Final print run from Ray’s archive • 19 active carts • 1,200 left
Ray's Last Wildlife Calendar 2027 — 45 Years Of Field Photography, Final Print Run
Ray's Last Wildlife Calendar 2027 — 45 Years Of Field Photography, Final Print Run
Ships within 2–3 days
30-day money-back guarantee
Free US shipping with tracking
Couldn't load pickup availability
Ray's Last Wildlife Calendar 2027 — 45 Years Of Field Photography, Final Print Run
The Last Wildlife Calendar 2027 — Forty-Five Years Behind A Lens
Photographed by Ray Kessler (73), wildlife photographer, Ninemile Valley, Montana. His eyesight is failing, and the 2027 run is the last calendar he will ever make.
“I can still see the owl land. I just can’t tell anymore if I got it. Forty-five years of knowing, and now I have to ask someone else.”
— Ray Kessler, on the morning he decided to stop
What’s In The Package
12 Months
January through December 2027, fully dated
12 Photographs
One per month, chosen from 400,000 frames
Field Notes
Place and year printed on every month
Ready To Hang
Twin-wire spine, hangs flat out of the box
What Sets Ray’s Calendars Apart
The Three-Pass Selection
Twelve photographs survive out of roughly 33,000 per edition. Pass one removes technical flaws, pass two removes animals doing nothing, pass three keeps only frames you could describe out loud.
The First-Light Rule
Every animal here was photographed within ninety minutes of sunrise or sunset. Not for the light — that is simply when animals move.
The Field Note
Katmai Coast, 1991. Ninemile Valley, 2004. Boulders Beach, 1996. The same notation Ray has written on the back of every frame since 1981.
The Twin-Wire Spine
Double-wire binding, so it lies flat against the wall instead of bowing off it. Single-wire spines curl after a month in a humid kitchen.
The Writable Block
Date squares sized for a normal pen — appointments, birthdays, medication. Ray was firm: if you cannot write in it, it is a poster.
The Moon Column
On the Penguins edition, lunar phases run in a side column each month. Added in 2018 because a fisherman in Polson asked for it.
Expert opinion
“What separates a working field photographer from a stock library is time on site. Ray documented one great horned owl cavity across three decades — that is longitudinal data most funded research projects never achieve. The Katmai material is equally unusual: eleven consecutive seasons of sow-and-cub behavior from a fixed vantage. Most people will hang these because the animals are charming. They should know they are hanging a genuine field record.”
Dr. Alan Reese, Wildlife Biologist
Rocky Mountain Ornithological Association
Three Editions — Three Parts Of One Career
Perfect For
What You Are Actually Getting
- A real archive, not a stock library. Every photograph was taken by one man who sat and waited for it, in the place and year printed on the page.
- Genuine last-run scarcity. 1,200 calendars printed across three editions. There is no reprint, because Ray can no longer select the frames.
- Built to hang flat. Twin-wire spiral binding, 8.2 inches square, opening to 8.2 × 16.4 inches on the wall.
- Usable as a planner. Large writable date blocks and US federal holidays marked — a working calendar, not wall art.
- Ships free, returns free. Thirty days, one email, no shipping cost to you.
30-Day Guarantee
If it does not look right on your wall, email us within thirty days and you get your money back. No return shipping, no forms. Ray asked us to make that part easy — he wants these hanging in homes where people actually want them.
A note on the print run: All 1,200 calendars were printed in a single batch this summer, and the three editions do not sell evenly — Owls has been moving fastest. When an edition is gone it will not come back. If you want a specific one, pick it now rather than later.
Product Details
| Format | Hanging wall calendar, 12 months |
| Year | Dated January 2027 – December 2027 |
| Size (closed) | 8.2 × 8.2 in / 21 × 21 cm |
| Size (hanging) | 8.2 × 16.4 in / 21 × 42 cm |
| Material | Heavyweight coated paper |
| Binding | Twin-wire spiral, hangs flat |
| Editions | Owls · Bear Cubs · Penguins |
| Features | Large writable blocks, US federal holidays, place and year per month; lunar phases on the Penguins edition |
| Photographer | Ray Kessler, Ninemile Valley, Montana |
| Print run | 1,200 total across three editions — final run, no reprint |
| Shipping | Free, 3–7 business days |
| Returns | 30 days, free |
The Final Print Run
The Final Print Run
Message from the archive:
After forty-five years photographing wild animals — thirty-one springs at one stand of pine in Montana, eleven summers on the Katmai coast of Alaska, and three weeks at Boulders Beach in South Africa in 1996 — macular degeneration has taken the central vision Ray Kessler needs to judge a frame. He can still see that a photograph exists; he can no longer see whether it is the sharp one. He chose the twelve pictures for each of his three 2027 editions while the sight still held. 1,200 calendars were printed in one batch. There is no reprint and no 2028.
Free US Shipping
Free US Shipping
Free shipping across the United States
- Delivery time: 3–5 business days
- 8.2 × 8.2 inches closed, 8.2 × 16.4 inches hanging
- Twin-wire spiral binding on thick, writable paper
- 30-day money-back guarantee — just email support@backroad-goods.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at support@backroad-goods.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (ET) — whether it’s about your order, a gift, or just to say hello.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Hang it in your kitchen, and if it simply isn’t right for you, email support@backroad-goods.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions asked.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Twelve photographs chosen by Ray Kessler out of an archive of roughly 400,000 frames, printed on thick coated paper with a twin-wire spiral binding and large writable date blocks. Each month names the place and year the picture was taken. Three editions: Owls from Montana, Bear Cubs from the Katmai coast, and Penguins from Boulders Beach. This is his final series — no reprint.