Some good news from this year: my photo of a Black-crested Titmouse won second place in the 2026 Greg Lasley Photography Contest, run by Travis Audubon here in Austin.
The contest is part of Travis Audubon’s Birdathon fundraiser. This year, 25 photographers entered 180 bird photos, and together the entries raised more than $900 for the organization’s work. The judges were Dave Read, last year’s winner, and Liam Molina of Travis Audubon.
The photo shows the titmouse clinging to a slender budding stem with a seed in its bill. Titmice are restless little birds. The moment when one pauses in the open, in soft light and against a clean background, lasts only a second or two.
The Black-crested Titmouse is a bird of Texas and northeastern Mexico, and one of the most familiar visitors to backyard feeders around Austin. Its black crest sets it apart from its close cousin further east, the gray-crested Tufted Titmouse.
The framed print is now on display at the Travis Audubon headquarters at Blair Woods.
Thank you to Travis Audubon and the judges, and congratulations to James Giroux, Yufan Jiang, Suzanne McCann and Matthew Crymble, who placed alongside me.
You can see all the winning photos in Travis Audubon’s announcement.
Species in this story
- Black-crested TitmouseBaeolophus atricristatus