Part 2 One morning during the second week of November, I got up before dawn, and watched while the sun rose. It was beautiful, and there were the ducks, enjoying the early morning light, looking like black silhouettes against the peach-colored water. I feel blessed to see sights like this, when nature proclaims its beautyContinue reading “A Year of Birds: November 2022”
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A Year of Birds
October 2022 The weather is swinging between very cold at night and warmer during the day as October starts. Today, I saw a blue heron that is still here in spite of the cooling days. This heron is one of those staying around When I went out to dinner in Presque Isle, I didContinue reading “A Year of Birds”
A Year of Birds: July
July 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 sawContinue reading “A Year of Birds: July”
A Year of Birds: March
It 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,Continue reading “A Year of Birds: March”
Migrating Sanderling: acrylic painting
A couple of weeks ago, when walking on the beach, I came across a group of sanderlings migrating south. One was exceptionally cute, and this painting is the result. As usual, I painted this with a limited palette of Tit. white, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, burnt ochre, burnt sienna and a touch of payne’s gray.Continue reading “Migrating Sanderling: acrylic painting”
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 alongContinue reading “A Year of Birds: February”
A Year of Birds: January
While 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 severalContinue reading “A Year of Birds: January”
Tufted Titmouse: acrylic painting
The titmouse is one of my favorite birds; I love the little tuft on top of their heads. This is a recently acrylic that I just completed.
Getting Ready for Christmas (early)
Because last year, I had trouble keeping up with the demand for hand-painted bird ornaments, I decided to start early this year. Today, I started painting the first ones: I sold a bunch of these last year through Wild Birds Unlimited locally; at craft fairs and by commission. They are fun to do! I’m hopingContinue reading “Getting Ready for Christmas (early)”