The Stories Behind the Calendar Images | A Closer Look 2027

Each page of the 2027 calendar A Closer Look is a moment in time, a remembrance of a place, and a photograph of an experience and wonder in nature. May these photographs encourage you to see the wonder in nature right where you are, and perhaps record your own experiences on paper or in your memory.

Cover: My husband (Jay) and I ventured to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Decatur, Alabama. We saw thousands of Sandhill Cranes, and even two endangered Whooping Cranes. Their calls reverberated through the air. To see more images, please click here. Captured: Jan. 2026

January: Jay and I took a month-long road trip with our dog up the eastern USA and into northeastern Canada. While in Caratunk, New York, I kayaked on a small lake, and kept company with four Common Loons. To read/see more about this experience, please click here. Captured: Aug 2026

February: Observing nature right where I live is not only a large part of what I do, but of who I am. I eat many meals outside, often with my camera beside me. On this day I was sitting in the grass, and the Brown Thrasher ran right toward me as I was snapping photos. Captured: March 2026

March: By March, I'm worn of the gray skies and dampness, and ready for color and light. Each year I walk the neighborhood looking for early buds and blooms, and by the end of the month I'm greeted with Dogwood blooms. Captured: early April 2026

April: Jay and I took a trip to the Florida Keys to photograph the semi-tropical and winter migratory birds, and to explore an area we had never been. The yellow of this Prairie Warbler was brilliant on a drizzly, gray day.

To view more images from this trip, please click here. Captured: January 2026

May: From our second floor window, Jay and I look out into a huge old Water Oak. Every year I hope that Barred Owls will build a nest in the hole on the trunk. Such delight it was this year to see a mama Raccoon and her baby there for a few days! Read more here. Captured: May 2026

June: Several years ago, my friend Pam gave me two Blueberry bushes of different species to grow in our garden. Now they are foraged not only by me, but by various birds that delight in the easy pick of fruit!

Captured: June 2026

July: My sweet friend and neighbor Betty introduced me to American Goldfinches more than a decade ago. Goldfinches were feasting on Poppy seeds in her yard. Now they feast on Sunflowers in mine. Betty passed in September, but her Goldfinches continue to visit. Captured: July 2025

August: I have loved Hydrangeas since enjoying the gardens of the elderly woman I lived with in a French village decades ago. The gorgeous layers of flowers and petals continue to intrigue me. This plant is growing along our front porch, blooming for several months. Captured: May 2026

September: This Pearl Crescent Butterfly is one of several species I delight in seeing when I visit Trecia Neal, an environmental educator and owner of a native plant nursery. To experience more of the pollinators and plants on her acreage, please click here. Captured: September 2025

October: Each year, my friend Pam and I take a 10-day adventure somewhere for birding and exploring. This year it was to Dauphin Island, Alabama. Besides seeking the migratory birds, we kayaked each day. Here, an Osprey is on a pole in the back marsh, looking for prey. Captured: April 2026

November: This photograph was on Dauphin Island, Alabama (mentioned above). The Great Blue Herons were so noisy as they jousted for nesting places and fed their young in the golden hour of a spring evening. To see more images from this trip, please click here. Captured: April 2026

December: This Savannah Sparrow sang repeatedly as I walked the wildflower path in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, Canada. Then it would fly a short distance and sing again, as if calling me and my dog to follow. So, we did. Captured: August 2026

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Thank you so much for reading about the images in my 2027 calendar A Closer Look.

To purchase a calendar or any of my books, greeting cards, note cards, or other items, please click here. To subscribe to my weekly nature email, "A Closer Look," please click here.

May we all slow down and see the nature that is right there that we often overlook.

Susanne Swing Thompson