Columbine

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Nothing to say, but have a flower!

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Just keep swimming...

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This Finding Nemo moment has been brought to you by the Assiniboine Park Zoo!

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Drawing - Female Purple Finch

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Purple Finch - Graphite on Paper

Copyright 2011, Nicole MacPherson

Sometimes drawing is more like fighting.  Some birds just fly right off the page, and some stubbornly refuse to be rendered.  This Purple Finch has been in my queue for a LONG time now, I'm not even sure when I started her!  But here she is, so I suppose I've won the battle!

Purple Finches are a neat bird, one of the so-called "half hardy" species in many areas.  Here, they are early spring birds.  I think they do winter sometimes in the area, but I see them from early April through mid-May, a large range for a migrant!  They usually show up in small mixed groups.  Two females with four males, three females with two males... 

The males are amazing, a sweet raspberry-red with a sweet song, and are very hard to miss.  The female is much more subtle, often mistaken for a House Finch or Pine Siskin.  Despite being on the drab side of the color spectrum, female Purple Finches are a photographers dream - they very often perch on exposed branches, looking this way and that, turning about and giving a variety of poses without even leaving their chosen perch.  I seem to have a jinx for photographing the males though - they are almost never in focus.  Hmmm...

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Drawing - American Tree Sparrow

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American Tree Sparrow - Graphite on Paper

Copyright 2011, Nicole MacPherson

Another sparrow that we usually get in the yard each year, but always in small numbers.  Usually only one, but there were two at one time this year!  This year I thought they weren't going to come at all, they were so late!  Also had one very late bird, stayed from May 8 to May 10.  At least I think it was the same bird!

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Drawing - White Crowned Sparorow

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White-Crowned Sparrow - Graphite on Paper

Copyright 2011, Nicole MacPherson 

Hmmm...  Glitchy!  Sorry if this is your second time seeing this post!

White-Crowned Sparrows are "sort of" common around here.  We get them in the yard every year, but usually only one or two at a time.  In some areas though, they congregate in bigger numbers.  They usually arrive here just before the Harris's Sparrows, and stay just a little longer.  Possibly because there are just more of them.

The few times I've seen two White-Crowned Sparrows together, there's usually one bird with a bright-colored beak, and one whose beak is more black.  But that's based on very few observations.  Does make me wonder though!

I caught the above bird just as he was begining to sing.  They have an uncomplicated, but quite nice song.  Easily distinguishable from the many White-Throated Sparrows that are typically around at the same time!
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Drawing - Yellow Warbler

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I have a lot to show you!  Have a couple more drawings to be scanned in and posted shortly!

Sorry for the long time between postings.  April and May are all about the birds, you see - so check out my nature blog to see what I've been seeing!

This little guy finally flew off the page about two weeks ago.  Yellow Warblers are pretty common, but they are so striking!  I'm never sure about rendering such colorful birds in black and white drawings, but this guy had such a sweet face, I couldn't resist.

Yellow Warbler - Graphite on Paper
Copyright 2011 - Nicole MacPherson
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