Painting My World

Oil on Archival Panel - 4 x 4 inches      I wanted to do a colorful painting, so I paired a Northern Yellow Warbler that I photographed in Beaver Creek Valley State Park, MN, this spring with Heavenly Blue Morning Glory, Ipomoea tricolor, that I planted in my yard in 2021. Blues and yellows go well together, and the background shade of violet adds to the powerhouse of hues.       These warblers are commonly associated with willows near sources of water, but if you’re trying to attract them to your yard with something other than willows, they also like American Hazelnut, Corylus Americana.       Northern Yellow Warblers’ nests are frequently parasitized by cowbirds. So, in order to prevent themselves from having to rear another species, they’ll build another nest on top of the parasitic egg. Sometimes their nests have several layers, or floors, to keep any additional cowbirds’ eggs from hatching.       Stay wild, ...

Oil on Archival Panel - 4 x 4 inches      This is my oil painting of a female Common Goldeneye, a diving duck.      An interesting fact about this bird is that it sometimes lays its eggs in other goldeneyes' nests. In other words, this duck exhibits conspecific (same species) brood parasitism, an alternate form of breeding.      Just how these birds pick which nests to parasitize has been studied, and it turns out these birds care more about the characteristics of the nests than who they belong to – just as long as they are another Common Goldeneye's.      Successful nests that are used year after year are recognized by female goldeneyes and given priority in June and early July, after the broods have left for the season. The following year, the earlier these nests can be parasitized, the higher the probability of chick survival rates.      Stay wild, my friends. References Paasivaara, A., Rutila, J., Poy...

Oil on Archival Panel - 4 x 4 inches      Who doesn’t love hummingbirds? After spending a fair amount of time figuring out my next painting, I took a break and started photographing hummingbirds a few weeks ago. And then I went through some old photographs of mine and chose to paint this one. This Ruby-throated Hummingbird is sitting on a Diabolo Ninebark branch, one of my favorite shrubs.       Male hummingbirds have begun their migration, I haven’t seen one in a while. The females and their offspring remain, but their days are numbered. Soon, they will be gone, too, on their way to Central America and the southern tip of Florida.       I am primarily a non-fiction reader, and the best book I’ve ever read about birds – in this case hummingbirds –  is Fastest Things on Wings by Terry Masear. When those northerly winds start to chill your bones and the snow keeps you inside, I highly recommend snuggling up with this book. ...

Oil in Archival Panel - 4 x 4 inches      It’s New Year’s Eve and some of you might be indulging in celebratory food for the occasion. So, it seems appropriate to bring up the variety of ways birds feed their young... or don't.       There are birds that feed their young for months, some only a matter of weeks, and then there are those that don’t feed their chicks at all. Bald eagles are examples of birds who feed their young for months before they fledge. On the opposite spectrum, brush turkeys don’t feed theirs at all. Their babies must fend for themselves upon hatching in order to survive. That’s right. No parental help whatsoever. Chicks, find your own food, we’re outta here, says mom and dad. Crazy, right?       When it comes to Eastern Towhees, they’ll feed their young for almost two weeks before fledging occurs. Nothing unusual about that. However, Eastern Towhees belong to a group of birds that will feed other bird spe...

Oil on Archival Panel - 4 x 4 inches.      Just before the arrival of spring in 2018, American Crows were creating a ruckus outside of my window while I was eating breakfast. Never one to miss an opportunity to explore the reason why crows are in a tizzy, the commotion led me to observe this Great Gray Owl perched in a tree just feet away from my house. It stayed low in the branches and slowly moved southbound from tree to tree. By the time I got dressed for the outdoors, the owl was perched across the road in a dense thicket, well hidden. The crows had moved on by then. The silence of the winter’s morning, except for a passerby or two, left me alone with this beautiful owl, and I was able to snap some decent photographs.       My yard has its share of voles, one of this bird’s favorite food. Vole tunnels abound and are especially visible after the first snowfall of the season, as long as it’s a light snowfall. One or two inches of snow will ofte...