This portrait of a bossy blue jay was a pleasure to paint: so calming and meditative, which is the exact opposite of a blue jay’s personality!
While they are known to be bullies at the feeders, they also “jeer” a loud call in order to track their mates and to warn of impending threats. When that happens, all the birds fly off and take cover.
Bossy Blue Jay
Hearing their urgent, incessant caws gets our attention, too, and we try to figure out what all the squawking is about. Usually it is a cat or large raptor getting too close for comfort. Blue jays truly are the town criers of the avian species!
This pert parrot is an interesting bird and can be quite a spectacle with its vibrant feathers and noisy caws.
Pert Parrot
My first experience of such a bird was when I was a young teen, and my Great-Aunt Grace’s “Polly” summered with us. Polly was a delightful bird with slightly different coloring than what a painted, and we enjoyed interacting with her and hearing her playful verbiage. While she was with us, Polly molted, and I still have one of her beautiful feathers amongst my keepsakes, as well as a reel-to-reel recording of her squawking and sayings. If only I had a player for those tapes!
That reminds me . . . Great-Aunt Grace also owned a bar with a resident mynah bird that knew some saucy phrases. Let’s save that for another post, or not! 🙂
March makes me think of green because of St. Patrick’s Day, which led me to paint a green and blue peacock. Of course, a male peafowl is called a peacock, a female is called a peahen, and a baby is called a peachick.
Pretty Plumage
Peafowl are forest birds that nest on the ground but roost in trees. Peafowl are believed to be polygamous. The males possess metatarsal spurs or “thorns” on their legs used during territorial fights with some other members of their kind.
I remember peacocks and peahens free-ranging at the Cincinnati Zoo when I was a youngster and am happy that this no longer occurs, which surely makes for less-stressed peafowl. Can you imagine how they probably were chased, fed, and “petted?” We are familiar with a local farm that has re-homed the zoo’s peafowls and are happy to learn about their gentler, quieter lives.
How have you been? I hope the winter hasn’t been too unforgiving in your area. It’s been pretty cold, icy, and snowy around here, but then again, what can we expect for February in the Midwest?
Western Tanager
That said, I wanted to paint a bright, colorful bird, and this Western Tanager certainly fits the bill. Get it? Bird, bill? Sorry about the bad pun 🙂 These beauties are found in the warmer Western states, and I can’t say I blame them, especially at this time of year. Stay warm and safe out there!
The majestic bald eagle, the national bird of the United States, is a symbol of pride and strength. However, why is it called a bald eagle when it clearly has feathers on its head?
Bald Eagle
The name comes from an old English word, piebald, which meant “white-headed,” rather than hairless.
I wish you a belated Happy New Year and hope that 2022 is kinder and gentler than the last few. ❤
This month I painted two birds – the American Robin and the European Robin, which, strangely enough, aren’t genetically related but are grouped together because of similar coloring. I’ve painted each of these birds previously, back in 2016 and 2018, and it was interesting to compare my watercolor skills from then to now.
American Robin
European Robin
Because the story is so timely, I am again sharing the legend of how the robin came by its beautiful coloring. The legend states that on the night Jesus was born, a robin heard Mary’s plea to keep their dying fire from burning out. This robin fanned the fire with its wings until the fire was warm and red. While continuing to fan the fire, the robin picked up twigs with its beak and threw them onto the fire to keep the flames glowing. However, the flames singed the robin’s white breast, turning it red. It is thought that when Europeans began to emigrate to the United States, this legend was applied to our American Robin simply because of its coloring. Isn’t that a great story?
If you celebrate, are you ready for Christmas? I’m getting closer by the day and hope to be able to relax soon and enjoy my time this month. I want to make a centerpiece made of oranges pierced with cloves, nestled in back yard pine boughs and holly leaves as this scent is heavenly. What is one thing you’d like to do to celebrate the upcoming holiday? Thanks for stopping by and reading during this busy time of year!
Nuthatches are interesting little birds to observe and easily recognized amongst all the others, especially if you see them walking/hopping DOWN the trunk of a tree. Nuthatches are the only birds to exhibit this peculiar behavior, but it is thought that they do so to search for insects and hide nuts and seeds away from other animals. Most other birds climb UP a tree, but climbing down provides a viewpoint to only a nuthatch, thereby keeping their treasured seeds safe for their next meal.
Nuthatch
I don’t consider myself a true “birder” but surely do enjoy our local backyard birds. What is the most amusing bird you’ve ever seen? Are you are enjoying the changing of the seasons? I am, but because of Daylight Saving time, it is now dark by 6:00 PM, of which I am not a fan; at least we were able to enjoy an extra hour of time this weekend. Be well!
Carol's Creative Papers 