Tag Archives: winter

A Year of Birds: February 2023

The warm spell at the January didn’t last. It is, after all, winter in northeast Michigan. The temperatures dropped to a chilly -5 degrees F in the early morning, and I am feeding the birds twice a day now (and the deer, too! They come by regularly for snacks). The ground has turned from aContinue reading “A Year of Birds: February 2023”

Morning Visitor: acrylic painting

I have been experimenting with painting lights and darks, using a limited palette of yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, burnt umber and titanium white. This little sparrow was sitting on a rock in my yard recently, and I wanted to capture the moment. Moments like this remind me of the beauty of God’s creation.

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”

Nuthatch in the Tree: Acrylic painting

Last week, I heard the most amazing laughter coming from the trees. I searched, and found the source: a little nuthatch, chuckling away. This painting was done to highlight how agile these birds are. This was painted using my typical palette of ultramarine blue, titanium white, burnt umber, burnt sienna and yellow ochre.

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”