Birds In The Garden

    Hi everyone. Happy mid-week. We've been having some gorgeous weather, and yesterday it even felt like summer. Thank goodness my husband got the plastic off the screen porch because I really enjoyed using it. 😄

   Today I want to share another  journal page for Mia's Birds challenge over at Art Journal Journey 

   I had this sheet of printed paper that came out of an old Somerset Studio magazine. I liked it, and decided I could make something with it as a background, versus cutting it up for something that is. I started by taking another piece of magazine paper and a diamond shaped die.  I die cut 5 images of this shape. I glued 3 together on the bottom of the page and then two on the lower right side.

   After that I fussy cut these 2 birds from a sheet of paper. I left them as is except I did add some yellow to their beaks and upper breast. I also used some punched out leaves and a tag. I made the background on the tag by inking it with a light green ink pad and then using a crackle stamp image and some darker green ink. To cover up the tag's hole I used a yellow dewdrop (manufacturer's name) for these small glass-like water drops. Finally I wrote in my quote.

  I must admit the only butterfly I’ve seen was yesterday, the first of the season. It was a big yellow swallowtail.  But I have had a whole lot of birds, including a male scarlet tanager I also saw in the woods yesterday,  but that I couldn't get a photo of because of all the leaves.

    Here he is, thanks to a photo I borrowed from Cornell's All About Birds website.

   Mom and  Dad Baltimore Oriole have been around. Funny how they always come by in the spring and then  vanish into the woods after a short time. I have lots of photos of Dad.

But only one of Mom as I haven't seen her as much as I have Dad.

   I've also had 2 male Rose Breasted Grosbeaks at my feeder too. Sometimes at the same time, but those photos didn't really come out. 

     I think the bluebird babies have fledged. Sadly I missed that event. Maybe they'll have another brood because last year they had 2. But before the bluebird house became empty, I snapped a couple of photos.

   And finally, I've seen the Myrtle warbler a couple of more times, but not as much as this pine warbler. He/she is around a lot and isn't too afraid of me either.

 I can see why they are called warblers, because one day he decided to sing as he sat on the fence and wow, what a song.

   That's all for me today. Have a wonderful middle of your week.