Dunlin Pencil Sketch p85
I’m pretty bad when it comes to shorebirds. I can hold my own with birds of the forest and field as well as ducks, but if you take me to the shore, I start scratching my heard and looking through … Continued
Winter Willet Pencil Sketch p83
I saw my first Willet thanks to my friend Don Brown. While living in New Jersey years ago, I drove out to Jones Beach, Long Island, to go birding with him. Jones Beach is known for great winter birds, and … Continued
Pine Siskin Pencil Sketch p82
Winter finches are always a welcome sight. After all the migrants trail off, it’s nice to see old friends at the feeders. Pine Siskins are fairly reliable. We get them at the feeders every year, though the quantity tends to vary dramatically. A finch … Continued
Yellow-crowned Night Heron Pencil Sketch p81
Night-herons are undeniably neat creatures. I first came across them during trips to Florida when I was a grad student and assisting with a course called Ecology of the Everglades. I had a tough time picking which I liked better, the Yellow-crowned or Black-crowned. Typically, the … Continued
Sandhill Crane Pencil Sketch p80
Growing up in western New York state, I never saw Sandhill Cranes. My first encounter with one was during a bike ride shortly after moving to Ann Arbor to go to grad school at the University of Michigan. Rolling along … Continued
Golden-crowned Kinglet Pencil Sketch p79
I’ve always been amazed at how sturdy these little dynamos are. Being one of the earliest migrants in the spring and one of the latest in the fall, they tolerate a lot of cold weather. On top of that they … Continued
Golden-crowned Kinglet Pencil Sketch p78
Getting good photos of Golden-crowned Kinglets to draw from is tough. We get them in decent numbers in our yard during the spring and fall months, but in their search for edible insects, they bounce around like electrons. I have dozens … Continued
Hairy Woodpecker Pencil Sketch p75
Its been a while since I’ve posted a plain old sketch. This is one of the Hairy Woodpeckers that frequents our suet feeders. We’ve been fortunate to have Hairy Woodpeckers regularly visit our suet feeders for the last few years. As an added … Continued
Immature Ring-billed Gull Pencil Sketch p74
I haven’t painted many gulls. Only two come to mind, Herring Gull and Ring-billed Gull. Ring-billed Gulls are almost dirt common. I’ve heard them called rats with wings. Despite some of their less appealing behaviors, I really like Ring-billed Gulls. I … Continued
Veery Pencil Sketch p73
Who could possibly pick a favorite type of thrush? I love them all. Veery are especially pretty and have a beautiful call to match. If Mozart were a bird, he’d have to be a thrush. Veery have a musical descending … Continued