The egrets can be seen in the marshes, but are quite shy, and will fly off as soon as they see me. I will keep trying, though. I also saw a sparrow on a log enjoying the sun. I love their markings and songs, which are so cheerful. As I was driving to the storeContinue reading “A Year of Birds: June 2022 (part 2)”
Category Archives: michigan artist
A Year of Birds: June 2022 part 1
The days are finally getting warmer, and there was a heat wave on the first of June: the temperature went above 80 degrees (F)- a miracle! And with the warm weather has come mosquitoes, the bane of Michigan bird watchers. Whenever I go into the marshes, clouds of them appear, and they seem to beContinue reading “A Year of Birds: June 2022 part 1”
Sandhill Cranes: Acrylic Painting
I love sandhill cranes, and am always awed when I see them gather in the grassy marshes. This painting reflects how these beautiful birds make me feel. I used my normal palette of earth tones.
A Year of Birds: May 2022
A Year of Birds The first week of May, my friends and I drive back north from North Carolina. There are plenty of birds to see, but we are in a hurry to make the long trip. Finally, we are back home, and to reward ourselves, my friends and I indulge in a quick tripContinue reading “A Year of Birds: May 2022”
A Year of Birds: March 2022
March is certainly coming in “like a lion” here in North Michigan with snowstorms, cold wind, and bitter weather. When temperatures sitting near zero still, it feels as if my hands, feet, nose and even eyes hurt if I am out too long. My visits with the birds when I feed them are short onContinue reading “A Year of Birds: March 2022”
A Year of Birds 2022: February
The deer come to the bird feeder, and try to finish off any seeds left over. I see them each evening at around 4:30 pm. The numbers vary, but with the long, hard cold of winter, they are desperate for food. They are also fairly tame; I can almost walk up to them and petContinue reading “A Year of Birds 2022: February”
Chickadee on the Well: acrylic painting
As a Michigan artist, one thing I have learned to paint is snow in various lights. This is a painting of a chickadee, sitting on a friend’s snow-covered well cover. I did get a bit experimental, using alizarin crimson in some of the snow shadows. Otherwise, I used my normal palette. I love to watchContinue reading “Chickadee on the Well: acrylic painting”
A Year of Birds: December
As the holiday song says, “Baby, it’s cold outside!” In Michigan, December can come in with some pretty cold blasts, and it has. It makes me glad that Hanukkah also occurs at the beginning of the month, to create “warm feelings” in spite of the frigid early morning temperature. The mergansers are hanging out withContinue reading “A Year of Birds: December”
A Year of Birds: November
The 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,Continue reading “A Year of Birds: November”
A Year of Birds: August
This 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 acrossContinue reading “A Year of Birds: August”
A Year of (Michigan) Birds: June
It’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,Continue reading “A Year of (Michigan) Birds: June”
A Year of Birds: April
By 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 onContinue reading “A Year of Birds: April”