If I Were Going...: Stevens Family Calendar -- April

When I started planning for the 2026 calendar (well, actually, when I started planning my 2025 travel), I fully expected to have a page dedicated specifically to birds. As I explained in my calendar overview blog, I attended the Biggest Week in American Birding (BWAIB) in Ohio where I photographed countless birds, including many colorful North American warblers in their breeding plumage. I knew that would make a pretty page.

I did not use these photos of a Bay-breasted Warbler and a Chestnut-sided Warbler

Ok, I did actually count the birds in eBird, but you know what I mean!

I designed several bird-focused calendar pages, including one that I showed you in that overview blog.

Some unused pages featured these Canada Geese in lake mist in the Tetons

I also planned to devote a month to a group of gorgeous photos Scott took in Great Smoky Mountains National Park while I was at BWIAB in Ohio. I designed multiple page options and was good to go. I showed you one in the overview.

Here's another along with two other shots we didn't use (all by Scott)

But, as I kept designing, I realized that we had too many pages for a 12-month calendar. All the photos I wanted to use for these two groupings also melded well with the myriad other landscape, bird, animal and flower photos I had amassed.

I couldn't fit in these critters; CW: Raccoon, Ohio; Squirrel, California;
Ground Squirrels, Alaska and Yellowstone; Agouti, Roatán; and Squirrel, Michigan

Plus, I had three photos that kept popping up as special because of their stunningly muted colors and the misty, romantic mood they created. Although taken in completely different places and not actually taken in spring, they evoked something special and I decided that they needed to be together.

A rainbow over Iceland's famous Kirkjufell (you might know it from Game of Thrones)

A misty morning in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains; Photo: Scott Stevens

Sunset in Morro Bay, California

I rounded out the page with a more traditional spring flower photo and created what I think is a very special evocative design.

Carpets of color in front of the Tetons; Photo: Scott Stevens

But, alas! I has so many other photos I wanted to feature. So I built a little belt to place across the center of the page that featured shots that were originally slated for the two pages I cancelled.

This included green, leafy (and a bit drippy) flora and fauna ...

Top left and bottom, Great Smoky Mountains shots: Scott Stevens;
Upper right: pentas flowers in Roatán, Honduras

CW: Magnolia Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler; Cape May Warbler; Red Postman Butterfly;
Indigo Bunting; all Ohio except the Red Postman from Roatán

It also included the only photo that appears twice in the calendar: an adorable yellow tweety bird (actually a Northern Yellow Warbler photographed at Maumee Bay State Park near Toledo, Ohio).

He seems to personify (birdinify???) the exuberance of spring

Originally, this shot was quite large, but it ended up as a tiny square. Then, I mitigated the downsizing when I decided to use some goofy animals of the back cover and I just had to feature it again. I don't know what it is about this photo, but I just love the joyfulness of it.

Calendar Page

The calendar page gave me another chance to showcase some nature shots. But, having combined multiple locations, the volume was overwhelming. I scattered some onto other pages and tried to concentrate on the dreamy, misty mood of the main page. The shots include ...

A painterly photo of an American Widgeon in Grand Teton National Park

A lovey garden gate in Split, Croatia, and some lyreleaf sage in the Smokies;
Left: Becca Stevens; Right: Scott Stevens

A towpath canal boat on the leafy Maumee River in Ohio

A rainy day in Cades Cove; Photo: Scott Stevens

Trail along the Savage River in Denali National Park, Alaska; Photo: Scott Stevens

A sailboat at sunset in Morro Bay

Snow-covered Denali, North America's tallest mountain, with Caribou in the foreground

Quite a collection of photos, but there were so many more we didn't use.

Unused Spring Photos

Let's see some of those, starting with some alternatives for the main page photos that don't have the same dramatic impact (even though they are pretty) ...

Here's another rainbow from Iceland (Skógafoss to be precise), but it's not as springy

Some misty alternatives to the gorgeous tree on the main page; Photos: Scott Stevens

And, a less misty Cades Cove shot; Photo: Scott Stevens

Morro Rock reflection without the glow of sunset

A wider shot that the one we used

Lots of options for spring flowers in Grand Teton national Park; All but lower right: Scott Stevens

I had a couple more bird photos from multiple that I considered for this page, but didn't use ..

A kinetic Canada Goose photo from Ohio

A beautiful male Rose-breasted Grosbeak in Michigan

A Great Egret on the coast of California

Long-billed Curlews, Marbled Godwits and a windmill with a complementary look in California

A Northern Potoo and a White-crowned Pigeon in Roatán

A few birds do show up on later calendar pages. Birding is a major passion, so you can always expect birds. And, I just saw more than 400 bird species in Colombia this month, so get ready for 2027!

Just as it is with birds, I always struggle to place some of the animal photos we take. You'll see some more later

I love this Northern Watersnake swimming in Lake Erie, but where does it belong?

I could have used this Blue-headed Anole from Roatán on the summery page in July,
but it was edged out by underwater critters

If I had used a baby Moose photo, I would have been here; but, regardless of how cute,
they just can't be front and center every year

I mentioned that these spring-influenced pages "replaced" birds and the Smokies. We already talked about those in my overview blog and here. But, there were still some Great Smoky Mountains photos (all taken by Scott) I didn't share yet ...

Two more boulder-filled streams

Misty Cades Cove

Morning light in Cades Cove

Horses and White-tailed Deer

He had lots of Black Bear shots that were deployed to our September page

My short trip to California appears on this page and on our June "frigid waters" page. There was one more that didn't really match anything else.

Pinnacles National Park

There are two places we visit almost every other year so you'll frequently see them. I have already shared some used and unused photos from Alaska and Grand Teton/Yellowstone National Parks. I have a couple that were alternatives to the photos we used on April's calendar page ...