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A Year of Birds: November
Read more: A Year of Birds: NovemberThe days are getting shorter and much colder. Today, on the third, it snowed! I have started feeding the birds again, on the ground (I don’t dare fill the feeder, or the bears will get it; they have not gone into hibernation yet). The juncos were the first to find the seed I put out,…
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A Year of Birds: October
Read more: A Year of Birds: OctoberNow the days are getting cooler at night, and shorter. In the early morning, fog can be seen over Lake Huron in a thick white blanket that rolls towards the shore. I know that the shorter days and tree color changes herald the fall migration of the birds to warmer climates. I can still see…
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A Year of Birds: September
Read more: A Year of Birds: SeptemberThe sandpipers are now in their fall plumage, with the spots starting to disappear on their breasts. I feel a bit sad seeing those, realizing that soon they will migrate. The Canadian Geese are gathering into larger groups, and can be seen “practicing” flying together, honking away, then landing, in preparation for their fall migration.…
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A Year of Birds: August
Read more: A Year of Birds: AugustThis is more of my favorite photos of Michigan birds from the past year. I went on a belted King Fisher hunt today. I spotted one overlooking the waters near Squaw Bay, and so got out and hiked through the marsh to get a better look. It was a female, with the rusty belt across…
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A Year of (Michigan) Birds: July
Read more: A Year of (Michigan) Birds: JulyThe gulls have taken over the point to the north of the bay. They can be seen sunning, dozens of them perched on the rocks and walking around. When I go kayaking by the point, I can see the mergansers and their babies. They have 19! The babies are so cute, and follow in the…
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A Year of (Michigan) Birds: June
Read more: A Year of (Michigan) Birds: JuneIt’s early June, and I saw a pair of sandhill cranes at Squaw Bay today. They are beautiful, and hard to see since they are perfectly camouflaged by the ochre reeds and small dead trees next to the marshy water. As soon as they saw me, they went and hid in a clump of trees,…
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Yellow-Rumped Warbler: Acrylic Painting
Read more: Yellow-Rumped Warbler: Acrylic PaintingAbout five weeks ago, I was hiking near Presque-Isle Michigan, and saw this beautiful little bird on a fence. When painting this, I decided to play with abstracting the background a bit. I also went with a fall theme, since fall is here, with warmer colors in the background to contrast with the cooler trays…
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A Year of Birds: May
Read more: A Year of Birds: MayI am sharing some of my favorite photos that I took this past year in this series. Spring is in full swing now, and the calls of the redwing blackbirds in the nearby marshes are almost continuous. Some of the males come by the feeder to fill up on seed. When I go on walks…
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Sandpiper on the Log: Oil Painting
Read more: Sandpiper on the Log: Oil PaintingI saw this beautiful bird on a log a month ago while walking the beach, and decided to paint him. This ended up being a study in browns and blue!
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Hummingbird in the Flowers
Read more: Hummingbird in the FlowersOkay, I realized when I did this painting that it could seem a bit cliche; after all, there are so many hummingbird paintings out there. But I couldn’t resist painting this little ruby-throated that I saw drinking from the last of the summer flowers a few weeks ago, so I make no apologies. I think…
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A Year of Birds: April
Read more: A Year of Birds: AprilBy mid-April, the migratory birds are back, and it is a delight to both see them soaring in the air and hear their calls in the trees along the beach. The other day as some friends and I were hiking, we came upon an amazing sight: a group of 7 cedar waxwings was perched on…
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A Year of Birds: March
Read more: A Year of Birds: MarchIt is March, and the weather is finally starting to warm up a bit – it even goes into the mid-40’s on a sunny day! The snow is starting to melt, and the landscape is slowly turning from white to brown. Locals are used to the “spring slush” in which back roads turn into muddy,…