Top 20 Photos of 2025
Here are my “Top Twenty (ish)” photographs of 2025, once again according to my sophisticated evaluation system I’ve developed over the years, aka, wholly arbitrary. This year I show them by month I took them but they are not in any particular order. I can’t pick a favorite (it would be akin to picking a favorite child, never a good idea unless you only have one or none) so these are in no particular order but I’d love your feedback of your favorite(s) in the comments below. (As always, these images are best viewed at a larger size which you can do by clicking in the photo.)
January
Above - The year started on a high note when friend and fellow photographer Shelley and I were searching for Bald Eagles and instead stumbled upon a Golden Eagle that was closer than I’ve even been to one (and likely ever will be!).
Above - Maybe not the best of shots but I loved the story this told of a juvenile Bald Eagle trying to steal some of the adult Bald Eagle’s lunch away from it.
Above - We were graced with a rare Long-Tailed Duck for quite a few weeks this past winter in the South Platte River. The reflections in the water were so colorful and that little bead of water on the bird’s head is a “chef’s kiss”. I wrote about this discovery in my February post and you can read it here.
February
Above - Buffleheads are small ducks that run as they take off from the water.
March
Above - In my annual trip to Monte Vista, Colorado to view the Sandhill Crane migration, I get all kinds of photos of them. This one shows how they appear to be “falling” out of the sky when they land. The sunset colors only added to this. I wrote about the Sandhill Cranes in March and you can read it here.
April
Above - Ospreys migrate out of this area in the Fall and return in April. This was my first sighting of one in 2025 and I found it taking a full bath in the water at Chatfield State Park. I wrote about the Ospreys returning in my April post and you can read it here.
Above - While in California I again found a pair of Wild Amazon Parrots sitting in a palm tree near my hotel. It appears I may have interrupted a romantic moment.
Above - And then one of them flew right towards me!
Above - Also In California I saw a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron so close to me that I could get a close-up portrait of it. This photo was selected for the annual Hit Me With Your Best Shot photo competition at the Lake Charles, Louisana art gallery.
Above - Closer to home, our Snowy Egrets returned and this one flew oh-so-gracefully at Ashbaugh Pond.
May
Above - For a couple of days n May these Double-crested Cormorants found a great fishing hole for meal-sized Rainbow Trout. They dive into the water looking for the fish and often successfully emerge with the catch of the day. I wrote about the Cormorants in May and you can read it here.
Above - Another Double-crested Cormorant catching a Rainbow Trout. Notice the turquoise eyes. Males in breeding season have that color to attract the ladies. Apparently it works with fish, too!
Above - This Black-Crowned Night Heron glided right by me in absolute perfect light at Sterne Park. I did zero cropping as it perfectly fit the frame as shot.
June
Above - In all the years I had gone to Sterne Park, a local small park with a pond in it, I have never seen a Pelican there. Until this day when this guy started making funny faces at me. This photo was selected for the end of the year issue this year of Colorado Outdoors magazine for publication.I wrote about how Pelicans are our most surprising bird and you can read it here.
Above - It’s never easy to get small songbirds in flight but I anticipated this one just right as the Western Kingbird spread its wings for me.
July
Above - Snowy Egrets have long been one of my favorite birds to photograph for the beauty in their feathers. This one gave me a very unique pose, too.
Above - No, this is not an attack waiting to happen. In fact, I found this pair of Ospreys building a late nest this year that they did not use. While dragging sticks over this guy decided to take a break and get amorous with its mate. This is seconds before it happened. (Spoiler alert: she told him to forget about it).
August
Above - I was at Chatfield State Park photographing Blackbirds when I noticed a hummingbird amidst the sunflowers. This one, a juvenile or female Black-Chinned Hummingbird is patiently waiting for a bee to finish gathering pollen out of the flower before it also tries to get some nutrients out of it.
Above - This was a royal treat! This is a Wood Stork, a bird not seen in Colorado for 91 years until this summer. I wrote about this adventure in September and you can read it here.
September
Above - This is a Great Egret, a lot rarer here than its more common cousin, the smaller Snowy Egret. I found this one gently flying across the water in great light at Chatfield State Park.
Above - Juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons look quite a bit different than the adult versions. I found this one “skulking” out of the shadows of Redtail Cove at South Platte Park one day this Fall. I wrote about this magical area in October and you can read it here.
Above - This Great Blue Heron shows off its beautiful flight feathers as it prepares to leave Hudson Gardens here for the night.
October
Above - You might think I changed the colors in this or somehow altered the photo but you’d be wrong. This little Pied-billed Grebe was enjoying itself in some beautifully colored reflected water of Redtail Cove at South Platte Park. The bird, color and concentric rings all worked together to give me an unforgettable image. I wrote about his magical area in October and you can read about it here.
November
Above - This was a total accident. I was coming home from the park late afternoon one day when I saw an Osprey sitting on a pole. The Osprey should have migrated out for the year by then but hadn’t. I then saw the full moon rising near it and waited about ten minutes until it was right behind it as the Osprey appears to “admire” it. I took two photos seconds apart - one that focused on the moon and one that focused on the bird, using Photoshop to blend the two photos together.
December
Above - I closed out the year with a rare (for here) bird sighting, a Snow Goose. It was in a flock of about 500 “regular” geese but really stood out. I love this one because it tells a story, one that the viewers can decide for themselves.
That’s it! Excellent year for photographing birds and I hope you enjoyed viewing them as much as I did taking them. Don’t forget to let me know your favorite(s) below.