-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
A Year of Birds: February
Read more: A Year of Birds: FebruarySince I am new to living in north Michigan near Lake Huron, I was surprised to discover that the bald eagle not only stays all winter long, but juveniles can often be seen hanging out near Misery Bay and other frozen marshes next to the now frozen lakeshore. They will at times hunt together along…
-
A Year of Birds: January
Read more: A Year of Birds: JanuaryWhile I often share my paintings here, I have rarely shared my personal reference photos. I will be posting some of my favorite bird photos over the next few months, organized month-by-month, as well as some thoughts on each month. First is January. When it is January in north Michigan, a blanket of snow several…
-
Kildeer on Lake Huron Beach
Read more: Kildeer on Lake Huron BeachI enjoy painting Kildeer; they are one of my favorite shore birds. This one hangs out on a small rocky point on Lake Huron in North Michigan. I went with a limited palette for this one: burnt umber, burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre and titanium white.
-
Bobwhite: acrylic painting
Read more: Bobwhite: acrylic paintingGrowing up in the country, I used to love to hear the call of the bobwhites from the hedgerows on the country road that led to our farm. I chose to put this one surrounded by orchard grass as he sits on a small stump. Bobwhite: acrylic painting, 11 X 14″ canvas board The palette…
-
Pas de Deux: Sandhill Cranes
Read more: Pas de Deux: Sandhill CranesA couple of weeks ago, I saw some Sandhill cranes -which I think are absolutely lovely birds – in a field in mid-Michigan. There were three juveniles, and two adults. Then, the adults stated to do the most amazing thing: they began to do a mating dance, right there. I was in awe of their…
-
The Importance of Field Notes
Read more: The Importance of Field NotesI love to paint birds and other wildlife, and to depict them in their natural habitats. In order to create my paintings, I often take field notes and do “quick sketches” on site. I have not shared my sketches because they are quick, rough and my subjects for drawing often move very, very quickly. But…