Tags
Alabama, birds, drawing, illustration, journal, sketchbook, Val Webb, watercolor
He’s becoming a regular, arriving after the bossy cardinal couple and before the mourning doves. Red-bellied woodpeckers are year-round residents here, and apparently they have a hearty appetite for seeds. “My” woodpecker is a male, easily recognized by his red cowl. Females display a red patch only on the backs of their necks. (Despite their name, you can watch these birds for hours and never catch a glimpse of their red-tinged belly feathers. But the bold black-and-white bars on their wings and their bright caps make it easy to identify them anyway. Bon apetit, Mr. Woodpecker.)
valwebb.com 
Lovely work! Do you intentionally provide certain food for the birds to attract the ones you enjoy most? Must be a lovely spot to sit, paint & enjoy the morning. Perfect models!
Thanks, Lauren! No special foods, just basic black oil sunflower seed (which I buy in 50 lb sacks) and a simple little wooden feeder that was a gift from my grandchildren. I think the reason I get such a wide range of birds has more to do with my location: two acres of open pasture at the edge of a 60-acre woods. I am 30 miles north of the Gulf Coast and directly on the flyway of the nation’s busiest migratory bird route. I suspect THAT is the reason for the variety of birds visiting!
This is so beautiful.