The only way I’m going to get a Pine Siskin in my yard…

…is if I draw one and tie it to a branch with a string!

Oooh…look! A Pine Siskin at Kelly’s house!

So yesterday, after completing my second day of backyard bird counting, I grabbed my colored pencils and drew one.

I always begin my paintings or drawings 

with a very light pencil sketch.

Since I’m using colored pencils for 

this study, the next thing I do is map 

in the darks. I leave the whitest areas blank 

(just like with a watercolor).

Then I start layering in color 

(again, pretty much like a watercolor).

Finally, I start burnishing and 

adding finishing touches. 

Yes, I promise I won’t count this Pine Siskin in the Great Backyard Bird Count going on this weekend!

…I bet I’m going to have to draw that Common Redpoll and the Rufous-sided (I mean Eastern) Towhee also because they certainly aren’t flocking to my yard now!

Lunchtime Fieldtrip Thursday: No Redpoll, No Siskin, but a Nice Fox Sparrow

I drove up to Caesar Creek Lake Visitor Center today in hopes of spotting the Common Redpoll that’s been hanging around, but he was hiding today. The park ranger told us that a Cooper’s Hawk had been scaring off the birds and the redpoll had not been seen all morning. John, a fellow birder in search of the redpoll, hoped the hawk hadn’t made an early morning snack of him! Let’s hope not!

All in all, it was a good trip though, because a big, beautiful Fox Sparrow hung around for a while. John, if you catch this post, he came back two more times after you left. We also saw a Song Sparrow, a Tree Sparrow, numerous wonderful Nuthatches, Tufted Titmice, Downies, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Darke-eyed Juncos, Cardinals, Blue Jays, House and Purple finches, Chickadees, Goldfinch..all the usual suspects, but also sorely missing from our tally were the Pine Siskins. The ranger said they skipped out today also. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to go back out soon.


Beautiful and almost shockingly red berries flank the viewing room at the visitor's center.