Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis)

I first saw this small sparrow in Ecuador before I knew I was a birder. It caught my eye and I fell in love with them. This photo was taken in near-zero temperature in the high Andes Mountains of Columbia, in February 2022. This explains why it is puffed up into a sphere. I didn’t notice the leg band on the left leg until we returned home and I cropped the photo.

Garden Sage

‘Garden Sage’ diptych 36” x 24” acrylic on canvas

I had so much fun playing with an arrangement of various birds which use the Mexican Sage in our yard.

Masked Trogon (Trogon personatus)

The Masked Trogon is common in the Andes of Colombia. This is a female. The male looks entirely different, and I hope to post a photo of the male soon. This one was seen in the Rio Blanca watershed east of Manizales, Colombia.

Green Heron

Green Heron Fishing 12” x 12” acrylic on wood panel

We saw several green Herons on our recent trip to Ohio but I was inspired by one in particular which we saw fishing in a reedy swamp.

Prothonotary Warbler

This stunning warbler species flits around the understory of dark forests like a yellow firefly. This individual used the rotten top of a vertical stanchion on the boardwalk to build a nest. It was an easy photo because he returned to the boardwalk railing every few minutes before entering his nest. All I had to do was aim and wait .

The Spectacled Parrotlet

Photos of the male and the female.

A tiny parrot found in northern South America and Panama. It can be up to about 5” (13cm) in length. The male has blue highlighting on his wings and around his eyes. The female has no blue markings.

Bar-crested Antshrike

The male’s upper parts are rufous-colored. Both the male and female were seen at Laguna de Sonso, Colombia.

The female lacks rufous coloring on its upper parts.

Grey-breasted Mountain-Toucan

Grey-breasted Mountain-Toucan 24” x 12” acrylic on canvas

At one of our stops the proprietor of a dairy farm set up feeders to draw in these amazing birds with grapes. I was able to make dozens of sketches and developed a couple into this painting when we returned

Red-headed Barbet

This is the male Red-headed Barbet. We saw quite a few of these in mid-altitude forests. They never ceased to amaze me. Although the male has the bright-red head and face, the female is beautiful too.

Andean Condor

Taken at Parque Condor a short distance from Otavalo, Ecuador. This park is a hospital for injured birds and a permanent residence for those who are beyond return to the wilds.