This digital art was created from my original photograph using digital brushes for a painterly effect. I captured this heron from the Leonabelle boardwalk in Port A, TX. When they spread their wings, whether landing or searching for food, it reminds me of glorious angel wings.
This morning, a bit less than two hours in the Ramble yielded 33 species. Nothing new--I missed the reported Spotted Sandpiper--but I did see my first Ovenbird and Common Yellowthroat of the year (I had only heard them singing before).
A late-afternoon stroll in Carl Schurz Park had my first Barn Swallows of the year, around their usual nest site at the ferry dock. Only two so far, but that will pick up.
At least 20 Double-crested Cormorants nests on Mill Rock, with 44 birds.
The lunch rush (30 mins of observation while I ate):
6 Mourning Dove
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Blue Jay
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Carolina Wren
2 European Starling
2 American Robin
3 House Sparrow
3 House Finch
13 American Goldfinch
3 Red-winged Blackbird
6 Common Grackle
My newest painting - Whimsical bird on a wire acrylic painting.
The inspiration for this painting was a robin that lives in our garden and sat fluffed up next to our bird feeder on a frosty winter's day, enjoying the warming rays of the morning sun.
The Eurasian coot managed to snatch a twig from the great crested grebe's nest in order to fortify its own, which was surprisingly just barely a meter away.
For #Fotomontag, here's a new lifer for me from today — A Great Crested Grebe (Haubentaucher). They were reported at a very popular lake in my city (Bielefeld) and since I hadn't seen them before, I thought I'd try my luck — I actually managed to see a total of six of them!
Crappy forecast for the whole weekend but fortunately the forecasters screwed up (again) and there was a break between storms so my wife and I were able to get out for some #birding.
No "lifers" this morning but it was the first of the year for the Baltimore Oriole and Black-crowned Night-Heron. Also a nice look at a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.