A little friend I made a while back 🧡 Mini mixed media collage of a Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula), 3” x 4.5” on paper. Spotting one of their distinctive nests never fails to delight me! It takes about week for the female to weave her nest from whatever strong fibers she can find—grasses, string, weeds, animal hair. The nests are so sturdy that the birds may reuse them many months later, after returning from their winter grounds (which should be starting just about now!!)

Finished collage! More happy memories from Montauk. A great black-backed gull (Larus marinus), the largest gull in the world, and a common sight on the East Coast. Also pictured, a laughing gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)—a summer visitor to the Northeast, and year-round on the coasts of the Southeast and Gulf of Mexico. And of course, the charming Montauk Lighthouse in the distance!

Wood duck (Aix sponsa)! The common name comes from the fact that they are one of the few waterfowl species that perch and nest in trees—strong claws allow them to grip bark and maneuver into tree cavities!

Some piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) and American searocket (Cakile edentula), a native annual that provides the birds with shade, protection from the wind, and attracts a smorgasbord of insects for them to eat. 

Just before the holidays, we kept seeing flocks of cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum), usually feasting on crabapples... Apparently they are one of the few North American birds that specialize in eating fruit, and can survive for several months eating just that. Such a joy to see, with their splash of yellow, and the dramatic black “eyeliner”... Many sport a brilliant drop of red on their wings, resembling old wax seals...hence the name “waxwing!” 

The American Pipit (Anthus rubescens) is one of the few American songbirds that can nest in both alpine meadows and Arctic tundra! It’s sparrow-sized, but with a slimmer bill, brownish or gray above, and usually some streaks on the breast and side. A bit of a pale eye ring and eyebrow too. They feed on insects, and can be found in open areas or foraging along the shores of lakes and rivers.

A mama ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) feeding her babies! Their nests couldn’t be any more enchanting—the daintiest cup of grass, gossamer threads, and caterpillar silk, lined with dandelion down. Oftentimes the outside is camouflaged with sequin-sized bits of lichen and scales from plant buds.

Another pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus). I am forever inspired by Japanese woodblock prints!

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy, bountiful new year! 💓 This one is inspired by the Rocky Mountains, and features: a broad-tailed hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus); Indian paintbrush (genus Castilleja); alpine sunflower (Hymenoxys grandiflora); alpine clover (Trifolium dasyphyllum); and Rocky Mountain columbine (Aquilegia caerulea). Cheers to 2024–let the next adventure begin!

Small wins: today I’m celebrating *30 DAYS* of devoting time to my personal art practice!!! Over the past couple of years, it’s been really tough carving out time for myself. But, I finally seem to have made it a regular habit (making it small and manageable has been key!) Here’s the completed still-life illustration, a winter floral arrangement featuring candy cane amaryllis, genus Hippeastrum. And, I recently learned, Hippeastrum does have some medicinal properties; the puniceum species, for example, has long been used in folk medicine for treating wounds, swelling, and inflammation! 

The first collections poster, of some common North American woodpeckers! Each one of which I have had the fortune of seeing IRL too <3

The finished pileated woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus)!

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I have a new project, making art just for...me! And anyone else who likes birds, plants, and nature, of course. This is a red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), perched amidst some dogwood blossoms. I'm posting works-in-progress over at https://www.instagram.com/sirinaruby, if you like that sort of thing, but will be sharing the finished works directly here on Tumblr. <3

Inspired by that moment on the beach when we were surrounded by a magical gulp of swallows!

Holding on to those vacation vibes for as long as I can... Inspired by the little cottage we stayed in by the beach!

Inspired by our recent trip to Montauk--the famed lighthouse, commissioned by President George Washington in 1792.