If I were to step outside during an early evening of a waning summer, I would be surrounded by sound. The source is largely derived from small beings.
Bur Oak Leaf Study in Watercolor
When Using Binoculars
Roadside Attractions
Roads themselves are notoriously busy places. Fast human transportation is concentrated within these strips of pavement that cut through what can often be a human-designed landscape, be it housing or farmland or something else. But between the road and the other development, there tends to be a section largely neglected by deliberate human interference and left to its own devices. The roadside.
Open House at the Bog
I catch a glimpse of water. It is not obvious. An abundance of plant life hides most of the water, which becomes clearer as I continue down the trail. I walk right up to an open gate. The ominous entrance frames a low bridge with dark water and tolerant plants on either side. Beyond the bridge is a boardwalk in the sunshine. I walk through the gate.
A Nest of Cardinals
Global Big Day 2023
Birding with my Mom
Puddles and their Avian Occupants
Sketching Spring Flowers
Coots, New Art Supplies, and Current Reads
Why I Create Realistic Art
Starting the Day
Taking and Not Taking Pictures
A Walk in the Fog
Arctic Birds Wintering in the Midwest
While some migratory birds are leaving, others are just arriving. Birds from the Arctic Circle make their grand entrance. Arctic migratory birds can have very specific winter locales, including the east and west coastlines or hotspots occurring within select states. Others are common residents throughout much of the lower forty-eight and even more common throughout the Midwest.
When the Snow Falls
The Regulars
The loud squawking of blue jays leads my gaze upward. The talkative birds coast in from the distance and land on the tallest tree branches where they continue their conversation. Cardinals are unmistakable with their red plumage popping against the muted winter backdrop. Nuthatches scratch the wood of trees as they crawl around on tree trunks. A downy woodpecker joins them.
Lines of Branch and Ink
Few leaves remain on oak trees in late autumn, and the lack of foliage reveals the trees’ exquisite structure. I stand at the base of a bur oak tree and look up, imagining a squirrel’s point of view as it runs vertically up the trunk. The tree is a gnarly specimen with rough bark and angular branches that twist and turn in all sorts of directions.
The Amphibious Appearance
The bird feeders outside the nature center’s windows are occupied by a frenzy of woodpeckers, chickadees, goldfinches, nuthatches, and so many more fluttering feathered beings. Squirrels take the liberty of picking up fallen seeds on the ground alongside mourning doves and dark-eyed juncos. My attention is very much absorbed in the birds’ and squirrels’ whereabouts, but I do notice someone else.