Warbler Sketches

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I participated in a timed challenge to find and draw as many birds as possible in a short period. I concentrated on warblers and vireos and Dave and I were lucky to find a variety of them foraging in a group of oak trees.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet breeds in the far north of the North American continent during the summer. In winter its range covers most of the southern half of the United States including much of California.

This little bird is always on the go as if it is constantly drinking coffee. They have a characteristic call that some liken to a small engine trying to start, but never quite making it.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

This species occurs in Central California, but we normally do not see them often and when we do they tend to be at higher elevations. We were surprised to find this one at Sandy Wool Lake at Ed Levin Park in Santa Clara County, California which is lower than we normally find them. If you are not familiar with nuthatches, upside down is a typical eating posture.

Rock Wren

Rock Wren taking a break from bug hunting

A perky wren that is normally found on rocky areas through out the Western United States and south into Mexico. It lives in arid to semi-arid areas and its diet it primarily insects and spiders. It will steal insects from spider webs. This individual was working a parking lot railing in its search for food.

Spotted Towhee

Spotted Towhee 10” x 20” acrylic on wood panel

Spotted Towhee 10” x 20” acrylic on wood panel

A Spotted Towhee has been hanging out in our yard under wild grape vines. It was such a treat to watch him foraging.

Osprey Sketch

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In general I work better designing paintings from my field sketches than from his photographs but I was inspired by this photo of an osprey which Dave took and played around with incorporating it into a composition.

Osprey

The Osprey is a sleek fish predator. It is very efficient at catching fish with its long talons. Where they are common it is not unusual to see a few carry fish back to there eating spot. In Florida we saw fish carcasses high in trees where the Ospreys take them to eat.

House Finch

The House Finch is a common backyard bird on the West Coast of the United States. If a seed feeder is filled for at least part of the day in the backyard House Finches will find it. They are noisy as the interact with each other on and around the feeder. In the spring the males can be heard singing from nearby trees.