I sure love painting warblers! This male Cape May Warbler was created from reference photos I took during our family’s annual spring pilgrimage to northwest Ohio. On this particular day there were loads of Cape Mays moving through. What a treat!
I’ve painted these before, but it was a long time ago, back in the late ’90s. It was definitely time to revisit them. My old watercolor painting featured a pair against an airbrushed background and was based on photos I took at Metzger Marsh in Ohio.
These gorgeous birds are named after Cape May, New Jersey, where the first specimen was discovered and described. Though Cape May is renowned as a migratory hotspot, it isn’t necessarily a great place to find this species. As a matter of fact, after its initial discovery, a full century passed before another Cape May Warbler was seen there.
When I lived in northern New Jersey, I traveled to Cape May one fall to go birding with Liesl (now my wife). We saw a lot of great birds, including several shorebirds, but Cape May Warbler didn’t make the list. Now that we’ve settled in the midwest, Cape Mays are not uncommon, as they migrate through this area in the spring and fall. I’ll never tire of seeing these fantastic birds.
The original painting is still available and can be found on Etsy here.
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Here are some links of note, including a couple of new ones:
- NEW! The Birder Gift Shop, featuring Bohan Art on a handful of POD items, with more to come
- Bohan Art’s print-on-demand shop
- Bohan Art newsletter
- Bohan Art Blog RSS feed
- Bohan Art social media
If you’re interested in buying a different painting from this site, let me know. Prints, licensing and commissioned work are also available.
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