After recently completing a Blue-headed Vireo painting, I thought it would be fun to do a Yellow-throated Vireo. This is a bird I hear ten times more than I see. Three seasons of the year, I get to spend a ton of time mountain biking at Burchfield Park and Riverbend Nature Area. Yellow-throateds breed there, and though I don’t see them that often, I hear their “3up-3year” call as I ride my 20 miles on trails along the Grand River. It is amazing how many calls you can discern while zooming along.
Yellow-throated Vireos are adorable birds, and their yellow eye ring alone makes them pretty irresistible. I also love the way their color transitions from yellow to greens and olive. I’ve gotten a lot of great Yellow-throated macro photos at a local bird banding station. That made it a lot easier to work on the detailed areas of this painting.
At this point I’ve finally painted four types of vireos. It will probably be a while before I get to add any new species. I’ve run out of the common Michigan options. I’d love to add a White-eyed Vireo at some point. We get those occasionally in northern Ohio during spring migration, and they are in range on our trips to Tennessee to visit family. Fingers crossed!
Let me know if you’re interested in buying the original watercolor or a print of this painting. Some of my work is also available for licensing.
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