Clearly I need your assistance. I thot I was good at picking my best wildlife photo but it turns out I’m just confused. Last year, I trolled through my blog posts and picked my 10 favourite wildlife photos. You, the readers, voted on the best one. That was great! The problem was that the photo that came in number eight is the one hanging on my wall. That’s a clear miss even in hand grenades! Will I do better this year? Here’s hoping. I’d be honoured if you look over my top 10 photos for this year and click on your favourite in an easy, fun poll at the end. Feel free to vote for as many images as you like.
3. Missing Part
8. Hot Pursuit
10. Ya, I See You!
Happy voting!!! If you’re willing to share, I’d love to know the reason behind your choice.
Krahnpix 
Lyle they are beyond stunning tbh – but I am out of sync with the poll – for me the Part missing deer is so sharp and the loon which I know is impossible to get close too I have tried – what sort of zoom are using I apologise if I have asked this before but I have achance to get a 150 to 500 and wondered what kit was your tool of choice. Happy New Year when it comes 😉
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Glad you enjoyed them. I hope you have a great year as well.
I typically use my 500 lens with a 1.4 extender on a full frame camera. I don’t think I could ever get too much reach but the weight is an issue.
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It was close between #6 & 9 but the coyote won out. Have a fun and successful New Year Lyle!
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The coyote was my favourite too. I hope you have a great photography year.
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Dear Lyle,I tried to decide weeks ago. Couldn’t. Hmm… I decided to leave it alone and come back with “fresh eyes”. Didn’t really change. There is not a single image that wouldn’t be a favourite in my collection (if I were so able to make such an image). I understand that in your collection, there might be a preference, but the real challenge is that you don’t post anything that’s truly inferior. Complicating the choice (believe me, I appreciate the complication) is that each image comes with a back story. As a result, I’m of no real help. I’m glad that you’re in no real danger–if there were a real emergency I hope that I would be more able to assist. I’m beginning to consider this challenge an artificial “emergency” requiring “help”. That’s my out–the problem isn’t mine unless I make it so. And it’s not really yours unless you also make it so. It’s a great “hook”, but not an emergency. There! I’ve found my way out of this conundrum. Good. I can go back to enjoying the images without feeling that I’ve let you down. I hope that you can accept that position. It’s Christmas Day night and we’ve moved to more private time. Good! Peace to you and yours. Tomorrow morning I have an appointment to donate at Blood Services. Saturday our company leaves and so do we–off to Edmonton to care for the grand-twins. Peace, my friend, Dick
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2014 23:16:24 +0000 To: dicktrew@hotmail.com
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I voted for Ya, I’m hungry, and it appears to be a popular choice. I like the intensity in the eyes, the color of the photo, the tongue. Great capture. However, I almost voted for the top photo. That is a unique photo with the eye clearly in focus. I’d enter that one in photo contests due to the unusualness of it.
All great photos though. You photos improve each year.
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I appreciate the choices and reasons. I find the process of reviewing the photos each year makes me thankful for the opportunities.
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Your posts have stopped showing up in my reader feed. I suspect gremlins were trying to prevent me from voting for Pretty in Orange. Of course, it could have been the Loon. Not cool, Loon. But, as I always do, I track down my must read blogs, and here you are having fun as usual. Excelent shots, as always.
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The voting would not have been complete without you! Those gremlins will stop at nothing to weasel in their manipulating ways. I’m glad you are wise to their tricks. I’ve had that happen a few times which makes me rely on memory which can be truly dangerous.
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Memory? What’s that? Something from ages gone by, I think.
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And I used to be pretty good at it!
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I voted for the coyote because it was a great photo, but also because of the intensity of its eyes. Great capture!
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The coyote and I appreciate that. I still like looking into the eyes of that coyote but I probably shouldn’t let that get around!!
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It’s so hard to choose. If I vote for all of them it doesn’t really help, right? I had to pick the coyote, it’s such a fantastic shot!! And the avocet, there’s no way I can *not* vote for that one too. 🙂
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If it’s hard to choose that’s a high compliment! Thanks for picking. One of those just might be my favourite:)
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Pretty in orange is my favourite and cool as a loon. They are all wonderful !
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I appreciate you taking the time to choose. It’s always interesting to see other people’s choices.
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I really like the crispness of all the colors of the partridge Very nice work.
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I really enjoyed looking at the photos I really like the partridge and bear if that is a wild bear sure hope you had your escape route planned lol very nice work on all of them.
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The bear was wild but I was safely tucked in my four-wheel blind so I was fine. I find the allure to wild animals much stronger so all my photos are wild. Glad you enjoyed them.
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Thanks. Crisp is good. It doesn’t always turn out that way.
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Ears perked, Eyes blazing, Tongue almost tasting…. This coyote has won my Vote! Intensity, clarity and natural beauty all captured to give me the feeling I’m in that 4×4 behind some expensive camera just waiting to push the trigger. Your photos are all worthy of hanging on the wall and I do love seeing what you present. Please continue to share your incredible talent.
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That’s a great caption for that photo! I’m glad that you enjoy my photos and really appreciate the comments.
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I would be happy to have captured any of these. Good job on all! Catching Some Evening Light Rays does it for me. Several things are coming together for me. Wonderful light, color combos, out stretched neck, details and eye having a catch light. It just pulls it all in to make a fine photo.
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If you would have been happy to capture them – that’s high praise for me. Those evening rays continue to mesmerize me and make it thrill to capture images in that light.
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All of your photos are well done Lyle. I like the black bear eating grass the best. Its a very clean image. It’s sharp, and there are no disturbances by unwanted lines or other distracting elements. Plus, the rule of 3rds is bang on where your eye immediately goes to; the mouth. Congratulations. The avocets are nice, but in my humble opinion, the blackie has them beat. Cheers.
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That’s a pretty special photo and one I’ve been trying to get for a while for all the reasons you outlined. Glad you liked my favourite bear photo.
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I had to go with the hungry coyote. I see I have company in that assessment being in second place now.
That’s got to be close to a once in a lifetime shot, a real winner!
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Its never happened to me before so that just might be the case. And yes you are in good company. Thanks for picking.
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The Sandhill Crane, although the wolf was pulling at me as well. There’s something about a critter hidden behind foliage that’s just plain wonderful.
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I obviously got enamoured with that too! Those are different kinds of shots for me. Thanks for picking and telling!
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Hi, Lyle,
Technically I’d say most of your pictures are superb! So what makes a difference? I guess it must be the feeling or the atmosphere conveyed through the picture?
And that’¨s why I’m voting for no 1: ‘Please mummy, I’m hungry . . .’
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I like that idea. Ultimately that’s what I’m trying to convey but everyone comes to the shots with different perspectives. That’s why it’s fun to hear what others think.
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Cool as a Loon was my favorite until I saw Pretty in Orange. Great picture, but then all of them are 🙂
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Glad you liked them. It’s interesting how our opinions can change when we see something else.
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For me …. cool as a loon. I love loons, especially there lonely cry.
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I can’t look at a photo of a loon without hearing the echoing cry of loon. What an incredible sound.
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‘Pretty in orange’ is so beautiful, but I voted for ‘In hot pursuit’. 🙂
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It really is interesting comparing two shots that are so completely different – and yet still fun to do it anyway. Thanks for picking.
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My pleasure, Lyle. Love your photography.
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It’s all so very subjective, but I narrowed it down to three that grabbed me… 5, 6 and 7. Just because I liked ’em best. 😀
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It’s impossible to argue with that reason! There are still days that I wonder about the subjectivity of it all.
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Usually I’m a sucker for the bears, but this year have gone for the wolf (could it be the mob reference?) because of his piercing eyes and for the colours of the photo. Second choice was the loon, because thanks to you I now know what a loon sounds like. Next year I’d like to see a snowy owl (& perhaps some more bears!).
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I’m sure the mob reference had some part to play in that but that’s all good (by the way it’s a coyote – we are blessed with a few different predators here). As for next year, I’m sure you can count on those wonderful creatures!
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We only have dingoes, which I rarely, if ever, see in the wild, so please forgive me the wolf reference. It is a beautiful animal whatever the name.
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Sorry I didn’t expect you to know the difference. It’s just that coyotes are pretty common but wolves are much rarer and much more special in my books. Of course in the right light coyotes can look pretty good – just like the rest of us!
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Pretty in Orange and Cool as a Loon. But I would hang any one of them, all museum quality.
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Thanks for that. They have all become special photos to me but I have the added benefit of having experienced them as well so my perspective is forever coloured.
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Pretty in Orange and Cool as a Loon for the clarity and lovely tonal range.
The first two don’t really have enough of the animal visible to be really good wildlife pics (in my opinion – others may disagree).
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I appreciate hearing the reasons why you choose some and didn’t choose others especially someone so knows the craft so well. I wish I could replicate that clarity and tonal range in a lot more photos. To be honest, I struggle a lot with cropping when I don’t show the whole animal but I’ve acquired some taste for it. As for differences in taste, I was amused that it took only a short time for every photo to get a vote.
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I voted for Pretty in Orange because of the composition (focused in front, blurred behind), the delicacy of the birds, the lighting and the colors – soft blue with bright orange. Lovely photo. What kind of bird are they?
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Those are great reasons. The birds are American avocets which are reasonably common around here though I would say they some uncommonly wonderful features. Glad you liked it.
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It’s hard to pick just one, Lyle, but I think “Ya I’m Hungry” is an amazing shot. I love how the coyote’s coat almost matches his surroundings perfectly, but the look of intensity on his face is what really grabs me. I can’t help but wonder what he is stalking and if he managed to get it.
I am surprised that your photo of the Sandhills flying off with the giant moon in the background didn’t make your cut. It is definitely one of my favorites. Congrats on a profitable year of photography!
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That coyote was hunting mice and was successful – I managed to see one capture in the time I was there. I’m sure the intensity made the difference. Those eyes are special.
I usually pick my best wildlife for the year in one post and the next one will be non-wildlife nature shots. I could have gone either way with that one but decided to go with the other group. It definitely is one of my favourites of the year. I’m pleased that you remembered. Thanks of the comments.
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I see I’m running with the “Ya, I’m Hungry” crowd. I like the combination of the tongue and concentration.
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That’s a good crowd to run with! The concentration of the coyote is worth imitating if I could.
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All of them great shots, but the loon was so minimalist, peaceful ~
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When I can achieve those two things it’s usually a good photo. It certainly was a peaceful experience with only me and loons out there as well as the sound of the ice rubbing together. I appreciate the comments.
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Very, very hard to choose, but I’ll go for Pretty in Orange, just because it is so different. All are excellent photos, Lyle, and you should be quite proud of them.
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It looks like you have a lot of company with that choice. That’s good advice and I am focusing on being grateful for the photos I made. Each brings back a wonderful experience.
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Pretty In Orange takes it for me! Looks like you had another great year of photography and hopefully an even better one to come! Cheers, Owen
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Thanks for checking them out and choosing. I have come to appreciate the value of looking back over the year and being thankful for the opportunities I had the photos I got. I hope you have a great year too.
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Sono tutte talmente belle che è difficile scegliere, ma poi ho deciso e ho dato la mia preferenza!
Complimenti, foto splendide!
Ciao, Patrizia
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Sono contento di sentire che loro vi sia piaciuto! Grazie per il controllo loro e votare. Ho avuto un sacco di piacere a trovare la fauna selvatica e fare le foto. Sono davvero splendidi animali.
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