Red-bellied woodpeckers come to the suet feeders around our house in the winter. They really are quite spectacular birds. You get accustomed to the size of the downy woodpeckers, so when you see a red-belly they seem huge by comparison.
I drilled out a few logs with my drill press to make a more natural looking suet feeders. I tend to hang them at a 45º angle with the suet hanging below to discourage some of the “junk birds” like … Continued
Although they are really common, there is something endearing about white-breasted nuthatches. One winter day almost twenty years ago, my wife and I went to a local park where chickadees were acclimated enough to humans to eat out of our hands. … Continued
Another step-by-step through the creation of a Dot-tailed Whiteface dragonfly in transparent watercolor. Original painting is available here. Prints are available here.
I’ve been lucky to see a variety of rattlesnakes over the years. I’ve seen eastern diamond backs, pygmy rattlers and massasagua rattlesnakes. I spent a lot of time in NY/NJ looking for timber rattlers with out much luck. I knew … Continued
I found this pretty dragonfly covered in dew one cool morning. It was perched in a field next to our house waiting for the sun warm up the old flight muscles.
Here is a pencil sketch of our pet peach-faced lovebird Sluggo. He is over 17 years old now and prefers to walk or take a ride on your shoulder to flying. He is a great pet. Sadly, he has outlived … Continued
Eastern pondhawks are pretty common dragonflies. Males and females are both strikingly beautiful.
We had a band of four titmice fledge in the yard this year. The pack was a regular feature at the bird bath and feeders through the whole summer. They especially loved emptying out the peanut feeder made out of … Continued
Another cooperative dragonfly from the ponds at the MSU gardens.