The Little Nuthatch

I have 3 new card designs for Spring up on Etsy now. One of them features the ridiculous baby chick in a bunny bonnet seen above. Perfect for Easter. The next one has been coming for a while, as I get so many requests for chickens and I live in a town known for the chickens wandering the town...   Of course the new painting has got to be a cute little chick with it's Mama! I will have prints of the chicken + chickie soon too. I also made cards with the Manatee I posted earlier this month.

Well, I just posted about finishing painting all the birds from the Merritt Island NWR bird checklist. Now I am going to share some photos from my last trip over there. Can you see why I love the place so much? Wilson's Snipe   American Avocet   Peregrine Falcon   Eastern Phoebe   American Kestrel   Sora   American Robin   Osprey

I finished! This is my last field guide painting from the Merritt Island, Florida bird list. It includes Thrush, Wrens, and the last few others. I started the project in May 2010. Almost 3 years later and having painted 270 birds, I have learned so much! I started in hopes that in painting all the birds I would become better at identifying the birds here. It has helped tremendously, but I still have a long way to go and a lot more to learn. This project was just the beginning. Check out all the birds together... (This is the bird...

I saw this American Bittern at Merritt Island NWR a few weeks ago. As they are so quiet and camouflaged, sighting one is always a little victory. They even stretch out their neck and look just like one of the grasses in the wetlands. Pretty smart! Can you spot the one above trying to look like a reed? I am so impressed, I did a little painting...

It is the perfect time of year to see manatees here. Blue Springs is a prime spot. I went a few weeks ago and was happy to see lots of little ones this year! They are so cute!