Bird Band

Unfortunately, this bird band has been banned in several neighborhoods because of their LOUD and REPETITIVE playing and singing…

The Oom-Pah-Pah Feathered Trio

The “Oom-Pah-Pah Family Feathered Trio” was last seen in a neighborhood in New Jersey…

Be on the look out, this bird band may be flying your way!

Happy Weird Bird Wednesday!

Cheers! 🙂

Oh, Deer…

Remember the song, “Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer” – this is my version:

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen,

Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen,

But do you recall…

The most famous weird bird of all?

Ruby the elf-deer birdy,

Sang a different melody

And if you ever heard it,

You would think she sang off-key.

All of the other birdies

Used to laugh and throw bird seed,

They never let poor Ruby

Sing from her heart, really…

Then one foggy Christmas Eve

Santa came to say,

Ruby with your song so bright

Won’t you sing on my flight tonight?

Then how the birdies loved her

And sang along with glee,

Ruby, oh, Weird Bird Wednesday

You will go down in history!

I hope this gives you a smile today…

And Cheers to singing off-key!! 😉

Three Turtle Doves?!

I was listening to the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” yesterday…when these three wild birds showed up!

Wishing you a HAPPY day while singing this joyful song…

Cheers!!  🙂

Common Redpoll

I decided to try a different style for today’s “Draw A Bird Day,” hosted by the talented artist, Laura at Create Art Everyday.

I wanted to create a simple, stylized bird so this is my Common Redpoll:

According to All About Birds, “The adult male is a small, compact-bodied finch with a red cap and a rosy tinge on its breast.  They are small songbirds and often travel in large flocks.  Their buzzy zap and rising dreee calls are distinctive.”

Apparently, they are common in northern habitats in the winter.  I’m not sure I have ever seen one but I enjoyed drawing and painting them.

I drew my birds in my art journal with a .01 black Micron pen and then painted it with W&N watercolors since it is #worldwatercolormonth too!

May you be singing a happy tune today…  And Happy Painting!  🙂

Message In The Bathtub

Sometimes I mess up lyrics to songs and invent my own words….

I have always done this to Sting’s song, “Message in the Bottle.”  To me, it sounds like he is saying, “Message in the bathtub!”  Yeah, I know – I’m weird!

I was surprised to learn at Dictionary.com  that there was actually a word – Mondegreen which means:  a misinterpretation of a word or phrase that has been heard, especially a song lyric.

HA!  I’m not the only one who does this!  YAY!

I think that my message for you today is to keep creating even when you don’t FEEL like it.

When I get stuck and don’t know what to do but WANT  to create something, I turn to the “Word of the Day,” at Dictionary.com as it always inspires me!

What do you do?  I’d love to hear about it!

Happy singing!  🙂

Hey, Sweetie!

I was researching the Black-capped Chickadee and discovered on Allaboutbirds.org that its song differs depending on where the bird lives.

“In most of North America, its song is a simple, pure 2 or 3 note whistled fee-bee or hey, sweetie.”

Here is a watercolor painting I completed of two Black-capped Chickadees.  Part of the exercise was learning how to paint a stone wall and fence in Val Webb’s online class.  It is my last assignment for this class but I will keep painting and learning about birds!

Did you know that the Black-capped Chickadee is one of the first birds that people learn about?  I’m not sure I have ever seen one in my area.  But now I’m going to be listening for its song of 3 to 4 notes of the same pitch.

Do you know what tune this bird whistles where you live?

Happy Bird Watching!

Hippity-Hop The Robin Goes…

There has been a male Robin singing loudly outside my window in the evenings, trying to attract a female.  I don’t usually pay much attention to the American Robin because they are so common in my area.

His loud cheery song prompted me to create this collage last night:

I looked at a photo of a real bird, a Robin and pasted a variety of papers together to create this bird.  I like his red breast, don’t you?

I often see Robins in our yard with their head cocked to one side, staring motionless at the ground, waiting for a worm.  Robins eat large numbers of earthworms in the spring and summer as well as insects and some snails.

Robins also eat an enormous variety of fruits.  In the late winter and early Spring, I see Robins eating the crabapples on our backyard tree.  I took a photo today of our crabapple tree in full bloom – so glorious!

I like the poem from this old book:

Hippity-hop the Robin goes,                                                                                 Skipping along on his dainty toes,                                                                                   Pulling up worms with hearty tugs,                                                                        Chasing and catching unwary bugs;                                                                              He has a lovely bright red breast,                                                                                       I think I love the Robin best.

May the cheery song of a Robin brighten your day!

Happy Creating!

Do You Know Me?

You landed on my windowsill yesterday morning.  At first I didn’t recognize you.  After all, it is Spring and the Flowering Plum tree is in full bloom.  It’s bright purple-pink blossoms have exploded early.  The Daylilies have begun stretching their green foliage through the soil.  And you know the Rhubarb!  Well, it is already growing a mound of tender stalks under curly green leaves.  The grass is even green having lost its yellow blades from winter.

Then you show up.  I know we need you but I didn’t expect to see you now.  I watch you flutter from the sky and land on the fir tree.  Your touch is light.  You seem to delight in your presence.  I can’t help but notice how beautiful you are against the gray sky.

Maybe you won’t stay long.  You bring with you a chill that makes my hips ache.  Yet you are unaware as you dance in the sky, skipping from branch to branch on the budding trees in my yard.

Suddenly, the sun appears, breaking up the clouds.  I see you fly away.  I understand now.  You wanted to sing your song one more time for me.

The song is from an old children’s songbook.  The painted backgrounds are gelli-prints on watercolor paper.  The bird is a gelli-print on deli paper.  My flowers are doodles with a black pen.

Let’s give a cheer for Spring!  🙂

Old Bird Jokes

Have a great day!

Playing The Piano

I discovered in 2014 how much fun it is to draw on black paper with Prismacolor pencils.  The soft waxy pencils look amazing on black.

Here is a song bird I created using part of a song from a practice book for children learning to play the piano:

I took piano lessons as a child but I didn’t like them much.  I didn’t enjoy playing at the recitals.  One time the teacher announced that I was going to sing along while I played my piano piece.  I was paralyzed in fear.  I did not sing and I think I made up the piano piece too.  I just remember the name of the piece was the Candy Man.  LOL!