds were all extra excited.
The food was limited because of the speed with which it was covered and the birds were in no mood to share. I had a moment when there were six or seven male cardinals in sight and they all seemed to want the seeds that were on the railing of my deck.
So, after watching some seriously crabby behavior from one particular male, I zoomed out a little and waited for the melee to resume. There were many photos of cardinals being uncharitable with one another, but photo 20,069 was a winner.
It may even be in the running for photo of the year.
The crabbiest of cardinals is the one standing his ground as a challenger approaches. A moment later, the challenger was knocked off the railing and the master maintained his control of the seed. And a moment after that, a blue jay came in and the victorious cardinal made a quick getaway.
I won’t talk with you again until 2021 and my first column will be a look back at some of my favorite photos of 2020. Until then, I hope that you continue to enjoy health, happiness and safety.
Keep your feeders stocked and be sure to welcome all of the little feathered friends that come to dine with you. They will bring a wonderful note of normalcy to our lives as they bicker and squabble over the delicious morsels that you provide for them. Until next year, be well.
Bill Danielson has been a professional writer and nature photographer for 23 years and for only the third time in his career he has taken 20,000 photos this year. He has worked for the National Park Service, the US Forest Service and the Massachusetts State Parks and currently teaches high school biology and physics. Visit speakingofnature.com for more information, or head over to Speaking of Nature on Facebook.