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

The days continue cold and windy, not an easy time out there for the birds. Today I did some field sketching. There was a lot of activity at the feeders - all three of our regular species of woodpecker came in for breakfast, the Red-bellied, the Downy and the Hairy.  I sketched the female Red-bellied Woodpecker (center) when she flew in to the seed tray. The male Downy Woodpecker is at the lower left, and the female Hairy Woodpecker at the lower right. There's a real size difference between these two species, which you can see relative to the suet cake they both perched on. Assorted other species in the margins...

(center) Red-bellied Woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus
(lower left) Downy Woodpecker, Dryobates pubescens
(lower right) Hairy Woodpecker, Dryobates villosus

Birds were scarce at lunchtime on the UConn campus today, and though we found six species, and Jorge photographed a few, the Rock Pigeons seemed to sum up the day better than the others. They appear huddled together for warmth against the 24F air temperature which prevailed for most of the day. Like yesterday's Cooper's Hawk, the pigeons hang out near the horse barns - no doubt enjoying grain left uneaten by the horses.

Rock Pigeon, Columba livia, Mansfield Connecticut

January 25th - Day 25.

My bird of the day is a hawk that swooped low over my car as I drove into a parking lot. The black-and-white banding on the tail and wings and bright rufous shoulders are field marks for this species.

RED-SHOULDERED HAWK (Buteo lineatus). Colored pencil and graphite pencil.
January 25, 2015, Tolland, Connecticut, USA.

Jorge's bird of the day is one of the common, but not so easy to photograph, birds that hangs around the barns on campus.

ROCK PIGEON (Columba livia)
January 25, 2015, Storrs, Connecticut, USA