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Yeshua's Child Art

Tag: bird watching

  • A Year of Birds: September

    The 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

    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 across…

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  • A Year of (Michigan) Birds: July

    The 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

    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,…

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  • A Year of Birds: May

    I 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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  • 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 on…

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  • A Year of Birds: February

    Since 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…

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  • Egret in the Marsh

    I have spent a lot of time walking near, around and in the marshes of North Michigan. This is the habitat where black flies and mosquitoes like to live – but it is all worth it to catch sight of an egret like this one! This painting is based on one that hangs out in…

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  • Pas de Deux: Sandhill Cranes

    A 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…

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  • Painting Christmas ornaments

    Happy Thanksgiving! I have been painting Christmas ornaments (using enamel paints) for weeks now. The first set were wild birds (one is pictured above and another below) that I sold at a local art show, and also have for sale at a local store (Wild Birds Unlimited). For those who would like to make their…

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  • Birds of Michigan Series: Winter Partners

    I love to paint birds, and winter scenes, so this painting combines these two. One is a sparrow, the other a chickadee. What I love about the sparrow is the fact that his posture reminds me of a “grumpy old man” sitting there on the bush.  These guys came to the feeders last winter, and…

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  • How to Paint a Bird: Learning to make a video

    A friend of mine has a videorecorder, and so the other day, I decided to try and make my first video. Here’s what I have to say about it: the adage “you learn from your mistakes” is certainly true! I DID learn a lot about what NOT to do, and so the next time I…

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