Here are some more fun jumpers from the backyard. The jumping spider activity has really fallen off with the cool fall weather settling in. Once the first frosts come in I’ll be out of luck until spring. Included in these … Continued
I know they aren’t for everyone, but I’m crazy about jumping spiders. I’ll photograph them every chance I get. These small spiders are pretty easy to find. I often have good luck searching the side of the house. Jumping spiders … Continued
I have my brother-in-law to thank for this life bird. I haven’t spent much time in the South other than a few trips to the Florida Everglades, so I never got a chance to see a Brown-headed Nuthatch. My brother-in-law … Continued
Snowy Egrets seem to have two speeds: full on or full off. At times they are patiently waiting or stalking fish, and then the very next moment they are full of frantic energy. Growing up in south-western New York, you … Continued
May is always a very busy month. I seldom get much painting done because we are running off looking for migrant warblers and finding our FOS (First of Spring) birds. It is a great time to try and get photos … Continued
I really like the American Tree Sparrow. They are tough little birds who visit our Michigan home in the cold, harsh winters. As Spring finally arrives the smaller Chipping Sparrows replace them. For a very brief time you get the … Continued
The Common Ground Dove is an easy bird to overlook. Besides being one of the smallest species doves by both size and mass, they are cryptically colored and like to sit motionlessly on the ground. I seem to always come … Continued
Boat-tailed Grackles shimmer with iridescence. What appears to be jet black fades into beautiful metallic blues, greens and purples. Of course all of that gets lost in a simple pencil sketch! At some point I’ll need to render this in watercolor … Continued
By the time March rolls around I’m usually ready for the snow to leave. That doesn’t always work out in Michigan. Yesterday we had some beautiful snow. I think many of the early migrants weren’t so happy about the ground … Continued
The Tricolor Heron is an underrated bird. Maybe it needs a better name. There are Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons and Snowy Egrets, which all sound rather cool. Then you have a mundane name like Tricolor Heron. Of course I … Continued