All of us working with the Klamath Bird Observatory bird banding team were able to attend the recent Western Bird Banding Association (WBBA) meeting for free, so I made this painting of a Wilson's Warbler perched on a sprig of Douglas fir to be sold at the silent auction (the proceeds of which help fund scholarships for meeting attendance.) The meeting was a blast - easily the most friendly conference I've ever been to, but attended by some real heavy hitters in the bird banding world! The colors of this scan got a little wonky, but this is an after-hatch year male Pacific Wilson's Warbler, a subspecies that has a little more of an orange tint on the forehead and chest than other birds.

I made this drawing of an Eastern Whip-poor-will and her chicks as a birthday present for my best friend Frans Boukas, who is working on an incredible comic series about a battle gnome called Gnomad. I had this image in my mind of Gnomad receiving some advice (or maybe laughter) from a mama Whip in the forest and had a lot of fun working on this project. You can check out Frans's amazingly detailed work here: http://www.rottenoak.com/ and rottenoak.tumblr.com

Boreal Owl and Peony

This piece was created as a thank-you gift for Dr. David Russell, who founded and runs the Avian Research and Education Institute at Hueston Woods State Park in Oxford, Ohio. Dr. Russell and his wife, Dr. Jill Russell, were kind enough to allow me to attend bird banding classes, observe operations at the banding station, and accompany them on their Ornithology class field trip to Magee Marsh. Over the summers, the Russells study Boreal Owls (Aegolius funereus) and farm peonies in Alaska. What a life!

Munchique Wood-wren sketch. I have a book of BirdLife International's most endangered bird species (the 2009 or 2010 edition, I think) and couldn't help paint this particular one. A few years later it looks like there's lot more photos and research on this species, but they are still considered critically endangered.

Trying to slowly get back in the habit of posting regularly! This is an older watercolor of a White-eyed Vireo from 2013.

The New River Birding and Nature Festival

Last May I attended my first-ever New River Birding and Nature Festival in Fayetteville, West Virginia. I knew pretty much the instant I arrived that I would be back the next year. Stalking warblers and bobolinks in the company of some truly brilliant birders was at once exhilarating, humbling, and fantastically educational. Plus, I was honored to meet some of my favorite bloggers, such as Julie Zickefoose, Bill Thompson III, and Murr Brewster, as well as a slew of other birding greats (most of whom, at the time, I had no idea how lucky I was to meet!)

And the estimable Chet Baker, of course.


In addition to the breathtaking avifauna (which included a plethora of lifer species!), I got to experience some real West Virginia hospitality when my car broke down and I was stranded there for three days!! (It looked like a pothole but I think it might've actually been a mineshaft.) Geoff Heeter, the magnanimous owner of Opossum Creek Retreat, put me up until my car was fixed, and just about everyone else I met there helped me out in some way as well. I was floored by the kind-heartedness and tried to pay them back in a very small way with this piece. It's a Golden-Winged Warbler with the New River Gorge in the background (and a border of goldenrod, Solidago altissima.)


The birds are to die for, the people are wonderful (and patient with novices!), and the entertainment can't be beat. If you're looking for a great birding festival, this one is it! (Even more so if you stay at Opossum Creek!) Hoping to see more of these guys (people and birds!!) at this year's NRB&NF!

Sketches Here and There

A meager offering of doodles from last year's Moleskine sketchbook/journal.

Life sketches of a pair of green herons that began building a nest (but as far as I know, didn't lay any eggs) at the BNC pond last summer.

I watched one of them repeatedly dropping twigs into the water and initially thought s/he was simply a little clumsy, but when I read up on green herons I found that they are one of the only bird species that actually use tools! Apparently they will drop an object (a twig, blade of grass, leaf, etc.) onto the surface of a pond and then pounce on the fish that are attracted to the disturbance! I can't believe I got to observe this tool usage firsthand.

Mouse sketches (deermice mostly):


American kestrels:

The drawing on the left page, top right is from a photo I took at Kiptopeke State Park. The Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory bands both raptors and songbirds there--it's a fantastic opportunity to see some awesome species up cloase and the banders are always happy to answer questions.

Sketches from life at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair:


Life sketches of my sister's boyfriend's mutant chihuahua, Bubbles:

Happy Solstice!

Today is very special in that it is both the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year (and the official first day of winter) and the first time that a total lunar eclipse has occurred on the solstice since 1638. Those of you who did not get outside to watch the eclipse will unfortunately have to wait another 84 years for the opportunity.

In honor of the once-in-several-lifetimes event, I thought it would be fitting to share some of John Burroughs' musings on winter. Burroughs did not limit his appreciation of the natural world to special occasions, of course--one winter day was as worthy of attention and exploration (and the accompanying joy) as the next. Still, I think reading his work today is a good way to celebrate (that, and a good long walk in the woods.)



"If the October days were a cordial like the subacids of fruit, these are a tonic like the wine of iron. Drink deep, or be careful how you taste this December vintage. The first sip may chill, but a full draught warms and invigorates. No loitering by the brooks or in the woods now, but spirited, rugged walking along the public highway. The sunbeams are welcome now. They seem like pure electricity--like friendly and recuperating lightning. Are we led to think electricity abounds only in summer when we see in the storm clouds, as it were, the veins and orebeds of it? I imagine it is equally abundant in winter and more equable and better tempered. Who ever breasted a snowstorm without being excited and exhilarated, as if this meteor had come charged with the latent aurorae of the North, as doubtless it has? It is like being pelted with sparks from a battery. Behold the frostwork on the pane--the wild, fantastic limnings and etchings! Can there be any doubt but this subtle agent has been here? Where is it not? It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it. When I come in at night after an all-day tramp I am charged like a Leyden jar; my hair crackles and snaps beneath the comb like a cat's back, and a strange new glow diffuses itself through my system.

"It is a spur that one feels at this season more than at any other. How nimbly you step forth! The woods roar, the waters shine, and the hills look invitingly near. You do not miss the flowers and the songsters or wish the trees or the fields any different or the heavens any nearer. Every object pleases. A rail fence, running athwart the hills, now in sunshine and now in shadow--how the eye lingers upon it! Or the straight, light-gray trunks of trees, where the woods have recently been laid open by a road or clearing--how curious they look, and if surprised in undress! Next year they will begin to shoot out branches and make themselves a screen...

"He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter. It is true the pomp and the pageantry are swept away, but the essential elements remain--the day and the night, the mountain and the valley, the elemental play and succession and the perpetual presence of the infinite sky. In winter the stars seem to have rekindled their fires, the moon achieves a fuller triumph, and the heavens wear a look of more exalted simplicity. Summer is more wooing and seductive, more versatile and human, appeals to the affections and the sentiments, and fosters inquiry and the art impulse. Winter is of a more heroic cast and addresses the intellect. The severe studies and disciplines come easier in winter. One imposes larger tasks upon himself, and is less tolerant of his own weaknesses.

"The tendinous part of the mind, so to speak, is more developed in winter; the fleshy, in summer. I should say winter had given the bone and sinew to literature, summer the tissues and blood."

-from John Burroughs' America: Selections from the Writings of the Naturalist (pg. 122-23)



John Burroughs (L) and John Muir, rockin' out.

Woody the Woodpecker

My latest project for the Nature Exploration Area at BNC:

This is a pileated woodpecker, painted life-sized (16.5-18", according to various field guides) on a piece of wood salvaged from the tree crew's efforts. You can still see the marks where the chainsaw bit into the soft wood--the surface is therefore much more difficult to paint on than a canvas or panel, but I sand all the pieces first and put on a coat of polycrylic (similar to polyurethane, except water-soluble and non-yellowing), which prevents the paint from being absorbed into the wood so rapidly. I love having the bark as a "frame" of sorts!

Here's a close-up of the face:

I was using a mismatched collection of paints; the red was glossy but all the other colors were matte, which explains why the crest and malar stripe are so shiny--sorry about that!

Chicks and Sticks

I did this small watercolor as a gift to one of the naturalists at Brookside Nature Center, who recently left in pursuit of higher goals (such as world travel!) I learned a great deal from her in the year that we worked together, and I'll be forever grateful for her tutelage.



This is a Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) in a Sugar maple tree (Acer saccharum.) The bird is approximately life-sized, around 4" from head to tail, painted in watercolor with gouache highlights on BFK Rives (printmaking paper). I could rhapsodize about the merits of this delicious, cream-colored paper for hours. (It does come in other colors, but this one is the best!) If you ever find yourself in a fine art store, find where they keep it and run your hands over it and you'll see what I mean!

Bluebird and Redbird

More pieces for the NEA! The cardinal, obviously, is a directional marker, now installed on the path leading up the hill from the nature center.

It doesn't look it, but this tree cookie is massive--a real pain to lug up and down the basement stairs and hill! (You can only get away with rolling the tree cookies when there aren't small children in the way, which, given that it IS a nature center, there usually are!)

The second piece is a bluebird, painted approximately actual size (about 7" from head to tail) on another scrap of wood. This will be mounted, like the owl and the flying squirrels, somewhere in the NEA for a little extra color.

I haven't been doing too much in the way of painting for the NEA, since my current project is digitally coloring those pond brochures I did last year--they're going to be made into signs for a small display down by the pond! I'm having fun exploring Photoshop and using Frans' Wacom tablet, but am still rather baffled by all of it. Nothing beats traditional media!

The Great Front Yard Bird Count

It's amazing to think that mere weeks ago, the DC-metro area was covered with 3+ feet of snow. This was the view from our front porch:

And here's one of the feeders we have hung from the fruit tree in the front yard. To get an idea of how deep the snow cover was, keep in mind that I whang my head on that feeder on a regular basis. Therefore, it is approximately at least 5 feet off the ground.


Most fortuitously, the Great Backyard Bird Count overlapped part of that snowbound week, and was a great excuse to gaze out the window all day long.


A mourning dove peers at me from his perch in the feeder tree. I love the look of soft little bird-bellies!

As you can see, the blizzards afforded us with plenty of birdwatching opportunities. Not only were we stuck in the house for a week (three days of which we didn't have power, and only survived thanks to the newly-installed woodstove), but the birdies needed plenty of extra sustenance, which I was happy to provide.

Fortunately, CatTV does not require electricity:


(Here Yoda studies the delicious sparrows, as if choosing prime cuts at the deli counter. I always point out that House Sparrows are the most delectable--imported from Europe!)


The only time Yoda and Audrey will tolerate each other's close company is while they're watching Primetime in the front yard. At these moments a sort of peace settles over the household and we all enjoy the sport of birding together, as a family.

By far the coolest bird to grace our front yard with its presence was this hawk, which landed in the red maple in the yard just steps from the front door. (You can bet the cats stopped salivating when they saw it....a raptor makes for no easy snack.)


Excuse the blurry pictures! Understandably, it remains unidentified. (I've asked all the naturalists at Brookside to weigh in, and everyone's still undecided as to whether it's a red-tailed or a red-shouldered hawk.) ID or no, it was still a breathtaking event, and not a bad way to commemorate my first Backyard Bird Count.

Wishing for Warblers

I've only seen four species of warblers in my life--the palm warbler, the common yellowthroat, the American redstart, and the yellow-rumped warbler. I'm also almost positive that I once observed a magnolia warbler in nonbreeding plumage, but was too inexperienced to make a positive ID then; it's only from my sketches and notes I took at the time that I'm able to deduce the identity.

I started birdwatching less then a year ago, but was quickly enchanted by the charm of these diminutive little songbirds. It's easy to see why birders become infatuated with the group. I'm hoping to brush up on my skills and add many more to my list in the spring. In particular, I would just about die of happiness if I were to see a Blackburnian warbler:

Charcoal pencil and soft pastel on paper.

It's the name that so instantly captivates one while flipping through the index of a field guide, and no one could argue that these are one of the most striking and brilliant of the warblers. Unfortunately they don't too frequently visit my neck of the woods, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I might get lucky enough to see one during the New River Birding and Nature Festival coming up this spring in West Virginia.

More works on wood, in the woods

A few new installations for the Nature Exploration Area at Brookside Nature Center! These are a pair of plaques that I painted on chunks of red oak that Jenny salvaged from a fallen tree. They're installed in the NEA high off the ground, to simulate where someone might observe a screech owl or flying squirrel in real life.

Here's the Eastern screech owl (gray morph), painted approximately life-sized--about 8" head to tail:


A close-up of the face:


The work-in-progress (note the cool bug holes, probably made by ants):



And here's the pair of Southern flying squirrels. The nature center has a pretty active population of these guys; you can attend flying squirrel programs with the naturalists and have a pretty good chance at seeing these unobtrusive, nocturnal critters. (They are impossibly cute.) These, too, are approximately life-sized (about 5" for the body, 3-4" long tails):


And a side view, to show the neat curve of this particular piece of wood:

Shades of Gray

Each year in celebration of Earth Day, the Gamblin oil paint company hosts a special contest. Using paint residue scraped out of their "Torit" air filtration system, they blend a limited-edition line of gray paint from the recycled pigments. Since they produce different quantities of each color every year, each year's Torrit Gray blend is different. The ultimate in recycling! Gamblin then hosts a contest challenging artists to make a painting using only Torrit Gray, black, and white. You can check out all the details here, at www.gamblincolors.com.

This is my entry, a portrait of Frans depicting his inner (contemplative) Viking.

And here's the sketch I did underneath:

Usually I don't do anywhere near as detailed an underpainting or drawing, but because the painting was to be monochromatic I wanted to work out the tonal values a bit more thoroughly first. I kind of wish I hadn't painted over it, as it was a better likeness than the painting turned out to be!

Close Encounters of the Bird Kind

(If I wrote a column for Audubon Magazine, that's exactly what I'd call it! : )

Anyway, here are a few more pieces for the Nature Exploration Area. Basically, we came up with a bucket containing 3-D animal tracks that kids can use to stamp footprints in the sandboxes (actually, they're sand barrels.) In addition to the tracks, the "toolkit" features a key of laminated cards with the animal on one side and a picture of the tracks each one makes on the reverse.







Nothing fancy or too detailed, but I had fun looking at bird photos for reference all the same. (Note that I took the card photos propped up against the phone while stuck at the desk. Very high-tech!)

Merry Christmas! ...8 months late

...or four months early! (Is the glass half-full or half-empty??)



Obviously these are a few X-mas cards that I intended to send out last year (ambitious, I know) and never got around to mailing. They are for a dog-and-peace-loving couple and a wannabe-philosopher, respectively. (The first features said couple's beloved yellow lab, Haille. Somehow in scanning and re-sizing these I accidentally cut off the words on this one, which read "Haille Krishna.") Better get a jump on this coming holiday season!

Brookside's Nature Exploration Area--Work in Progress

I think I mentioned this in a previous post, but one of my primary responsibilities at the nature center is working on the new children's playground made of natural materials, dubbed (rather unimaginatively) the "Nature Exploration Area." The NEA features tables and chairs made of tree stumps, a giant bird's nest constructed of twigs, a snake-shaped path fashioned out of stones, and lots of other good stuff.

Details of the above sign:





"Tree cookies" advertising the various features of the NEA:

Happy birthday, mum!

My mom turned 57 this May! Good lord. :P In honor of her birthday, my boyfriend (Frans), my sister (Simone), and I each drew her a picture of a bird, which we then matted and framed and presented to her (along with crepes and creampuffs.)

Here's the triptych:


Mine was a barn owl, Frans' some unknown bird, and Simone's, a budgerigar.

Close-up of my bird (gouache on BFK Rives paper):