Warblers are one of my favorite birds to paint. I’ve painted Bay-breasted Warblers before, but only in their spring plumage. Many warblers become incredibly drab in the fall, which makes identification tricky. In central Michigan, two species can be especially … Continued
Connecticut Warblers are exciting birds. I think of them as “15-20 year birds” because I see them so infrequently. I’ve only gotten to see them twice. My first was after about 15 years of birding! The second was almost 15 … Continued
Evening Grosbeaks eluded me for a long time. My first sighting was with my wife at Whitefish Point in Michigan. We also had Boreal Chickadees for the first time. That was an exciting day! Evening Grosbeaks are beautiful but somewhat … Continued
My wife’s favorite warbler is probably the Blackburnian, followed closely by the Prothonotary. I did a watercolor of one ages ago on Black Cherry blossoms that she always brings up as a favorite. Until now, I hadn’t painted one in … Continued
I don’t see shrikes very often. In Michigan they occasionally pop up in the winters. We’ve even had Northern Shrike in our yard twice, which was incredibly exciting. They like to take prominent perches in the open where they can … Continued
I still remember seeing my first killdeer. It was on a dog walk with my dad sometime in the 1972-74 range. We lived near a golf course in a small town in southwestern New York. He liked going for long … Continued
Blackpoll Warblers are great little birds. Due to some quirk in the migration pathways, we tend to get many more here in mid-Michigan in the fall than in the spring. The same goes for their fall doppelgängers, Bay-breasted Warblers. In … Continued
Though Wilson’s Warblers only travel through Mid-Michigan for a few weeks every year, I look forward to seeing them every spring and fall.
At a quick glance an Ovenbird might look a little more like a thrush than a warbler.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that most birds are worthy of many paintings…