A Word from Nancy - Happy New Year Januay 2025

          Happy New Year!

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!         

I decided to keep the tradition going and invite you to join me in reflecting on the following three questions:

1. What did I do well in 2024?
2. What could I have done better?
3. What am I looking forward to in 2025?

What are your thoughts?         

I took this photo last June while on a photo tour of the Kenai peninsula in Alaska. I was in a drift boat, and this beauty popped up right in front of me. Here are two of the “Cool Facts” about Common Loons from the All About Birds website:

“The Common Loon swims underwater to catch fish, propelling itself with its feet. It swallows most of its prey underwater. The loon has sharp, rearward-pointing projections on the roof of its mouth and tongue that help it keep a firm hold on slippery fish.

• Loons are water birds, only going ashore to mate and incubate eggs. Their legs are placed far back on their bodies, allowing efficient swimming but only awkward movement on land.”
This explains the drops of water - I got the shot just as the bird surfaced, presumably after feeding . Not only is the bird itself unique, but so is its haunting call (click on the “Listen” icon on the above-referenced link)

This explains the drops of water - I got the shot just as the bird surfaced, presumably after feeding . Not only is the bird itself unique, but so is its haunting call (click on the “Listen” icon on the above-referenced link)

This photo is particularly pleasing to me because I took it in natural light in a garden in Rio Tigre this past April. Many hummingbird images, including my own, are “staged” - using sugar water to attract the birds, and flash to emphasize their colors. This one was not.

Here is another photo of the same species, that shows off its unusual tail feathers, a characteristic of hermits:

Happy New Year and

Pura vida,

From Nancy