The color on this bird was so hard to capture. They are shimmery, metallic, like jewels. They are in fact so pretty that they are hunted for their feathers and so are in danger of being over-hunted. This little guy has a spunky mohawk and an attitude.
At this point in the year of birds, we were three months into trying to have a baby, and now I was definitely one month pregnant. Just pregnant enough to be slightly miserable, but not pregnant enough to tell anyone. So the baby bird drawings, while infrequent, now start in earnest. I love this one. The urgency of their squawking little faces, the vivid colors of their naked necks… it was fun to draw.
Oh saddle-billed stork, you are so grumpy in appearance. What brave little imp would dare to ride your saddled visage?
For anyone who has been keeping track, it should be fairly obvious by now that I love these birds This makes my fourth one, my April Egret. At this point, I realized that I had drawn this bird once each month during the project. I resolved to break out of that pattern and be a little more adventurous from here on out. But just in case you were curious, here they are: January, February, and March.
Another great little Bay Area bird. These lively little birds frequent the park at the Berkeley Marina, where we go to walk the dog off-leash. They startle and fly from tree to tree. I love watching them.
I also think the Beatles song “Blackbird” is one of the loveliest songs ever written. It makes a very effective lullaby.
According to the little web research I’ve done, a toucanet is also a toucan, but it’s a type of subspecies that is smaller in size. This guy struck me with his charming smile and bright beak. Plus, I got to break out the brush tip pen on his beak and black head feathers.
Lumpy beak face. It’s like a chipmunk baboon face duck.
Brush tip pen and colored pencils.
He looks like he doesn’t believe a word you’re saying.
After several days of black and white birds, I forced myself to do a more colorful subject. It was a nice break.
claire meyler 