Happy New Year 2015 - and a challenge for January.

A new year, a new beginning - AvesInArt creators Jorge de Leon and Susan Hochgraf have challenged each other to make a new photo and a new drawing or painting each day throughout the month of January.
Let's get started!

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

Jorge's submission for January 1st is this White-throated Sparrow, which he found late in the afternoon gleaning sunflower seeds from the ground below our birdfeeders at home.  This bird will probably roost for the night in this same yew shrub, up a bit higher in the branches, concealed from view and sheltered from the cold wind.

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Sue's submission for today is a male Northern Cardinal, also seen under the birdfeeders in the late afternoon.  This sketch is done with a fine-point Sharpie marker on paper.  Two males and a female made brief visits, spooked by my presence at the window, but were there long enough to capture their cardinal essence.