Where has the time gone? I usually do my #YearInReview in December, making the 12th post on December 31, that is after all of my shooting done for the year. But… late is better than never, so here goes…

In January of 2021, I visited a couple of areas in the Kisatchie National Forest down in Vernon Parish, but spent more time at Black Bayou Lake NWR, that treasure of great value practically in my back yard. I was there the 17th, exactly one year and two days ago.

It was late afternoon and I was there only a short time. The subtle palette of winter in Louisiana drew my attention: tall grasses on the edge of the water, still green but now topped with golden yellow; the reddish gold on dry land grasses; the gray of spent goldenrod, the dark reddish brown of dead vegetation on the surface of sloughs; the green of pines.

As usual, I was looking for birds. On this trip, I photographed my first ever hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus) and got a very nice shot of an eastern phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) looking coyly over its shoulder at me.

But best of all was the red-tailed hawk that flew across the road in front of me as I was leaving the refuge and perched in a bare tree. It’s always a good trip when I catch sight of a raptor, and a noteworthy trip when I manage to make a decent photo of it!

#BestOf2021