Grasshopper on Grasshopper
Oil on Archival Panel - 4 x 4 inches This is my oil painting of a Grasshopper Sparrow. I suspect it’s a male because it was singing. Males will often sing to attract mates and to protect their territories; and since adult males and females look alike at all times of the year, the fact that it was singing is the only indicator I have to identify it as a possible male. Did you know this bird has a teeny-tiny sliver of yellow feathers on the shoulders of its wings? Reading that Grasshopper Sparrows used to be called Yellow-winged Sparrows led me to examine my photographs closer. And voila, yellow! See photo below. Grasshopper Sparrows are in steep decline, having lost 78% of their population since monitoring began in 1966. In Minnesota alone, they’ve lost 97% of their population and their decline is second only to Western Meadowlarks. Their occurrence is now rare in the north and northeastern parts of the state. ...