Welcome to my bird photography (mostly) website!
Last Updated: 9/13/25
LIFE LIST
The grid below contains my best picture for each species I've photographed.
Photo quality varies from surprisingly good to merely being proof that I saw the bird.
MULTIPLE BIRDS
MOST RECENT FIRST
FAVORITES
MOST RECENT FIRST
Use the
SEARCH
page to see more.
U.S. TIMELINE
MOST RECENT FIRST
This log shows new species added to my United States photo life list by month, beginning in 2023.
( = remains best photo to date)
Use the
SEARCH
page to see ALL recent photos.
NON-BIRDS
This site is mostly birds, but here are the exceptions.
Use the
SEARCH
page to see recent photos (choose "Non-Birds" and sort by date).
The Short Story
I've lived in wooded areas in Wisconsin and Iowa for most of my life, and backyard bird-watching and nature photography have been lifelong hobbies. My bird photo count exploded after going birding on a couple trips in 2022. After returning home, I discovered that Iowa has a lot more birds than I realized! Before long, I had a lot more photos and was tracking which species I'd seen. From December 2022: This website is my answer to the question: What are you going to do with all those photos? I'm just getting started!
The Slightly Longer Story


As an adult, with the arrival of digital cameras, I could finally take bird photos. I took many bird pictures in our yard and some on vacations, but I didn't keep track of which species I'd seen.
Things changed when my husband and I went on a trip to southern Texas in 2022.
Our group included a "birder" looking to add specific birds to her life list (a personal list of species seen over a lifetime). We had a great time! I took photos of over 70 bird species, many I'd never seen before. Soon after, I photographed over 50 different birds in Arizona. I was hooked.
When I got home to Iowa, I started birding there too, beyond my back yard, photographing over 100 species. The migrating warblers were fantastic; I had no idea! I was surprised to see that some birds I'd seen on vacations were also in the Midwest. I identified birds in old and new photos to start my life list.
It's great to "get a lifer" (see a new species for the first time), but even when I don't see anything new, getting familiar with birds is challenging and interesting, and I have a lot to learn. I'm naturally drawn to taking photos, so I expect I'll continue to enjoy photographing even the birds that I've seen countless times before. There's always a chance of a better shot!
Thanks for visiting!
Mary
YouTube Video Posts

Capped Heron (0:15)
2024 Panama

Mikumi National Park (1:41)
2023 Tanzania

Snowy Egret (0:13)
2022 Texas

Burrowing Owls (0:22)
2020 Florida

Fox Nursing Cubs (0:49)
2014 Iowa
