Funny Moments ~ This is for the birds!
As I set out to paint serious paintings of a wide variety of birds, I’ve spent a good bit of time watching them in their natural habitats. With each photographic outing I hope to capture something different, interesting or unique. Occasionally, the birds provide me with material I never expected!
I thought it would be fun to put together a compilation of humorous bird pictures that I’ve taken while looking for painting material. Some of these I’ve posted on Facebook, but never before have they all been posted together as a body of work! ☺
One of my favorites is a photo I entitled Bad Hair Day. This Great Blue Heron flew by the ferry we were on and landed on a concrete piling with a real windblown look about him! I had never seen anything like it and I found it most amusing.
Bad Hair Day!
Another bad hair day was this shot of a Night Heron. He was posing nicely on a post when all of a sudden he shook himself into a static state! ☺
SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE!
The same bird decided that standing around on a post for too long was making his bird legs cramp up, so he unexpectedly started stretching. Here is a photo I call S-T-R-E-T-C-H! ☺
S-T-R-E-T-C-H!!!
This next Night Heron had a lot on his mind. I call him The Thinker!
The Thinker!
One the most beautiful birds I unexpectedly came upon was a Tri-colored Heron. He went through a series of poses on a piling that had me snapping away at rapid speed. After I downloaded and analyzed my photos I realized there were a number of humorous poses.
This bird with its ruffled rufous neck feathers appears to have quite the attitude!
ATTITUDE!!!!!!
The one below I call The Navel Aviator. It was such an odd position I thought the play on words was appropriate! ☺
The Navel Aviator!
The Scream really caught me off guard. This Night Heron went from a cute little fellow to an alien in a split second! ☺
The Scream!
This shy, somewhat ashamed Night Heron must have been thinking ~ I Swear It Wasn’t Me! ☺
What a mess~I swear I didn't do it!
This proud mallard drake decided he wanted to get some attention! ☺
Hey Look at Me!
This Tri-colored Heron gave me a funny look before he decided to fly away.
Say what???
Many of the birds end up staring at me and sizing me up. Some fly away quickly and others find me harmless and decide to pose. I love it when they realize I’m not a threat and they go about their business. Just today I watched up close a Night Heron stalk, strike and devour a couple of small crabs. I also witnessed a Great Blue Heron get all worked up over two Night Herons that were trespassing upon his territory. The GBH squawked loudly several times and angrily flew off to a nearby spot where he could have his me time.
What I’ve learned about these birds is that they each have a lot of personality. The same bird can have many different looks. For an artist this creates endless possibilities for compositions. Choosing which to paint will be difficult but I can’t wait to start painting!
Shy bird!