I’m excited to reveal my new bird calendar for 2026!
This is my second year printing calendars. Last year went very well and all 50 that I had printed found a home. It was rewarding to turn the pages of my own copy throughout the year and know that many a family member, friend, or fellow bird lover was seeing the same photo each month. This year I decided to title it Backyard Birds because it is exactly that – birds that are common in my backyard here in Vermont, and probably yours, too. That said, apart from the couple birds we are used to seeing, the chickadee and cardinal, the rest in this calendar are less easily spotted but are all around us nonetheless. I hope this gives people incentive to look for them when they go outside, because you will see them if you are curious and keep an eye out for them. We have such a great diversity of birds here in the U.S. and one of my goals with this calendar is to highlight that fact. Binoculars don’t hurt!
Instead of a wintery cover for this year’s calendar (calendars do make fitting holiday gifts), I decided to go for a summery picture with inviting green foliage, and there was no better choice than the Black-and-white Warbler I saw one July morning in our sumac stand. However, people who have seen the calendar showed particular love for the Chickadee during this past spring’s ice storm, clinging to a branch next to bright red maple buds encased in ice. The colors that day were unique and stunning! (You can see that photo in the store.)
Exciting photos for me this year are the Belted Kingfisher and the Green Heron that I spotted just this fall from my kayak. I was lucky to get good close-ups of these shy birds and put my new telephoto lens to good use!
You can order a calendar here on my site or if you are local to Addison County in Vermont you can find them in local gift stores and book stores. I look forward to enjoying this on my wall with you!
