Spring in the desert Southwest (like most places) means fair weather and new birds of a feather. Here in Scottsdale, the temperatures are very mild, but the last few days have quickly turned Spring into Summer with very hot weather—over 105 degrees—with little relief until late September!

With regard to new birds of a feather, I’ve got two mother doves and three house finches feeding their newborns in nests under the eaves of my studio. The adults are flying in and out all day bringing back food for the hungry little mouths. It’s a beautiful sight to watch.

Other birds gather around a feeding area every day to pick up some seed that I scatter for them. Below are a few photos my husband Tom has taken over the last few weeks showing some of the variety (including a leucistic quail—a quail with reduced pigmentation, similar to albino coloring). Also, a couple of wayward Peach Faced Lovebirds have been visiting lately (native to western Africa, but someone has obviously let a few of them loose in the greater Phoenix area). Click on any of the photos to show larger versions.

New Paintings

All of my time hasn’t been spent daydreaming about Spring and the wildlife. I’ve been very busy over the last few weeks getting new paintings ready for a couple of upcoming shows. I’ve completed two (see photos below). The leopard painting I talked about in my last post while it was under construction, but I wanted to show you the final product. I’m also working on two more…a close up of a leopard’s face and a beautiful yellow lily. Check back soon to see how those last two turn out.

Leopard – Finished Painting

Hummingbird

I hope everyone has an enjoyable Summer.