One of my favorite things to do as an artist is to spend the warm days of spring, summer and fall working in my summer studio (our screened porch) watching the birds and animals in the backyard and recording them in my journal. I use pens and watercolor to make the entries. Almost anything I see can be a journal entry…simple things like a hummingbird at the feeder or exciting things like the visit of a fox or owl. I also record events from walks and visits to other areas. Beavers, Great Blue Herons, Loons have all made it into the pages of my journal. I'd like to share a few of my favorite pages. In future blog posts, I'll share more including tutorials on how I create a journal page.
| Barred Owl, February 22, 2020 Although I have the intention to journal all year, most of my pages are created in the warm months when I'm outside and able to easily see what's going on. Every once in awhile I am lucky enough to glance out a window in the winter and see special visitors like fox or deer, and Barred Owls. |  |
Baby Red Squirrels, May 8, 2020
In the spring, my journal pages are full of babies. I was walking down the driveway with Sketch and saw three tiny baby reds on a big pine tree. I grabbed my camera and watched them scamper up and down for the longest time. I even saw them going in and out of a hole in the tree - their nest , I assume. I kept my eye on them for days after. I last saw them in the backyard trees, and I hope at least one of the occasional adult red squirrel I see in the yard is one of these little cuties all grown up.
In the spring, my journal pages are full of babies. I was walking down the driveway with Sketch and saw three tiny baby reds on a big pine tree. I grabbed my camera and watched them scamper up and down for the longest time. I even saw them going in and out of a hole in the tree - their nest , I assume. I kept my eye on them for days after. I last saw them in the backyard trees, and I hope at least one of the occasional adult red squirrel I see in the yard is one of these little cuties all grown up.
| Turkey Dust Bath, May 28, 2020 I always have wild turkeys wandering through the yard. I saw this hen turkey doing something unusual. At first I was concerned that she might be sick or injured, but I soon realized that she was taking a dust bath – something I’d never seen before. She ruffled her feathers, stretched out her legs, preened and her movements created a lot of dust. At the end, she stood up and shook herself creating a round cloud of dust with two skinny legs sticking out of the bottom. So funny! |  |
 | Red-bellied Woodpecker, June 15, 2020 I don’t usually feed the birds in the summer, but I had a few suet cakes left over so I decided to use them up by hanging a suet feeder on the old dog run. (Squirrel-proof I thought, but that’s another journal page). The feeder was a huge hit. To my delight a steady stream of woodpecker, catbird, chickadee and blue jay families came to the suet. This juvenile red-bellied woodpecker was a daily visitor. I still see him and his family at the feeders. |
| Baby Raccoons, June 24, 2020 I was thrilled to look out the porch window and see two itty bitty baby raccoons climbing a tree right outside Sketch’s fence. I grabbed my camera and headed out to see what was going on. The babies were nervous so I kept my distance. I didn’t see mom, but the little ones did not appear to be in distress. I took some photos and went back to the porch. I watched them for a few minutes, but they quickly disappeared. I went out trying to figure out where they went, but they were gone! Maybe back to a den in the trees that I couldn’t find? It was an exciting afternoon and I couldn’t wait to record them in my journal. |  |
Bunsen, Hobbes and Sketch - my studio help
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