Chuck-will's-widow

Chuck-will’s-widow. the largest nightjar in North America

We spent 9 days in Texas starting on April 20, 2019. The purpose of the trip was to experience the landfall of some of the billions of migratory birds that have crossed long distances over the Gulf of Mexico to reach North America. Many of these birds will make their way into northern Canada.

This bird was an unexpected find. We heard it was at Boy Scout Woods in High Island, Texas on our last day. I asked one of the volunteers at the entrance if she knew where I could find this bird. She did better than that and got up and said, follow me! My lucky day because trying to find one of these in dense forest on your own is nearly impossible because of this birds’ wonderful camouflage.

K is for Kestrel

‘K is for Kestrel’ 8” x 8” acrylic on wood panel

‘K is for Kestrel’ 8” x 8” acrylic on wood panel

‘K is for Kestrel’ is part of ‘Alphabet Soup - art inspired by letters of the alphabet’
May 2nd - 20th, 2019, at Studio Gallery,1641 Pacific Ave., San Francisco, CA.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - A subtle beauty

Blue-gray Gnatchater

The Blue-gray Gnatcher is a common bird in Central-Coastal California in the summer. It flits around in the brush wagging and lifting its tail which startles insects causing them to fly to become a tasty morsel for this bird. This photo is of a male because of the blue “V” on its forehead.

If lucky, you will encounter these birds nest building. They gather caterpillar and spider silk and use it to fasten fragments of lichens into a small thimble which becomes the nest. The nest looks like a bump on a tree’s branch and it’s impossible to know if it’s a nest unless you see an adult fly onto it.

Steller's Jays

Steller’s Jays and Blackberries 18” x 24” watercolor on wood panel

Steller’s Jays and Blackberries 18” x 24” watercolor on wood panel

The jays in California aren’t anywhere near as colorful as those in the tropics but I do enjoy watching our sassy Steller’s Jays. This painting was completed in 2016 and was used is for the cover of a book of poetry.

Green Jay

Green Jay

Want to talk Gaudy? Talk about the Green Jay. This bird has a bizarre mix of colors: green, black, blue and yellow. I have encountered this species twice, once in Mexico and once in Southern Texas. I was unable to get what I consider great photos because the bird was either glued to a suet feeder or in the case of this photo, it stayed in the protective shade of vegetation. They have a well-developed family structure that cooperate to improved reproductive success. More information on this species can be found at: https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/grnjay/introduction