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A Year of Birds: August 2022
Read more: A Year of Birds: August 2022This has been a very busy month, but I am trying to find time to go birding. The sandhill pair is still hanging out near Misery Bay in the marshes, but I haven’t seen the baby. I hope it is okay, I will check on them to see. While hiking, I saw a young merganser…
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A Year of Birds: July
Read more: A Year of Birds: JulyJuly 2022 The weather is getting warmer now each day, bringing the whine of mosquitoes and the droning buzz of deer flies. The only value I see in these pests that bite whenever I venture outdoors is that they do feed the birds and their fledglings. At a nearby park on the river, I saw…
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Family Outing: Acrylic Geese Painting
Read more: Family Outing: Acrylic Geese PaintingThis summer, I am exploring adding more color to my paintings. While the photo doesn’t do it justice, this one has a lot of cerulean and warm washes of sienna and some greens, and even alizarin – all colors that you can see reflected in the ever-changing waters. It was fun to paint what is…
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A Year of Birds: June 2022 part 1
Read more: A Year of Birds: June 2022 part 1The 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 be…
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Kildeer on the Beach: oil painting
Read more: Kildeer on the Beach: oil paintingKildeer are beautiful little birds, and I love watching them on the shores of Lake Huron. In this painting, I wanted to re-create a sunny day with the kildeer in typical postures. I used my usual earth-toned palette, but added cerulean and a touch of cadmium yellow to it.
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Beachcombers: Acrylic Painting
Read more: Beachcombers: Acrylic PaintingIn the warmer months, I love to go rock hunting (and bird watching!) with friends in the evenings. This painting was inspired by one such hike last fall when we were searching for pudding stones.
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Nocturne on Lake Huron: oil painting
Read more: Nocturne on Lake Huron: oil paintingI love painting various types of light, and different types of day. This painting is inspired by how beautiful Lake Huron and its inlets are in the evening, when the water is a symphony of blues and silvers. The painting is of a great egret silhouetted on the lake. I used my typical palette (ultramarine…
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Chair on the Beach
Read more: Chair on the BeachLast fall, when bird watching, I happened upon this stone bench by the shore. It was lovely, with the water all around it, and I decided to paint it in acrylics. It was a challenge – and fun- to paint the light on the water. I added in a bird resting for a moment, since…
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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: 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…