Thread by @DavidNeiwert

The #TodaysBeauty feature is intended as an antidote to the ugly world I report on. I hope it's helped.

Here's a thread of my Top 20 shots from 2021. 1/ J Pod coming past Lime Kiln on Sept. 12.

2/ Eagles are common on San Juan Island, so everyone with a camera gets shots of them here. But getting the right combination of light and pose is always special.

3/ This black oystercatcher on the rocks at Lime Kiln was unperturbed by my presence. I was shooting orcas but this was my best pic that day.

4/ I recently ran a gallery of the many fox pics I got this year, but this one takes the prize.

5/ I love orca calves, like this little one who came past Reuben Tarte Park in April.

6/ There's a population of long-eared owls who like to hunt at American Camp, but they're really hard to photograph because they're so quick in flight. Fortunately, I was able to catch this one perching.

7/ A shot from our visit to the Hall of the Mosses in the Hoh Rain Forest in July.

8/ These two humpbacks' plumes created a swirling rainbow.

9/ This red-tailed hawk was just sitting on a fencepost along the Friday Harbor airport when I pulled up and snagged this shot.

10/ I don't mind encountering Stellers sea lions in a full-size boat, as I was here. They're intimidating when I've come across them in a kayak.

11/ The migratory waterfowl on SJI, like this wood duck, are really something else.

12/ The muscle that humpbacks use to wave their flukes is reportedly the most powerful in all of nature. Watching them dive, I can believe it.

13/ J Pod seemed to enjoy coming past Lime Kiln Lighthouse at dusk this year. This shot is from July.

14/ This white wagtail's appearance at San Juan County Park in June was the species' first documented sighting in the Lower 48. It's common in Europe and Asia, but its only population in North America is a small migratory group in the Nome, Alaska, area.

15/ In addition to our salmon-eating 'resident' orca population, we also see a number or mammal-eating 'transient' orcas, like this one hunting seals near Grandma's Cove.

16/ You don't appreciate how large Stellers sea lions are until you see them all hauled out on a big rock, bawling and growling at each other.

17/ I am always fascinated by northern harriers, particularly their skill at hovering low over their hunting grounds. This one was at American Camp.

18/ This humpback was foraging in the kelp next to Lime Kiln Lighthouse in October.

19/ This barred owl at English Camp has developed a reputation for harassing hikers, because they are so territorial. Fortunately, he stayed put when I walked past.

20/ Another shot from that dusky J Pod visit in September.

May 2022 bring us even more beauty!

Doh! Short-eared owls!