Eastern Bluebirds in Winter Original Watercolor Painting ACEO

 

Two little round bluebirds, a male and a female sit huddled on a branch.
Bluebirds look much rounder in the cold weather because they fluff out their feathers to keep warm. One of my friends has a heated birdbath which attracted a pair of bluebirds and that inspired this painting.

The original painting has been sold. You can visit my Etsy shop to see more of my original bird paintings currently available for sale. Thanks for stopping by. today.

I am happy to take orders! If you see something you like and would like to order an original painting or a print, please contact me.

"A New Day" Bluebird at Sunrise Watercolor Painting

A wonderful dream story inspired this painting. I've been asking for suggestions for my bird series on Facebook as well as here.
One person wrote that many years ago, she had a dream that a bluebird was flying over her right shoulder as she walked down a street. She said it marked a turning point in her life. Ever since, bluebirds have been her favorite bird.
Bluebirds are a symbol of happiness and good fortune. It's appropriate that a bluebird should mark a new beginning. So I've painted this piece with the glow of dawn just coming up, turning the sky a soft pink hue and named it "A New Day."

The original painting is sold, but contact me if you would like a print or a painting done just for you.

 Thanks for stopping by today.

Bluebirds in the Snow watercolor painting

On a recent walk, I passed a nearby farm and saw a flock of bluebirds sitting on a wild berry bush. I was surprised to see them at this time of year as usually we are too far north for them to stay the winter. But, maybe I shouldn't have been too surprised. Their cousins, the American Robins, have been flocking to my crabapple tree all winter. That's very unusual too. Either the winters are milder, no matter how cold I feel, or there is more food available in the form of berries and fruit. I think it's probably a bit of both.
Here are two of them. I'm always happy to see bluebirds, no matter what time of year.

• The original painting is sold, but contact me if you would like a print or a painting done just for you.

Rhododendron Garden and Bluebird - watercolor painting

You have to look closely to see the little bluebird sitting on the fence in this painting. It's ready to fly to the bluebird house where there is a nest full of baby bluebirds. Behind the fence, rhododendron bloom. Later in the summer, there will be daylilies in the foreground.

• The original painting is sold, but contact me if you would like a print or a painting done just for you.
  

Mountain Bluebird & Globe Mallow Flowers

While visiting Albuquerque, New Mexico one year, I took a stroll with some family members along the trails at the base of the Sandia Mountains. I'll never forget the sight of flocks of bluebirds everywhere we went. Swooping and dipping, they made brilliant blue flashes against the desert terrain. That was in the wintertime, so not much was blooming.
Here, I've painted one of these Mountain Bluebirds with Globe Mallow, a wildflower that blooms abundantly in the dry Southwest. Growing as a shrub, it can carpet the ground with its bright orange color.
Here are some interesting facts about the Mountain Bluebird:
*The male is all blue - a breathtakingly brilliant color
*The female is gray with some of that blue in her wings.
*The Mountain Bluebird and Western Bluebird compete for habitat, but human activity is helpful to them and they are expanding their range.
*They prefer wide open spaces such as ranchlands.
*Here is a funny one: The female builds the nest by herself. "The male sometimes acts as if he is helping, but he either brings no nest material or he drops it on the way." (from: All About Birds) *The Mountain Bluebird dominates the Eastern Bluebird in the small areas where the two overlap which is perhaps why the Eastern Bluebird does not expand west. However, in winter, Mountain Bluebirds can be found outside of their area, even coming all the way out here to the East.

• This painting has been sold.

Eastern Bluebird & Hibiscus

This painting is #13 in a series of original Zeh paintings called the BERMUDA COLLECTION.

Eastern bluebirds are indigenous to Bermuda and at one time flew in flocks of 50 or more throughout the islands. When the House sparrow was introduced to Bermuda in the late 1800's, it competed with the bluebird for nesting sites in tree and cliff hollows and under the eaves of houses. Bluebirds were no match for the more competitive sparrow, and the Bermuda cedar tree became the last refuge for its habitat. But when the cedars were decimated by scale in the 1940's, most of the dead trees which provided the appropriate nesting hollows were taken down, further hampering the bluebird's ability to thrive.
Today, the bluebird is completely dependant on nesting boxes erected by concerned bird-lovers of Bermuda. You will see bluebird boxes lined up in rows in parks, golf courses and private homes. Bermudians are determined to save their beloved bluebird!

• The original painting is sold, but contact me if you would like a print or a painting done just for you.

Eastern Bluebirds

The bluebirds will be migrating south soon as they are insect eaters. But, oh, how nice it was while they were here to see that bright blue color flashing across a country field! They do like open country and are found on farms, and where there are scattered trees rather than woodlands.
The Eastern Bluebird is found east of the Rockies while the Mountain Bluebird with its whitish belly is found to the west.
Here I have painted the male and female on a blossoming crabapple tree at about the time they would be nesting. Their young will be speckle-breasted with a hint of bright blue in the wings and tail.

• The original painting is sold, but contact me if you would like a print or a painting done just for you.