A beautiful warbler that breeds in Northern Canada and spends its winter from Southern Mexico down to South America. They are very common in Central America during the winter. This photo was taken in Northern Ohio at Magee Marsh in 2018.
Oystercatcher Sketch
We saw so many Oystercatchers a couple weeks ago on the Sonoma County coast and this is a color study where I am thinking about how I might iuse a couple in a painting.
Osprey Sketch
In general I work better designing paintings from my field sketches than from his photographs but I was inspired by this photo of an osprey which Dave took and played around with incorporating it into a composition.
Osprey
The Osprey is a sleek fish predator. It is very efficient at catching fish with its long talons. Where they are common it is not unusual to see a few carry fish back to there eating spot. In Florida we saw fish carcasses high in trees where the Ospreys take them to eat.
California Thrasher
California Thrasher 8” x 8” acrylic on wood panel
The poison oak has turned a wonderful red and last month we came across this California Thrasher feeding on the berries.
House Finch
The House Finch is a common backyard bird on the West Coast of the United States. If a seed feeder is filled for at least part of the day in the backyard House Finches will find it. They are noisy as the interact with each other on and around the feeder. In the spring the males can be heard singing from nearby trees.
House Wren
House Wren 6” x 6” acrylic
This was a little color study to suggest hot summer days.
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron 8” x 8” acrylic
I’ve painted a lot of Night-Herons resting but this is the first painting I’ve tried where I'm imagining one hunting.
Lesson's Motmot
A common Central American Motmot and very common in Costa Rica. This species builds its nest in burrows that it excavates on vertical bank faces, usually road cuts or bank cuts caused by streams.
American Bittern
American Bittern 8” x 8” acrylic on wood panel
We were lucky enough to see this bittern out in the open last month and he begged to be painted.
Kingfisher Sketches
Kingfisher sketches
These are a series of studies of Belted Kingfishers done from photographs.
Orange-crowned Warblers
Orange-crowned Warblers
Now that they are quiet it’s hard to find these Orange-crowned Warblers.
Grasshopper Sparrow
A small grassland bird that is more often heard than seen. Its song sounds like the buzz of an insect. They are usually found in tall grasses, where they nest and feed on insects and seeds. This one obliged me by landing close by on a barbwire fence which they sometimes do. Note the very long toenails.
Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle, 8” x 8” acrylic on wood panel
I imagined a Golden Eagle on a high perch surveying his world.
White-bellied Hummingbird
In late 2018 we encountered this Hummingbird at the Willson Botanical Garden in Costa Rica near the Panama border. This species has a limited range and is found in Costa Rica and Panama.
Allen's Hummingbird
Allen’s Hummingbird & Bird of Paradise, 8” x 8” acrylic on wood panel
I couple month ago I spotted a hummingbird perched on a bird of paradise flower just outside the living room window.
Osprey
Walking back from one of the local brackish ponds, we saw an Osprey soaring about our heads. The presence of this fish-eating raptor and the moon made for a shot I could not refuse.
White-headed Woodpecker Painting
White-headed Woodpecker, 8” x 8”, acrylic on wood panel
This is the finished painting which I developed from the sketch I posted previously.
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Ashh-throated Flycatcher, 8” x 8” acrylic on wood panel
We have been finding Ash-throated Flycatchers frequently this last month and I just finished this little painting of this beautiful bird in an elderberry bush.
Black-headed Grosbeak
Black-headed Grosbeaks 8” x 8” acrylic
This has been a banner year for spotting Black-headed Grosbeaks near our home. A pair has even been coming to our feeders. This little painting is one of the first I’ve been able to finish during this quarantine.