California Towhees are permanent residents in our backyard, nearly always appearing as a pair. I placed them amidst a flourish of blossoms to create a romantic motif that celebrates their quiet, dedicated bond.

Seen at the Rio Grande Nature Center in Albequerque, New Mexico

A fairly common winter bird on the central coast of California. I love its subtle beauty and its prowess as a superb bug catcher.

Last month we were hearing owls calling at dusk and dawn every few days which inspired this painting.

This summer we traveled to Arctic Norway and one of the highlights was seeing Atlantic Puffins. They are so cute and it was fun to work them into a painting design

This bird is constantly on the move searching for insects and is difficult to photograph. Using a continuous shutter, hoped that I could capture this bird as it darted about in the brush. We encountered this one in Belize at the Rio Frio Cave which is not far from the Caracol ruins.

We were lucky to find these uncommon sparrows above the dense undergrowth singing.

A colorful tanager that we often saw on our five-day trip on Manu Road, Peru.

A scene at the Baylands at dusk.

This species has been on my bucket list for years. They aren’t rare, but they are shy, and they hide from sight very well, even in short grass. This one was photographed from behind a blind at the Davis Mountains State Park Interpretative Center, Texas.

Collared Aracari have an extensive range throughout Central America. This painting was inspired by a group we watched in Eastern Costa Rica.

A pretty warbler we saw on our Manu Road birding trip. We stopped the car near Atalaya to look for birds on the road’s edge, and this one popped out of the thicket to stare at us for several seconds.

A plain, but yet beautiful sparrow. Seen at El Charco del Ingenio Jardín Botánico, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

A male Anna's Hummingbird is a striking sight, known for its vibrant gorget and forehead colors. This species can be found year-round in the Western United States. It is particularly famous for its impressive mating dives, which can exceed 100 feet (35 meters). Originally, Anna's Hummingbird occurred only in Northern Baja California, but it has since dramatically expanded its range. Today, it can be found along the West Coast up to Southern British Columbia and has also spread southeast into Arizona and, to a lesser extent, Texas. This significant range expansion over roughly a century is attributed to human population growth, which has brought cultivars and hummingbird feeders that support their existence. This species also has an ability to greatly slow its metabolism during cold periods to help it survive in the winter. Unlike other U.S. hummingbird species, Anna’s Hummingbird does not migrate latitudinally.

I feel a sense of wonder seeing an avocet in winter plumage striding across the mudflat at low tide in the Palo Alto Baylands, California

A widespread, neotropical woodpecker. Its range extends from NE Mexico, through Central America and down the Andes Mountains to northern Chile. This is a female because it’s missing the red cheek band that occurs on the male of this species. I saw this one in the Monte Verde area of Costa Rica.

The barbets are truly beautiful. When I look at them, I think to myself that there is a bird with an attitude.

We saw these toucanets in the Andes in Peru

Seen feeding on flowers in our yard, near the Curi Cancha Preserve, Costa Rica.