Winter Birds
I am not able to get out and birdwatch a whole lot these days, but I have a couple of feeders set up in the backyard. I have a suet, then one feeder full of black oil sunflower seeds, and another with thistle seed. It is true that many of our feathered friends head south for the winter, but there are quite a bit that stick around and tough it out.
I've been wanting to do a painting of all of the birds that frequent my backyard in winter. The Northern Cardinals, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Black-capped Chickadees, and Dark-eyed Juncos are the regulars. Less frequent are the nuthatches and creepers, but every once in a while they swing by. It's nice to be able to sit and look out the window identify our avian visitors. In the starkness of winter, they're a very welcome sight. I can't believe my daughter was born almost a year ago. She likes to look out of the window and in to our backyard at the flurry of activity at the feeder. I look forward to the day when she can identify everything she sees there, but for now "buh buh buh" will do.
This painting is available in my shop.
This looks just like the pear tree in my backyard! If the oak leaves were pears, and if the creeper and red-breasted nuthatch were extra chickadees... I can't keep the suet full up in this cold snap we've been in. Everyone is hungry. I love this painting - it brings me more holiday cheer than anything else so far :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Zoe! I used to go through suet like crazy until I bought a higher grade of it. Now it's not so attractive to the house sparrows and squirrels that used to clear through a cake in 24 hours.
ReplyDeleteI love your multi-species portraits!
ReplyDelete"Buh buh buh" is about all I can do in some bird ID situations.
This painting is beautiful Diana. I was thinking of doing something similar, as where I walk the dog on a morning, there is a long hawthorn hedgerow always with lots of bird species as I walk along it, nothing as spectacular as your birds though. Keep the liitle one interested, I'm sure you will, an expert in the making I'm sure!
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