I had a bit of a problem deciding what to do. Lens-Artists ladies wish to see our favourite photos of 2021 but I don’t know which they are yet. I need to wait until the end of this year to find out. January is the best I can do.
You see, since 2016 I’ve been taking the previous year month by month. As we go through the current one, every month I look one year back and choose 20 favourite photos taken that month.
Before the holidays I decided to pick one photo from each month of each year between 2016 and 2020 and compile a proper Calendar 2022 which I sent out as my gift to friends and family. You can view it and print it out here. The January page of my calendar looks like this. Click on it to see other months:
And now a new year has started and I return to last January to see what there was to see.
Usually it’s a struggle to pin down the selection of 20 photos and leave others out, but not in the pandemic months. Last January I held my camera on no more than three days, and since once it amounted to nothing here are photos from only two days, January 6th and 11th.
That’s a lot of other days without seeing anything worth capturing. But as you can see, I did all I could to be having a ball. And a dog. And some birds.
The indestructible disco ball, the gift of my mother. 
In a puddle under our olive tree. 
See the ball on the left? Plus a barking bestia. 
Out to see some new green. 
I leave mushrooms be. Father would plunder. 
This Freccia (“arrow”) train goes to Rome and doesn’t stop at our little Capalbio station. 
A community cat by the Orbetello lagoon where we buy our groceries. 
There are more. 
This one is more stoic. 
Couldn’t care one iota. Bestia is not interested either. 
Flamingos waiting for me to get a good zoom lens. 
This one is near and loud. (I don’t know its name. Paula?) 
Here comes another one. 
I’m packing a dog and doesn’t wish to disturb. 
What a beauty! 
She is not alone. Two guys standing by. 
A brief power struggle. 
The winner is decided. 
She has some words for him already. Or can she feel bestia near? 
A tree at the supermarket parking lot. Soon after we were denied this trip as well since it is located outside our municipality.
January in previous years:
Linking to all four Lens-Artists PC hosts. They are getting help this year of another three bloggers. Welcome!
For Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, hosted by Amy at THE WORLD IS A BOOK…, Leya, Patti at P. A. Moed and Tina at Travels and Trifles: Favourite photos of 2021
This day in my blogging history
An Embarrassment of Riches 
That first photo of the duck–what a beauty. She almost matches the community cat. Not that they would get along, though… Best leave the stoic one alone. Good idea, Bestia.
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Thank you, Lois. You can read body language, hm? 🙂 I notice that many cats over here are stoic. In Slovenia they are more anxious.
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A wonderful approach to the challenge Manja – your furry little duckling is just beautiful despite the fact that her male counterparts are so much more colorful. Loved the disco ball especially! Happy New Year to you and yours. Your calendar is gorgeous!
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Thank you, Tina. I’m glad you like it. And mom will be glad that you like her disco ball. 🙂
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The flamingos made me smile. My photos of them are always blurred too, or just distant specks.
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Thank you, Jo. A couple of times I managed to get closer but then I noticed that up close these birds are a bit… brutish. 😀 That beak!
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And they’re entitled to their privacy, Manja?
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Oh, of course they are! This is a nature reserve! Usually they hang out in the middle of the lagoon and nobody can reach them. I saw a few nearer the edge once. I’d love to see them flying above me en masse at some point.
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I have rarely seen that but it’s a wonderful sight.
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Your posts always make me smile, Manja. I love your images of Bestia, of course, and the ducks. That little reddish duck is adorable! Thanks again for the wonderful calendar!
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Thank you kindly, Patti. 🙂 That duck was quite a surprise. I’m glad that you’re smiling.
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Fabulous Manja. Such wonderful photos 🙂
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Thank you, bushboy. It seems two shooting days in a month is enough. 😀
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😂
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Love the grumpy cat photos. Made my start of the new year a happy one. Thank you Manja!!
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Ahh, lovely to hear this, Atrayee. 🙂 Thank you. They might seem grumpy but I think they are pretty pleased there by the lagoon. Imagine all the birds. 😀
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I love the ones I can see. My connection seems to have issues with your longer posts unfortunately
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Ahhh! So sorry, this is so frustrating when it happens. I resize and compress each photo before I post it, and twenty photos in a post is the norm for me. Is it not possible to open the post and wait until all the photos can load?
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They never seem to load. It all just hangs 😕
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😦
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All creatures great and small–always worth revisiting. (K)
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Hi, K! Hope you had lovely holidays and a good start. No creature can escape my lens. 😀
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It’s a good thing.
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Having already seen all of your calendar I reckon you could simply share all the months’ photos as your ‘best of’ – it’s an excellent collection 😀
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Thank you, Sarah. Yes, but the photos in my calendar were taken between 2016 and 2020. Maybe I’ll make another calendar with 2021 photos at the end of this year. I like to be behind in time like this. 😀
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Ah right – I’d assumed they were all taken last year for some reason!
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The duck photos are glorious. I’ve never seen a duck that colour. Beautiful 🙂
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Thank you, Aimer. I hadn’t seen one like this either. Happy 2022!
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The Best of 2022 to you, too 🙂
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A glorious calendar and collection, Manja! Thank you, thank you! And, Bestia is wise…and the cats hold on to being stoic? I love the light coloured duck, wonder about its name…I am not good at sea birds or water birds – forest birds are easier for me. you always have a keen eye, Manja, details and connections, colours and patterns. And so much fun. Love your work. ♥
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Thank you, Leya! 🙂 I never care about their names, I just give them Italian names, such as Fabrizio. 😀 As you say: “Details and connections, colours and patterns.” Sounds lovely. And fun, that’s a precondition. Wishing you much of that.
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I have You bringing me lots of fun!
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I love all the birds! The first was intriguing to me (you asked Paula for help?). It looks like a black-headed gull, but in winter white. I used the black crescent behind its eye and mark over its eye to identify. The mallards are easy – beautiful green heads. But that gorgeous copper duck – Wow! I had to know. It is called a ruddy shelduck, and it seems to be from North Africa and Eurasia but its territory is expanding. The dark collar on this one shows that it is the reproductive season for it. Male and female ruddy shelducks are coloured the same. They are gorgeous when flying too. Thank you for these outstanding photos.
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Ahh, thank you for your research, Crystal! Now we all know. I wasn’t asking Paula for help, I named that bird Paula! 😀 There are many Fabrizios already, hihihi. So the two males were of another species than the female? All very interesting.
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Ha! Her name is Paula! That’s excellent. Yes, the copper coloured duck is a different species, and could be male or female, so let’s agree she is female!
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After Beastia, I love that duck! My thoughts are spiraling. 🙂
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Thank you, John! 🙂 Spiralling thoughts are not so bad. Also, I wonder if you found my Calendar 2022 in your inbox after Christmas.
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Yes I did. Very kind of you, but honestly I won’t open it. I’m wary of computer viruses, etc.
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Ahh! I sent you the file that I created here at home with the open-source software and my photos. 🙂 I’d be really surprised if a virus could be attached. But this is your policy. I understand.
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Nature made the duck is lovely, but your composition (and keen eye) made it exquisite! Thank you for that image and all of the rest!
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Ah, thank you, Carol Ann. 🙂 Mighty kind. I don’t see this kind of ducks often.
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Gosh, the way that duck was instantly pursued by two males, fascinating! Drakes are terrible like that, they will force themselves on the female constantly. But you can imagine this one gets chased all the time she’s such a stunner, and yet she’s only trying to catch some rays!
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