A couple of days ago, I saw a photo of a New Zealand Fantail on eBird and I couldn’t resist drawing the little bird. The photo was taken by Steve Kelling at Okia Reserve, New Zealand (near Dunedin). Steve works at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and has seen 2671 bird species. Très cool! I drew the wee bird in my wee 4 by 6 … Continue reading New Zealand Fantail
According to eBird data, Common Redpolls are not seen in the Edmonton area between June and September, except for the sighting of a single bird on July 5th, 2014. Their breeding grounds are north of Alberta, in Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta (Semenchuk 1992) does mention occasional nesting in Edmonton. This species also breeds in … Continue reading They’re back!
Happy Draw-A-Bird-Day!!! Last fall I saw four species of warblers migrate through the Strathcona Rail Community Garden – Palm (drawing), Tennessee, Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped. Fall warblers also refuel in the forests along the creek and river near my home, but the garden is the easiest place to photograph the birds. There are no tall trees to cast shade on waist-high plants and there are lots … Continue reading DABD November 2018
I found the ink outline of this bird while flipping through my sketchbook this afternoon and I decided that this was a good day to fill-in-the-blanks. This bird and its migration buddy were my first ever Palm Warbler sightings. Two days later, I saw two more Palm Warblers in Mill Creek Ravine Park. This fall, my only Palm Warbler sighting was a trio at Roper … Continue reading A migrating palm warbler
Winter started early in Edmonton this year. We had a few snow days in mid-September and a few more in early October. The last two weeks though, have been relatively warm, with sunny afternoons in the low to mid-10s (Celcius). Early afternoons aren’t the birdiest in the Mill Creek Ravine woods, but I usually bring my camera just in case. Yesterday, I saw a Wilson’s … Continue reading Fall feathers
Two male Mallards on North Saskatchewan River. October 14, 2018. Henrietta Muir Edwards Park, Edmonton, Alberta. Continue reading Synchronized preening
In February and March of this year, I drew a few Great Grey and Short-eared Owls to become more familiar with their face and wing markings and because looking at owl photos for an hour or two seemed like a really awesome way to spend my time. I’ve never seen a Great Grey out-and-about but I did catch a far away glimpse of a Short-eared … Continue reading The ghost of the forest
A different pose from Monday’s Magnolia Warbler. Continue reading Happy Friday!
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving and Happy Draw-A-Bird-Day! A few Magnolia Warblers made a stopover in Mill Creek Ravine Park (Edmonton, Alberta) on their way to winter homes closer to the equator. I photographed this bird on August 30th. Continue reading Magnolia Warbler
It was warmish and sunny in Edmonton this afternoon, so I walked home through Queen Elizabeth Park. While I was taking photos of some juncos rummaging through leaf litter and beaking off chunks of red osier berries, a snowshoe hare darted across the path. Three times in a minute! I missed the leftward bounds, but got a few snaps of the two sprints to the … Continue reading Darting across the path
Happy day after Draw a Bird Day! Flocks and flocks of Bohemian Waxwings visited Edmonton this winter and I took many, many photos of them feasting on berries and flying in and out of trees and bushes. A few photos turned out well, with interesting poses and enough detail to be drawing-worthy. I was super excited to do some quick, fun sketches, but I soon … Continue reading Draw a Bird Day – Going Eraser-less!
