Post Your Best 2023 Wildlife Photos

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It's getting towards the end of the year and I thought it would be fun to post some of our best / favorite shots from the last twelve months. Only post images you captured this year and please keep it to eight photos or less (I know, it's tough if it's been a busy year). I can't wait to see what you captured. I'll start with some of my favorites :)

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A beautiful display of wall-hanger photographs, Steve.

I noticed that you used the most expensive equipment that money can buy. Maybe sometime in the future, you could consider posting pictures taken with an average-priced camera and lens. It would have a bigger impact on your audience, like me. Just a thought!

Cheers, and a happy new year to you and your family.
 
A Sandhill Crane captured Jan 28/2023 at George Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, British Columbia. It was a cloudy day and the crane was standing in the pond area which provided a perfect background for this shot. Minimal post work done, just some removal of some debris in the water.
Nikon D780, 300mm F2.8 Lens
- 1/1250 SS
- f/2.8G
- Iso 220View attachment 77366
This is quite the glamor shot! Well done!
 
First half of year is already transferred to hard drives and deleted from computer and I am too lazy to plug in hard drive. So, I grabbed eight from second half of year that are still on my computer.
August 1, Madera Canyon, Arizona​
September 4, Sweetwater Wetlands, Arizona​
September 27, Garden of the Gods, Colorado​
October 10, Sweetwater Wetlands, Arizona​
November 26, Starr Pass (Tucson), Arizona​
November 30, Sweetwater Wetlands, Arizona​
December 5, Sweetwater Wetlands, Arizona​
December 18, Madera Canyon, Arizona​
The silhouette is 🔥! Great work. And the B&W coati is awesome.
 
A couple from our trip to South Africa in February. Weather in Kruger was vey wet this year and we just made it out as all the floods began.
 

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Fabulous photos! Thanks for sharing. Here are a few more. Happy New Year!
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Amazing collection of photos on this tread! I’m late to the party but am adding my Favorites
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So many great images here that I'm reluctant to post any of mine, but...why not.
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First and foremost, it needs to be stated that there is some amazing work on this thread. Every photographer who has posted their work should feel proud of what they've done and shared... I am just amazed by the vision of my friends and colleagues here.
As for me, my year was one filled with great loss. As many of you know, I lost my beloved wife of nearly 33 years in April, and this forum has been a refuge for me during periods of extreme grief. Like Steve and Rose, Tamy was my photographic partner. She went where I went, took pictures by my side and afar, and loved to be on adventures that took us everywhere from deep country backpacking, roadtrips, and international excursions. As Tamy declined, I'd continue to shoot whenever I could find a subject within a few miles of my home. Her gradual decline from fully functional to physical/cognitive impairments lasted for about 18 months, and photography was the one piece of therapy that I gave myself. Pursuing nature photography was so important to me during this time that I recently wrote an article about the "Therapeutic Power of Nature Photography" that was published in the current issue of Nature Photographer Magazine.
With all of that stated, my year's work represents a mix of 20 minutes of shooting here and there, to long hours of sitting and watching nature as I grieved the loss of my one true love.
Just last week I returned from Bosque del Apache. This was my first real trip without Tamy, and was a trip that almost never happened. Tamy had always been my travel companion and I left on an 8 day road trip with the fear that I would not be able to do this on my own. Fortunately my golden doodle Luca, was there to keep me company and I endured... making the trip happen. I think some of my best work of the year was made at Bosque, but... with the exception of a few pictures, the work is currently unedited. The last picture in this series was posted earlier in the week, and is among the best shots I've made in a long time... so I present it here as well.
Ok... that's a huge confession of life's reality. These 8 photos are presented in the order they were taken.
Good shooting and Happy New Year to you All!!
bruce
Really lovely images, Bruce. I’m so very sorry for your loss, but very glad that the natural world and photography have brought you a measure of happiness and peace as you grieve. I wish you the very best for 2024 and beyond.

Sincerely,
Clark
 
The year 2023 has been an amazing year for me. I have reached my goal which was to photograph love telling stories of wildlife behaviour. I was so lucky to witness so many opportunities.


I love to watch BBC wildlife documentaries, but I always skip the scenes where an animal attacks and kill another. I know it is a natural way for survivor, but it makes sad, and I avoid witnessing such scenes while I am photographing.


The big surprise came last November when I saw a mother cheetah with her cub wondering around looking for food. The interaction between the mother and her cub was so beautiful that I did not care about the middle day harsh light and the heat condition. I took so many beautiful shots and I was very satisfied with what I got.

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Suddenly the mother stopped, and the cub did the same. She was watching a group of 6 Thompson gazelles grazing around 300m from where the cheetahs were. With no warning, the mother took off at high speed and started to chase the small herd of gazelles. Few seconds later she caught one of the gazelles. All this happened so fast that I did not realize how close we were to the cheetah and her kill. I was devasted. Looking at the gazelle eyes, I started to cry. All what I could hear, is my driver screaming at me and saying, “Lina photograph. Dam! Lina photograph”. With my hand shaking and my blurry eyes full of tears, I started to take photos with no enthusiasm.

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After the mother killed the gazelle, her cub started to imitate her. She was teaching her cub how to kill and survive.

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Then I realise even the scene was so sad and difficult to watch, I was lucky to witness this moment of Joy, happiness of the cub and her gratitude toward her mother for the food that she provided her. And me, I was privileged to be there and record the scene. Both shared a happily meal. I know that the same scene will happen again and again and this cub if she (I don’t know why I always refer to her as she) makes it to adult life, she will be herself a wonderful mom It was and will be a beautiful love story to tell even how sad it was.
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The same day, an hour late, few kilometers further, we witness a love story between two lions.

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The female was screaming of satisfaction.
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And the male was so proud of himself for the joy he gave his mate.
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These photos are far from perfect but are my favorite for witnessing these wonderful moments of their life.
 
Amazing photos from all presenters. I hope these give others some pleasure.
1) Angel of death - Maribou stork
2) Little Bee-eater
3) Brown-winged striped sweat-bee
4) Chestnut-bellied heron
5) Young hyaena chewing a twig
 

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First and foremost, it needs to be stated that there is some amazing work on this thread. Every photographer who has posted their work should feel proud of what they've done and shared... I am just amazed by the vision of my friends and colleagues here.
As for me, my year was one filled with great loss. As many of you know, I lost my beloved wife of nearly 33 years in April, and this forum has been a refuge for me during periods of extreme grief. Like Steve and Rose, Tamy was my photographic partner. She went where I went, took pictures by my side and afar, and loved to be on adventures that took us everywhere from deep country backpacking, roadtrips, and international excursions. As Tamy declined, I'd continue to shoot whenever I could find a subject within a few miles of my home. Her gradual decline from fully functional to physical/cognitive impairments lasted for about 18 months, and photography was the one piece of therapy that I gave myself. Pursuing nature photography was so important to me during this time that I recently wrote an article about the "Therapeutic Power of Nature Photography" that was published in the current issue of Nature Photographer Magazine.
With all of that stated, my year's work represents a mix of 20 minutes of shooting here and there, to long hours of sitting and watching nature as I grieved the loss of my one true love.
Just last week I returned from Bosque del Apache. This was my first real trip without Tamy, and was a trip that almost never happened. Tamy had always been my travel companion and I left on an 8 day road trip with the fear that I would not be able to do this on my own. Fortunately my golden doodle Luca, was there to keep me company and I endured... making the trip happen. I think some of my best work of the year was made at Bosque, but... with the exception of a few pictures, the work is currently unedited. The last picture in this series was posted earlier in the week, and is among the best shots I've made in a long time... so I present it here as well.
Ok... that's a huge confession of life's reality. These 8 photos are presented in the order they were taken.
Good shooting and Happy New Year to you All!!
bruce
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Your photos are amazing!
I am really very sorry for your lost. Sometimes I believe that we will one day be reunited with our loved one. Take it easy! And keep photographing and going to nature, I am sure, where ever you are, you will feel the presence of your wife around you. So much beautiful memories that you build over time , will help you to go on. Hope with time things will get better.
 
Wow - the talent is shocking!
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Your photos are amazing!
I am really very sorry for your lost. Sometimes I believe that we will one day be reunited with our loved one. Take it easy! And keep photographing and going to nature, I am sure, where ever you are, you will feel the presence of your wife around you. So much beautiful memories that you build over time , will help you to go on. Hope with time things will get better.
Thank you for your kind note...
Photography has devinitely been my greatest source of therapy...
cheers,
bruce
 
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