It’s a two bird day again–a third is mostly done. The Loon–another bird I don’t have direct contact with unless during migration they wander through and I happen to be by the lake they land on. These stealthy fishermen breed and raise their young in the Northern States and Canada–which explains why I never see them.
They are commonly known for their eerie call echoing across lakes–my first real recollection of hearing them was when the movie On Golden Pond came out.
The bird in this painting is in its summer attire. In the winter their lovely spots below their neck are replaced with white feathers, while above the neck they are plain grey.
As you can see, their babies enjoy riding on their parents backs–although I’m sure it’s not because they are showing any sign of affection toward their little ones, but it sure looks cute.
The other bird I painted today is a very common sight at our home, especially come fall when all their young are raised. It is the Oregon Junco–most commonly referred to as just a plain Junco, that’s why I had no problem using it for my J.
Junco are one of the main birds we see flitting around on the ground under our bird feeders in the winter. When they fluff up in the winter they look like a round little ball hopping around foraging for seed.
They hang out with other birds like Black Capped Chickadees, Pine Siskens, Gold Finches and Nuthatches. They eat seeds from the ground or close to the ground for the most part. When we had our deck they loved hopping along the railing picking seed up.
This bird is a male, the females have a more slate colored head. The Oregon Junco also has the pinkesh colored feathers on their side. The other Juncos we see in our area is the Slate-Colored Junco and Dark-Eyed Juncos. One thing I discovered today was that Juncos are a part of the sparrow family. I never knew that.
Tomorrow I will have an Indigo Bunting done–another bird I’ve never seen that I am aware of, but it starts with an I and it’s a beautiful blue and it’s from the East, I must paint birds for my friends in the East as well.
Until tomorrow–have a lovely evening.
Stories in My Mind 