Blackpoll Warbler
Talk about an athlete, this warbler, which weighs less than half of an ounce, makes an 1800 mile non-stop flight over the Atlantic Ocean to get to its breeding grounds which are in far northern Canada and west to Alaska.
Tennessee Warblers
Tennessee Warbler sketch - 2019
Tennessee Warblers were some of the drabber warblers we saw on our recent Texas trip but they were also the most abundant. This is a quick sketch where I tried to show these little birds in motion and partially hidden by leaves.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
A truly beautiful flycatcher. The salmon-colored flanks are characteristic of this species. When it flies, the long tail reminds me of a train on a bridal dress. The area around the “armpit” or “wing pit” as it is sometimes called is a more intense redder salmon color.
This species breeds in the south-central U.S. and winters from South Mexico down into Panama.
Lazuli Bunting
Lazuli Bunting
One of my favorite summer Western California birds. It spends its winter in Western Mexico and stays with us in the summer in the higher elevations of the coastal mountains.
The striking blue color of this bird in otherwise green and yellow fields is real eye candy.
Spoonbills and warblers
spoonbill and warbler sketch
Our recent trip to Texas was mostly about migrating warblers, but it was also interesting to see all the wading birds- herons, egrets, ibises and spoonbills. I particularly liked these tall birds perched awkwardly in branches out of the water.
Chuck-will's-widow
Chuck-will’s-widow. the largest nightjar in North America
We spent 9 days in Texas starting on April 20, 2019. The purpose of the trip was to experience the landfall of some of the billions of migratory birds that have crossed long distances over the Gulf of Mexico to reach North America. Many of these birds will make their way into northern Canada.
This bird was an unexpected find. We heard it was at Boy Scout Woods in High Island, Texas on our last day. I asked one of the volunteers at the entrance if she knew where I could find this bird. She did better than that and got up and said, follow me! My lucky day because trying to find one of these in dense forest on your own is nearly impossible because of this birds’ wonderful camouflage.
K is for Kestrel
‘K is for Kestrel’ 8” x 8” acrylic on wood panel
‘K is for Kestrel’ is part of ‘Alphabet Soup - art inspired by letters of the alphabet’
May 2nd - 20th, 2019, at Studio Gallery,1641 Pacific Ave., San Francisco, CA.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - A subtle beauty
Blue-gray Gnatchater
The Blue-gray Gnatcher is a common bird in Central-Coastal California in the summer. It flits around in the brush wagging and lifting its tail which startles insects causing them to fly to become a tasty morsel for this bird. This photo is of a male because of the blue “V” on its forehead.
If lucky, you will encounter these birds nest building. They gather caterpillar and spider silk and use it to fasten fragments of lichens into a small thimble which becomes the nest. The nest looks like a bump on a tree’s branch and it’s impossible to know if it’s a nest unless you see an adult fly onto it.
Steller's Jays
Steller’s Jays and Blackberries 18” x 24” watercolor on wood panel
The jays in California aren’t anywhere near as colorful as those in the tropics but I do enjoy watching our sassy Steller’s Jays. This painting was completed in 2016 and was used is for the cover of a book of poetry.
Green Jay
Green Jay
Want to talk Gaudy? Talk about the Green Jay. This bird has a bizarre mix of colors: green, black, blue and yellow. I have encountered this species twice, once in Mexico and once in Southern Texas. I was unable to get what I consider great photos because the bird was either glued to a suet feeder or in the case of this photo, it stayed in the protective shade of vegetation. They have a well-developed family structure that cooperate to improved reproductive success. More information on this species can be found at: https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/grnjay/introduction
Orange- fronted Parakeet
Flocks of Orange-fronted Parakeets visited our fig tree every morning in Sayulita, Mexico, as we were eating breakfast on our veranda which was covered in bougainvillea.
Plain-capped Starthroat Hummingbird
Plain-capped Starthroat Hummingbird
Hummers are always interesting to watch. Some of them can be extremely aggressive and will viciously defend a feeding station from other hummingbirds.
This is the Plain-capped Starthroat Hummingbird who seemed to give way to the more aggressive Cinnamon Hummingbirds who were also in the area.
Streak-backed Oriole
Streak-backed Oriole. Photo taken near Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico
One of the more strikingly colored orioles I have encountered. Every time we saw this species it looked like a flame in a tree. They are especially bright and beautiful when the sun is low. Mostly they were shy, but this fellow was grooming and did not seem to mind me getting close.
Orange-breasted Bunting
There is nothing like coming up on this little bird. We were walking down a road with dry grass and barbed wire fence. Out of nowhere, a blue gem catches the eye - even with its flashy colors, it just barely catches the eye.
Nayarit, Mexico
We have just returned fro four days birding in Western Mexico. Our first day was spent in De lo Marcos and the river mouth there was teaming with birds.
Wilson's Warblers
Wilson’s Warblers 12” x 6” watercolor on wood panel 2107
Wilson’s Warblers arrive in the summer in California and it is a treat to find the first to appear.
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
A warbler with a lemon-yellow face that is common in the Northeast United States and Southeast Canada in the northern summer. In the summer it feeds mostly on caterpillars in coniferous and deciduous forests. This species spends the northern winter in tropical America where it eats the buds of the cecropia tree.
We have seen this species in Northern Ohio as it makes its way across the lakes to northern forests in Canada.
Photo taken at Magee Marsh, 2018.
Warbler Sketches
This is a page from my birding journal from last May at Magee Marsh in Northern Ohio. Lots of birds and lots of warblers and lots of inspiration for paintings!
Yellow Warblers and Cherries
Yellow Warblers and Wild Cherries 12” x 12” watercolor on wood panel
This painting was inspired by yellow warblers feasting on wild cherries here in California in the late summer.
Yellow Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow Warbler
The sweet song of the Yellow Warbler always puts a smile on my face as it sings “sweet, sweet, I am so sweet”. The rich buttery yellow with the reddish streaks indicate a male Yellow Warbler in the photos. Females and immatures are not as bright and lack the rich reddish streaking on the breast. The plain face with a piercing black eye is a characteristic of this species.
These photos were taken at Magee Marsh, Ohio in 2018