 |
| Cardinal, adult male |
Keeping our bird-feeder filled is a task -- even in summer when berries, seeds, etc., are readily available. The pay-off is that we have a wide variety of feathered visitors stopping by for a snack. Photographing birds is an exercise in patience, but I've been surprised at how many stay within range of my lens long enough for me to capture a few images.
The male cardinal in the photo at right was a regular visitor a few summers ago, and although somewhat shy, seemed almost proud of remaining within focus for a few minutes.
In my watercolor sketch, I took a few liberties with the setting -- adding some blue sky for contrast -- but tried to capture his leafy hide-away.
 |
"Male Cardinal" 6" x 6"
SOLD |
 |
Goldfinch, adult male (right) with female Tufted Titmouse (left)
|
Goldfinches are smaller and more skittish than cardinals. To capture them in a photo means waiting for just the right moment, with the camera aimed at the bird-feeder. I used the automatic shutter on my camera to take a series of shots in rapid succession, knowing that my painting would be a composite of several images. My goal was to get a good look at the coloration and shape of the goldfinch's beak, and then create a watercolor sketch that was reasonably faithful to the real thing. In the painting, I eliminated the bird-feeder and perched the finch on the edge of a large ceramic saucer that we fill with water for the birds.
 |
| Goldfinch, adult male |
 |
| Half-way through the process... |
 |
| "Goldfinch" 7.5" x 5.5" |
Several Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks showed up late one afternoon at our feeder. I hadn't seen any of these for decades. I immediately thought of my grandmother, who was diligent about scattering seed for the birds and who taught me many of their names.
 |
| Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, adult male |
 |
| Young male Grosbeak, fed by adult male |
But the bright red bib and sleek black feathers, which are quite distinctive, made it easy to identify. wasn't easy to get a good shot of this very busy bird. He was perched at the feeder along with a young male, and I learned from the Audubon "Guide to North American Birds" that adult males often feed their younger counterparts.
When planning my watercolor sketch, I referred to a photo of a House Sparrow that I took the same afternoon as the Grosbeaks. I thought the sparrow's pose would work well as it has a more dynamic aspect than a bird simply pecking away at the feeder with its face half-hidden.
 |
| House Sparrow |
The sparrow's pose also would show the adult male Grosbeak's red bib to better advantage.
Rather than placing the bird at the edge of the feeder, I sketched in a small branch.
 |
| "Rose-Breasted Grosbeak" 5.5" x 7.5" |
