Despite the fact that Northern House Wrens are common birds, this is my first time painting one. I think part of the delay was that these particular wrens leave me a little conflicted. Some of their behaviors, such as their … 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 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
Marsh Wrens are more often heard than seen, so getting a good look is especially rewarding.
In my photos from Sanibel, the beach was covered with tons of Sanderlings, with shell debris around many of them.
In Michigan Red-winged Blackbirds are plentiful and conspicuous in every season but winter.
I based this painting on photos taken at the Marsh Boardwalk at Point Pelee National Park in Ontario.