For millenia, ravens have enjoyed a reputation among many peoples, as a powerful totem. They symbolize change, internal growth, introspection and various warnings. My favourite though is the belief that they bring light to us, the people of the world. Coincidentally, I saw a raven on Christmas Day, which inspired this raven who brings that gift in the form of an angel. May Raven’s gift of Light bless you all this Christmas Season.
Category Archives: birds
Cocka-jingle-DOOO
OK, here’s another on this theme of farm animals as Christmas ambassadors. My favourite part of Christmas is the few days just before…the anticipation and preparations, the baking, wrapping, decorating, organizing of bedrooms and juggling of schedules. I hope all of you have time and space in your life to enjoy these special days, remembering that every day is a treasure.
Gaggle of Christmas Geese
Here’s another offering of Christmas cheer for everyone who drops by my blog. I’m not sure why all the Christmas imagery this year, but I’ll have no shortage of material for Christmas cards. Look out Hallmark!
When I visited Polly today and walked the prairie, I flushed a covey of Hungarian Partridge…but since there’s not a pear tree in sight I guess we’ll have to make do with these silly geese!
The Return of the Redpolls
All of a sudden my bird feeder is full of Redpolls and there’s not a chickadee or a nuthatch in sight! Being irratic migrators, you never know for sure when they’ll show up, but they come in flocks when they do! The subject of my painting is a little female, since she lacks the rosy colouring the males sport on their breast. Now the only problem is to keep Possum from turning them into hors d’oeuvres.
Just Hangin’
Since we went from summer to winter around here, with our first frost being mid October and a blizzard a week later!!!….everybody is a bit confused as to what to do. These geese should probably get out of Dodge, but they’re still hanging about…literally. They’re looking for open spots in the river ice so they can land in the water. Now honestly, if I had wings and half a (bird) brain, I’d be at about 5000 feet and headed straight south!
Mystic Crow
Migrating Past the Moon
When I go to visit Polly, I have to go fairly early in the afternoon; the sun goes down about 4:30! Yesterday as I watched, the sun went down and the moon came up as the geese circled and practiced their take-offs and landings in the river. What a dramatic sight they make as they fly past a sliver of moon hanging in the darkening sky.
If you’d like to own this original watercolour, email Gena with your bid today! gena03@telusplanet.net Minimum bid $100 (plus gst and shipping). First bid, or highest bid wins the painting.
The Blue Jays Are in Town
It’s that time of year; the crows seem to have moved on, the magpies never leave, and the Blue Jays are passing through (I don’t mean our local baseball team either). They hang around the bird feeder, shrieking at everyone else and gobbling up way more than their share. But they’re so colourful and comical, who would ever mind?
SOLD
If you’d like to own this original watercolour, email Gena with your bid today! gena03@telusplanet.net Minimum bid $100 (plus gst and shipping). First bid, or highest bid wins the painting.
Redtail Country
I shot photos of this (I think) immature Redtailed Hawk on my trip down the Cowboy Trail last week.
Probably the most common hawk in North America and one of our biggest birds, he is truly a beauty. This pale phase is typical of a youngster; he has at least 2 other colour phases including the famous dark-to-sandy phase with the namesake barred and fan shaped red tail. Identifying them can be tricky.
It’s always a thrill to see them, but I thought he looked particularly spectacular in this landscape.
If you’d like to own this original watercolour, email Gena with your bid today! gena03@telusplanet.net Minimum bid $100 (plus gst and shipping). First bid, or highest bid wins the painting.
Poultry on Patrol
Painting poultry is one of the most enjoyable tangents I like to go off on, and these big white geese have been some of my favourites. Painting white with watercolour means that you have to know where that white goes ahead of time (the white is the naked paper, and has to be painted around)…and the effect of light through white plumage is just too much fun. All this is aside from the attitude of these guys, the beady red eyes, and gorgeous bright beaks (as long as they’re not biting you with them!)
If you’d like to own this original watercolour, email Gena with your bid today! gena03@telusplanet.net Minimum bid $100 (plus gst and shipping). First bid, or highest bid wins the painting.