We did it! Made it to the end of the month. My final painting is an idea, an experiment and a preliminary sketch for something I plan to do a larger complete watercolor of. The Bearded Reedling is a small seed-eating, social denizen of reed beds throughout Europe, and it was Jorge's major target bird for our trip (a new family - Panuridae). The experiment was to paint a somewhat more detailed background behind the birds, which they are actually a part of - if you look back through this January series, I tend to plop the bird down on top of a scene, to give a sense of place. Still have some work to do!

Bearded Reedling, Panurus biarmicus
Dragomansko Marsh, Sofia Bulgaria, September 8, 2024

Jorge wanted to go out with a bang today, but there just wasn't much out there. Fortunately when there's a Northern Cardinal in a thicket, you know it. A bright red bird doesn't stay hidden for long...

Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis
Horsebarn Hill, Storrs Connecticut

Penultimate day of our January Challenge, version 2025! I finished part two of yesterday's sketch, and it's a bird with a funny name, I mean, it's named for a feature it does NOT have. Meet the Spotless Starling, Sturnus unicolor, found throughout Spain and into nearby areas, including Morocco. This bird was a real target of mine - for the name alone! It really is this shaggy, and usually appears black, with green and bronzy-purple iridescence.

Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor
Granada Spain, September 7, 2024

Starlings, with and without spots
European Starling and Spotless Starling

New birds have been a challenge to find again, as cold and windy days have returned to Connecticut (after a few pleasant days). Today Jorge brings you our feisty Black-capped Chickadee, year-round resident and a familiar visitor to backyard feeders.

Black-capped Chickadee, Poecile atricapillus
on a branch of Staghorn Sumac, Rhus typhina

 Today's painting was ambitious, and I finished only half of it. Tomorrow will be part two! Stay tuned... The familiar European Starling sports a really incredible coat in the non-breeding season - iridescent purple and green with little chevrons of white at the tip of each feather. When the breeding season rolls around, the feather tips have mostly worn away, leaving a uniform black-looking bird - this is called "wear molt" even though it's not technically a molt.

European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris, in non-breeding plumage

Jorge's bird for today is one that uses the nest boxes around Horsebarn Hill in the springtime. This time of year when everything is gray and brown, the Eastern Bluebird is a little fleck of the bright sky flitting through the landscape - in fields, woodlands and even our yard. 

Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis, Windsor, Connecticut
- male, perching on a poison ivy vine -

 Of Robins and Blackbirds... two hundred plus years ago, when the avifauna of this continent was being newly described to Western science, the describers were all European. They looked for similarities to what was familiar to them, and here's what we got... They had a robin so we got a robin (unrelated), they had a blackbird so we got a blackbird (unrelated). However OUR robin is related to THEIR blackbird. The family to which their robin belongs does not live in the Americas and the family to which our blackbird belongs lives ONLY in the Americas. Fun stuff. (Sizes are fairly accurate)

UL: European Robin, Erithacus rubecula; UR: American Robin, Turdus migratorius
LL: Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus; LR: Eurasian Blackbird, Turdus merula

Jorge has been having pretty good luck in his mini-quest to photograph all of the raptors of Horsebarn Hill. This one, however, was a big surprise. The Peregrine Falcon is not a regular visitor to the hill, though it is certainly found in many places in Connecticut. When it was up in this treetop, nothing else moved - even the starling flocks were quiet - the supreme aerial predator had arrived...

Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus, Horsebarn Hill, Storrs Connecticut

Five days left in our challenge... Today I thought it was time for a Junco-palooza. Our ubiquitous Dark-eyed Junco has many many subspecies, with subtly different plumages - decades ago we called our eastern form the Slate-colored Junco. During our April trip to Arizona we were excited to find another species, the Yellow-eyed Junco, up in the higher elevations of Mount Lemmon, near Tucson. Then in the low elevations of the Chiricahua Mountains, we saw the Gray-headed subspecies of the Dark-eyed Junco, and if we'd been paying closer attention, we might also have seen the Red-backed subspecies. And as a bonus, I've included the Volcano Junco from Costa Rica, which we saw in December 2023.

Clockwise spiral from upper left: Yellow-eyed Junco, Junco phaeonotus,
Volcano Junco, Junco vulcani, Dark-eyed Junco: Gray-headed ssp, Junco hyemalis caniceps,  
Red-backed ssp., J. h. dorsalis, and Slate-colored ssp. J. h. hyemalis

The low angle of the sun in winter (at 41.5 degrees north latitude anyway) means you can get that "golden hour" lighting even in late morning. This female Ruddy Duck was one of a pair floating on a pond at the fish hatchery the other day, and the light was beautiful. The male was there also, but mostly with his head tucked under his wing.

Ruddy Duck, Oxyura jamaicensis,
Quinebaug Valley fish hatchery, Plainville Connecticut

It's merganser day! For my sketch I took a chance... went with black watercolor paint directly on the paper - no preliminary drawing. Sometimes I just have to loosen up a little. I used a couple of Jorge's older photos as reference - love the contrasts and the reflections.

Left, Hooded Merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus
Right, Red-breasted Merganser, Mergus serrator

One of our weekend beauties was this pair of Hooded Mergansers on a pond at the fish hatchery. There were more of them down on the Quinebaug River, along with a few Common Mergansers and other ducks, but the confines of the pond kept these two a little closer to the camera.

Hooded Merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus
Quinebaug Fish Hatchery, Plainville, Connecticut

 It's Saturday again, and we went out to one of my favorite nearby birding places, the Quinebaug Valley State Trout Hatchery. There's always something there - like Horsebarn Hill, there are local specialties, not necessarily unusual, but special anyway. You can always see a kingfisher, several species of ducks, a few different sparrows, and today we both had a "lifer"! But today's kingfisher reminded me that I missed one in my series of Coraciiformes a while back - so here today, is your Common Kingfisher, which I've placed beside the Arda River in Madzharovo, Bulgaria, where we saw it in September.

Common Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis
Arda River, Madzharovo Bulgaria, September 10, 2024

When we finish our January challenge a few days from now, I think I will share all of the photos Jorge took but didn't have space for here in our 31 days. Today was one of those days, so we chose the bird I mentioned above - a double-lifer! The Rusty Blackbird had been seen at the fish hatchery earlier this week and we hoped it would still be around today - our lucky day. This was a new species for both of us and we had great views!

Rusty Blackbird, Euphagus carolinus
Quinebaug Valley State Trout Hatchery, Plainville Connecticut

This morning was cold (10F) and bright, as it has been all week, and I spent some time with the Wilson's Snipe. This is the same individual Jorge photographed a few days ago, and it has continued feeding in one little stream of running water along the side of Horsebarn Hill. I didn't even open the car window, but used the binoculars to watch it probing the mud, snoozing, watching me, watching the harrier cruise overhead.

field sketches of the snipe

Wilson's Snipe, Gallinago delicata
Horsebarn Hill, Storrs Connecticut

Jorge gave me three photos to choose from, all beautiful portraits of great birds, but the choice was easy for me - I just love Blue Jays. This one was hunting something in the leaf litter on the side of Horsebarn Hill.

Blue Jay, Cyanocitta cristata
Horsebarn Hill, Storrs, Connecticut

 I'm continuing with my dove studies, this time the subject is our local Mourning Dove. About a week ago Jorge took a fantastic photo of this species, which I used for the detailed pencil sketches - including the light blue orbital skin! I tried to keep the watercolor a little looser, using mostly a #12 Round, and painted the eye with a #0 Round. 

Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura, pencil and watercolor

Why not drop in a photo of my brushes too...

The fine brush is a #0 Round, the larger a #12 Round

There's a songbird that defends its little patch of Horsebarn Hill, and until today it had managed to elude the photographer. The home turf of a Northern Mockingbird is usually a south-facing berry-producing thicket or shrub. It sits facing the sun and chases off perceived intruders, but always fled as soon as Jorge rolled down the car window to get a photo.

Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, Horsebarn Hill, Storrs Connecticut

Today marks ten posts to go until we reach the end of our January challenge! But who's counting... With the past two sparrow paintings I wasn't super-happy with the results, so I've gone back to the drawing board - literally. My Rock Pigeon studies are a chance to step back from watercolor and just work up some pencil sketches, taking the time to get the proportions right (I hope). But then I couldn't resist touching the eye with some color. The Rock Pigeon is one of a handful of bird species that we saw in all four European countries we visited last year - Ireland, Spain, Bulgaria and Turkey - and of course it's ubiquitous here in the US as well (though introduced of course).

Rock Pigeon, Columba livia, pencil studies

New species are in short supply over on Horsebarn Hill, so this afternoon Jorge went a little farther afield in search of a good late-afternoon subject. He has been keeping an eye out for a Barred Owl the whole month, and finally hit the jackpot on a quiet back road in Willington, just as the daylight was fading!

Barred Owl, Strix varia, Willington Connecticut

For nearly two centuries of ornithological studies, the family Emberizidae contained both neotropical sparrows and eurasian and African buntings. But in 2017 the family was split and we now have Passerellidae for our American sparrows (like yesterday's White-throated Sparrow) and Emberizidae for the rest of the world's buntings. Today's sketch is a Cirl Bunting, (family Emberizidae) which we saw in Madzharovo Bulgaria, along the cliffs of the Arda River.

Cirl Bunting, Emberiza cirlus, on Hungarian Oak, Quercus frainetto
Arda River cliffs at Madzharovo Bulgaria, September 10, 2024.

Common year-round from Massachusetts to Texas, the Carolina Wren is familiar and beloved. Like most wrens it has a song both loud and musical. Jorge photographed this one on Horsebarn Hill, where it haunts thickets and shrubs along the roadways.

Carolina Wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus
Horsebarn Hill, Storrs Connecticut

Overnight we had a few inches of fluffy snow, and the morning was quiet without wind, so the trees and bushes held delicate traceries of snow. My bird for today is a White-throated Sparrow, which, while it does breed in Connecticut, is seen in winter in larger numbers. I've shown it perched on a twig of yellow birch, with dormant leaf buds and catkins, and a puff of fluffy snow.

White-throated Sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis
on Yellow Birch, Betula alleghaniensis

For us here in New England, there are certain birds that really demarcate the change of season to winter. The junco is one (used to be called the snow bird) and another is the Horned Lark, which arrives on Horsebarn Hill in a flock numbering 50-80 birds. It's strictly a bird of open areas, which HBH has plenty of. Jorge's flock this afternoon was about 80 individuals.

Horned Lark, Eremophila alpestris, Horsebarn Hill, UConn campus

Horned Lark, Eremophila alpestris, Horsebarn Hill, UConn campus

 On a roll with the browns and grays, and I wanted to go back to Arizona. What I chose was this pair of Gambel's Quails. Quails, like shorebirds, can have some complicated feather details, which I am not crazy about painting, but I stuck with it. They are gorgeous little birds, not sayin' they ain't, so fun to watch and not shy. We saw these at Cave Creek Ranch in Portal Arizona on April 5th, 2024.

Gambel's Quail, Calipepla gambelii
Cave Creek Ranch, Portal Arizona

Jorge, on the other hand, had a very successful session with his bird today. Driving a loop around Horsebarn Hill, as he has done every day this month, he had some real goodies - I mean more than one, more than two even... His Wilson's Snipe was probing in the mud of a runoff stream right beside the road - and also not shy. Enjoy this beauty - complicated feathers and all!

Wilson's Snipe, Gallinago delicata
Horsebarn Hill, UConn campus, Storrs Connecticut

Today we took a field trip - to Cambridge to the birder-famous Mount Auburn Cemetery, and then across the river to Boston to the Museum of Fine Art. The special exhibition at the MFA was American painter Georgia O'Keeffe and English sculptor Henry Moore. They both had long and prolific careers spanning the middle decades of the 20th century, and both were inspired by nature and her varied forms. The only painting of Georgia's with bird related objects was a small still life that included a feather - a ruffed grouse I think. So I've used that as a jumping-off point for today's entry in our bird-a-day January challenge.

Still life with old feathers and bird bone.
Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo, and Barn Owl, Tyto alba

Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge Massachusetts is a 175-acre green oasis in an urban environment and hence a magnet for birds and birders alike. Founded in 1831, it has been recognized as one of the most significant designed landscapes in the country. We will definitely return. Jorge's bird-of-the-day, the Pine Warbler, was photographed there. This warbler is a good find in winter around here, and one of the few species of warbler that occasionally turns up in colder months.

Pine Warbler, Setophaga pinus
Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge Massachusetts

 Another set of "seen from another angle" sketches. I'm liking this brown and gray palette - today worn by a female Northern Harrier. She is one of Jorge's favorite subjects on Horsebarn Hill, so I have a lot of reference photos. The head-on image is probably a juvenile - more buffy-colored.

Northern Harrier, Circus hudsonius

An owl is always an exciting find. This afternoon Jorge followed an ebird lead and got lucky. This Eastern Screech Owl has found a very roomy cavity in a large Sycamore tree for its daytime roost. 

Eastern Screech Owl, Megascops asio, Windsor Connecticut

 I had fun with the Carolina Wrens yesterday, so I did something similar with Great Blue Herons today - studies of different angles of the head. All done from photos of course, some of which were Jorge's. The one where it's looking straight-on is almost so strange I didn't include it, but there it is! Done with just a wash of black paint.

Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias

In the winter when birds are so hard to find, pay attention to chickadees, they sometimes bring their friends... That's how Jorge got this Brown Creeper - four Black-capped Chickadees were foraging in alder bushes beside the road and this guy was behind them, creeping up one trunk, flying to the base of another and creeping up that one - searching for insects in the bark crevices.

Brown Creeper, Certhia americana
Lyme, Connecticut

The easiest way to portray a bird is in profile. Perhaps it's the best way to show the proportions - the length of the beak relative to the head, and so on. Today I'm trying to stretch my skills to show the bird in some different postures. This is one of our favorites, the Carolina Wren, whose cheerful song brings joy all spring and summer - really it does. And they stick around through the winter too, visiting our feeders and finding insects hidden in the woodpile.

Carolina Wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus
Storrs-Mansfield, Connecticut, year-round

With the sustained cold weather we've had this month, water is a real magnet for birds. Jorge found these European Starlings taking advantage of a bird-sized water supply on campus in the afternoon.

European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
UConn campus, Storrs, Connecticut

Continuing with yesterday's family - and a "plus one". Monday's sketch was a few North American representatives and today I went to Europe. The Eurasian Blue Tit we saw a few places, this particular one in Elantxobe in the Basque Country of Spain. The Sombre Tit was foraging on wild fruits near Sofia Bulgaria, as was the Long-tailed Tit. Just to be clear, the latter is the Plus-one, not a member of the Paridae, but of the Aegithalidae, though it shares the habits, the look and hence the name - Tit.

Eurasian Blue Tit, Cyanistes cyaneus, Elantxobe Spain
Sombre Tit, Poecile lugubris, Sofia Bulgaria
Long-tailed Tit, Aegithalos caudatus, Sofia Bulgaria

We see the American Robin in winter wherever there are fruiting trees, and usually they come in numbers, eat up all the fruit then move on. The bird Jorge photographed was part of one such flock that he found on campus this afternoon - and by the strong coloring, it's an adult male.

American Robin, Turdus migratorius
Storrs, Connecticut

 A new family theme today, the Paridae, tits, titmice, chickadees - they're found throughout the world. Today's sketch features the Bridled Titmouse which we observed on Mount Lemmon near Tucson in April 2024 and the Tufted Titmouse and Black-capped Chickadee which are year-round visitors to our feeders in Connecticut.

Bridled Titmouse, Baeolophus wollweberi
Tufted Titmouse, Baeolophus bicolor
Black-capped Chickadee, Poecile atricapillus

Jorge's pick for today is a Common Merganser. This is the female, up from a successful hunting trip.

Common Merganser, Mergus merganser

As promised, here's the third in my Coraciiformes series. The European Bee-eater is one of 28 members of the genus Merops (the bee-eaters), and all are strikingly colorful birds. They're social, nesting in colonies of sand-bank burrows, and sometimes gather in large hunting and roosting flocks. The duo I've sketched is an immature in a crouched posture with an adult who's just caught a large wasp.

European Bee-eater, Merops apiaster
Istanbul Turkiye, September 5, 2024

This afternoon, being a weekend, we had time for an all-out field trip, and went in search of eagles. The lower Connecticut River is a pretty reliable place to find them, and we observed a pair from Eagle Landing State Park in Haddam. Their nest is on a nearby river island, and residents of a riverside community told us about the comings and goings of this particular pair. Good to hear the eagle-pride. Jorge's Bald Eagle just took off from a treetop and he caught it spread-eagled as it gained lift.

Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Eagle Landing State Park, Haddam, Connecticut

The name Coraciiformes is latin for crow-like, and as I painted today's bird I certainly noticed the similarity between this European Roller and some of the jays I painted earlier. The body shape, bill shape, bold colors. This is not to say that they are related in any way, just that early naturalists (and me too) noted a visual likeness.

European Roller, Coracias garrulus, Alicante, Spain, September 5, 2024

Horsebarn Hill really is a special place. Many grassland species show up here, some to breed, and many spend the whole year. The Savannah Sparrow and Northern Harrier are two residents we've seen earlier as is apparently, Jorge's bird of the day. The Eastern Meadowlark definitely breeds here, and for the past few winters we have also found it hanging about this unique habitat.

Eastern Meadowlark, Sturnella magna, Horsebarn Hill, Storrs-Mansfield Connecticut

 One of my favorite groups of birds is the order that includes kingfishers, motmots, todies, bee-eaters and rollers. The order Coraciiformes contains three families from the Americas and two Eurasian families. In 2024 I saw species from three of these families, so that's where we're going next! My Belted Kingfisher is flying up the Quinebaug River in Plainfield Connecticut - a favorite spot for fishermen, birders, and fishing birds.

Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon, Quinebaug River in March.

The Connecticut River is tidal from its mouth at Old Saybrook to the dam at Windsor Locks north of Hartford, a distance of over 55 miles. Jorge drove out to the ferry landing at Rocky Hill to see what birds might be around - and found a few Ring-billed Gulls out walking around on the ice!

Riing-billed Gull, Larus delawarensis, Connecticut River

You never paint shorebirds, Jorge commented yesterday. It's true. I think I'm intimidated by the detail in the feathers of the back and flanks. But because this Eurasian Curlew was a lifer this past summer, maybe I can break the curse? As we drove down from the Wicklow Hills towards the Irish Sea, we stopped to scan the Vartry Reservoir, near Ashford, County Wicklow. Everything was so far away, but there was a flock of these curlews resting on the shore!

Eurasian Curlew, Numenius arquata
Vartry Reservoir, County Wicklow IRELAND, August 30, 2024

Another lunchtime search for the avian residents of Horsebarn Hill turned up this Savannah Sparrow. In Connecticut it's a grassland and coastal species, and is here year around. The very similar-looking Song Sparrow was perched nearby on the same wire fence, but dropped down into the cattails before Jorge even had the car window open.

Savannah Sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis
Horsebarn Hill, UConn campus, Storrs-Mansfield Connecticut