A sketchpage of 5 American Toads drawn in a rough rich brown pencil line with loose pencil limited color palette for fill. The name Anayxrus americanus is in the top left corner. Centered in the top is an adult toad looking right in a 3/4 view sitting fairly flat to the ground. It is an orange based coloration. The 5 colors are along the right edge in dots. The row down is two more toads. The one on the left is sitting upright looking left; it is yellow orange with olive green shading. The toad on the right is walking to the left in a 3/4 view, it is a green based coloration. The last row is an adult toad on the left sitting flat to the ground in profile looking right, it is orange coloration. The final toad is on the right it is a juvenile in profile moving left, it is greenish with visible black and white striping in its legs.

I hope this year I can find some salamanders, safely without overly disturbing their homes; if you flip a log to look, you should put it back! Toad visitors have been a little more frequent, here is a mashup of visitors I have seen in the past few years.
#Sketchpage #AmericanToad #Toad #SpringTime

Calling all nature photographers! Submit your best bird photos to BirdNote's 2026 photo contest for a chance to win great prizes and everlasting glory!

www.birdnote.org/explore/fiel...

Mallard Photo credit: Christopher Baker

Celebrating the Great Backyard Bird Count at the North Carolina Arboretum tomorrow. Feb 14th 9-4pm #Birds

Little leaf flip.

I was aiming to learn how to tell a raven apart from a carrion crow. The only difference I noticed was that a Ravens throat feathers are more pronounced, larger, more rigid, they end up fluffed out in display. I would love other notes, because i am no expert between these birds.

Plastic is just not recyclable. We need to stop using it. -> Alexander Clapp's book Waste Wars. "recycling" plastic realistically moves it to another country for their birds.

how can you tell without seeing the throat feathers?

lol! that is a funny way to think about "Chicago"

A page of sketches in a rich brown pencil lines of California Quails. There are 8 birds drawn, three along the top are smaller than the rest. The larger 6 are generally sized correctly together and have color, done with loose pencil sketch, using dark brown, blue grey, light yellow, and light umber. The top three birds are running from right to left, each in a different stage of a run. The first largest bird is standing facing forward, its head breaks between the running birds, it is male. Below him is a female, walking to the left in profile. Along the left edge are three juvenile birds, their feet vanish behind each other as they are moving in space down the page, the top bird is a borb facing forward and slightly right, the middle bird is in profile walking to the right, and the last in bending to forage facing right. The words Callipepla californica are written in italics above the female and juveniles.

Here's a sketchpage of birds not in Western North Carolina, but Western North America. While I lived in California I saw California Quails numerous times. They live in a range of places, deserts to scrubland to oak woodlands. Their call is given the mnemonic of ‘cuidado’ or ‘Chicago’. #birds

The shape of this leaf felt perfect for this painting. The male and female Cardinals, doing their courtship display of the male offering the female food as she begs like a juvenile. #Birds #Ginkgo #Cardinals

thanks 😄

The plans for the Big Crafty are beginning. I am painting new bird species and designing some different mounting layouts. Cant wait to see you all there!
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#Birds #LeafFlip #BirdsOnLeaves #BirdOnLeaf #GouachePainting #BarnOwl #FallLeave

A page of drawings of Common Ravens. Some of the birds are only done with a rich brown pencil line and three of the birds have color added. There are 7 birds across the page. The top three birds are all drawn slightly smaller. The top left corner has two birds perched next to each other on a rock. Both birds are in profile looking left, one with its back to the left and one with its belly. These birds are line only. To the right of them is a flying Raven, going to the right. It is filled in with black color except for its feet being slightly visible. Below them are two birds each on the ground. The bird on the left is walking forward with its bill open one foot raised and its wings open slightly. It has color added. The bird to the right is in profile as it looks back to the left, drawn only with line. Below these birds are two more. The bird on the left is only line, in profile looking down at a rabbit body under its feet. The last bird on the right is drawn smaller, it is perched on a large fence post in profile looking back to the left.

Raven's have so much expression in their behaviors it is hard to choose one pose for a sticker, which would you choose from here? The 3 largest birds here are a Raven that captured and killed a rabbit. It used passing traffic to soften the body for eating. It was wild to watch. #Birds

A flat pile of fall leaves of many colors, reds, oranges, tans, yellows, and brown with a layer of leaves on top of them, each with a bird painted on it. There is a Great Horned Owl on a Hickory leaf, a Great Blue Heron on a Black Cherry leaf, a Blue Jay on a Serviceberry leaf, a Northern Cardinal male on a Beech leaf, an Indigo Bunting on a Tulip Tree leaf, an American Goldfinch on a Sycamore leaf, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird on a Serviceberry leaf, a Barred Owl on a Serviceberry leaf, a flying Carolina Chickadee on a Sycamore leaf, a Carolina Wren on an Elm leaf and a Tufted Titmouse on a Black Cherry leaf.

Happy Halloween!
Still painting, painting, painting birds on leaves. Collected together a grouping with more fall leaves under them for some holiday spirit looks. #Birds

ID A grouping of 7 fall leaves. Each has a painting of a bird on it. The center leaf is largest, it is a Maple leaf with a flying Northern Cardinal. Now top left clockwise around, is a Serviceberry leaf with a Tufted Titmouse standing looking left. Then a Red Maple leaf with a flying Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Next a Birch leaf with a Barred Owl perched looking backwards. Then a Fothergilla leaf with a Cedar Waxwing perched looking left. Next a Maple leaf with a perched female Belted Kingfisher looking off to the left. Finally a Maple leaf with an American Crow perched looking forward and left.

Painting all the leaves! I am so moved that many folks have found my leaves lately and are wanting to take them home, thank you. Hoping to have online options in November.
#Birds #BirdsonLeaves #FallLeaves

As hundreds of millions of birds head south, the invisible danger is glass It's the peak of the fall migration season. This is when bird deaths from window collisions tend to spike, even though simple solutions can prevent this.

It's the peak of the fall migration season. This is when bird deaths from window collisions tend to spike, even though simple solutions can prevent this.

Having a framed Pileated Woodpecker at my event was nice. I was told many stories. I especially love hearing from folks that don’t consider themselves birders, but will be doing an outdoor activity, see these birds and find the wonder in being w/ wildlife. Thank you for sharing your stories. #Birds

Cool caterpillar, probably a Banded Sphinx moth. Still learning my #moths

A page of drawings of Snowy Plovers. There are 7 birds visible on the page, two of the birds are squished together. There are basically three rows each with an adult bird and a juvenile bird. The first row has an adult first, standing head up in profile looking left then a juvenile in profile running to the left with the back leg up in a right angle. The words Anarhynchus rivosus are just above the first bird which is a juvenile running into the middle of the page in a three quarter view. Next to this bird is an adult in profile looking right with a juvenile shoving itself into the adults breast feathers, you can see the juveniles legs and some of its lower body. The final row has an adult foraging one leg down one leg up head down towards the ground going left to right. There is a juvenile on the right mirroring the adult except both legs are down. Both birds' front legs are angling further out towards the middle.

#PloverAppreciationDay late entry This group of Snowy Plovers seen near the UC Santa Barbara breeding zone beach. Even knowing what we were looking for these little birds, we still kept almost walking into them. They blended in perfectly until they would move. None were harmed. #Birds

A white hand holding a toad on top almost like a perched bird. there is a foot in the background and dog toys and bed

cute toad came by. Had to move it back to a safer spot. #Toad

ID A photo of 7 leaves grouped together. Each leaf has a painting of a bird on it. The background is black. There are basically two rows, the top row is a Black Cherry leaf with an Eastern Phoebe painted perched looking let. Next is a Serviceberry Leaf with an American Robin painted, perched looking right (SOLD). The middle leaf is a Maple leaf with a flying American Crow, going right to left. The final leaf in this row is a Maple leaf with a perched male Northern Cardinal body facing left while it looks right (SOLD). The lower row starting on the left is a Birch Leaf with a Downy Woodpecker holding to a trunk. The middle leaf is a Sycamore leaf with a Red-tailed Hawk soaring, mostly centered with its head looking left. The final leaf is a Tufted Titmouse perched looking left.

Tomorrow I will be at Art In Autumn in Weaverville, NC, 10-6pm. Come by and tell me a favorite bird story. I love connecting about birds. Last night at Burial it was great to chat about good birding spots, efforts to protect birds, and good clubs to connect with for birding.

#Birds #BirdsOnLeaves

Watching the beauty of each day, the rain, the fall, the birds migrating through.
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#Birds #LeafFlip #BirdsOnLeaves #Woodpecker

a sketchpage of Atlantic Puffins. There are 6 birds drawn in the space, three flying drawn smaller, two standing drawn much larger and one head only that is drawn the largest. The words Fratercula arctica is in the top left corner. Down the left side is a bird taking off with its wings open and its feet down angling towards the right. Below this is a bird that is flying, coming in for a landing, its feet and wings are out, towards the right also. In the bottom left corner is the bird head, it is looking forward with its cheeks puffed out and its bill closed, head angled slightly up. Then there are two birds standing in profile looking left. The lower is full profile with its bill slightly open. The bird behind this one and higher on the page has its body in profile to the left and it is looking in a 3/4 view to the left. The final bird is flying into the page from the right with its wings and feet out.

Drawings of Puffins because they are so darn cute and striking. I love that I got to see a #Puffin, puffing its cheeks, it was having a dispute with another bird. On a quick search I don’t see anything about this being a naming reason, if you know please share! #Birds

#Monarch on Late Boneset.

thank you 😄💚

It's hard to identify flycatcher season, especially as they are rarely calling now. Here is a local usual flycatcher for the Eastern US, and Eastern Phoebe.
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#Illustration #BirdPerson #TinyPainting #EasternPhoebe #LeafFlip #Bird

thank you 💚😄

a photo of numerous fall leaves each with a painted bird on it on a black background. There are six leaves two each per row, top row left is a Maple leaf with a perched American Crow(SOLD), leaf 2 is a Tulip leaf with a perched Indigo Bunting. Row 2 starts with an Eastern Screech Owl in a tree cavity on a Serviceberry leaf and leaf 2 is a Maple leaf with a perched Northern Cardinal male (SOLD). The last row starts with a Beech leaf with a swimming Common Loon (SOLD) and finally a Canada Warbler on a Birch leaf.

Here are some recent leaves with birds painted on them. It is a delightful process not too unlike birding. Slowing down and being calm with each leaf and examining each bird that is painted. #Birds #🪶

Tuesday Leaf Flip. Fall times Crow Times. #Birds #🪶

oh that sounds amazing. Thank you 🙂