Cackling Goose is a rare fall migrant through Massachusetts and I usually see a couple of them each fall among the hundreds of Canada Geese around Concord. I look forward to the challenge of sorting through the flocks and picking these birds out, and once a candidate is located the identification has usually been straightforward – until 2014.
To begin the discussion and establish a baseline, here is a typical Cackling Goose with a typical Canada Goose:
A classic Richardson’s Cackling Goose (left) with a typical Canada Goose (right). The Cackling’s smaller size, relatively small bill and short neck, silvery gray back, and darker gray-brown breast with narrow white collar are all evident here. Belmont, MA Dec 2014. Photo copyright David Sibley.
Limited edition prints are now available of the four paintings shown below. These gouache paintings were completed between 2011 and 2014, and a portion of the proceeds from their sale will benefit the Bird Conservation efforts of Mass Audubon.
Be sure to check out the other conservation prints available here.
Male and female Tree Swallow
Great Horned Owl
Male Eastern Bluebird
Male Blackburnian Warbler, now available as a limited edition 9 x 11 print
Price: $45
When you click the “add to cart” button your “cart” will appear at the bottom of this page.
These 9 X 11″ limited edition giclee prints are made with archival ink and paper. Each edition is limited to 300 prints (with one Artist’s proof). Each print is signed and numbered, and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
Payment is through PayPal. If you are not already a PayPal member you can still pay with a credit card through the PayPal portal, which is easy and secure.
The shipping fee is $7 per shipment (not per print, higher outside the US); shipping is free on orders of three or more prints. Sales tax will be added for shipments to Massachusetts addresses.
Shipping is via USPS Priority Mail; please allow 7-10 days for packaging and shipping (contact me if you need faster delivery).
Other Prints for Sale
Gray Hawk from “The Wind Masters”
Snowy Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Avocets and Semipalmated Sandpiper
posted December 3rd, 2014; last edited December 3rd, 2014 –– David Sibley
I have been noticing variation in American Pipit for many years, and last month I had the opportunity to photograph a small flock. The photos here are of three randomly selected individuals in that flock, all taken within a few minutes on October 27, 2014 in Acton, MA.
The differences in color are striking: compare the color of the underparts (and contrast between flanks and back), the boldness of streaking on the breast, and the pattern on the face.
I saw a Cooper’s Hawk catch a Rock Pigeon a few days ago. By itself that experience is noteworthy – a Rock Pigeon is a big bird for a Cooper’s Hawk to handle – but more remarkable was the way the attack unfolded.
Cooper’s Hawk, original acrylic painting copyright David Sibley
My newest print to benefit conservation efforts is this 2014 gouache painting of a Semipalmated Sandpiper with American Avocets (more info about my gouache technique here). This is a common scene in the Mississippi River Delta region, where catfish ponds and other managed wetlands create habitat for large numbers of American Avocets, migrating Semipalmated Sandpipers, and many other species.
A portion of the sale of each print will be donated to help fund the work of Delta Wind Birds, which partners with private landowners in the Lower Mississippi River Basin to provide quality stopover habitat for migrating shorebirds along the Mississippi Flyway.
This painting of American Avocets and Semipalmated Sandpiper was done specifically for Delta Wind Birds, and sales of the 9 X 13 inch print will benefit their conservation work.
Price: $45
When you click the “add to cart” button your “cart” will appear at the bottom of this page.
This 9 X 13″ limited edition giclee print is made with archival ink and paper. The edition is limited to 300 prints (with one Artist’s proof). Each print is signed and numbered, and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
Payment is through PayPal. If you are not already a PayPal member you can still pay with a credit card through the PayPal portal, which is easy and secure.
The shipping fee is $7 per shipment (not per print, higher outside the US); shipping is free on orders of three or more prints. Sales tax will be added for shipments to Massachusetts addresses.
Shipping is via USPS Priority Mail; please allow up to 3 weeks for packaging and shipping (contact me if you need faster delivery).
Other Prints for Sale
Gray Hawk from “The Wind Masters”
Snowy Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
posted February 21st, 2014; last edited March 30th, 2014 –– David Sibley
I have made prints of this gouache painting of a Northern Saw-whet Owl from 2006 (more info about my gouache technique here). This painting also appeared in a weekly newspaper column “Sibley on Birds”, and the original was auctioned to benefit the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art.
A portion of the sale of each print will be donated to help fund the work of Project Owlnet, which facilitates communication and cooperation among hundreds of owl-migration researchers in North America, in particular studying the amazing migrations of Northern Saw-whet Owls.
Price: $45
When you click the “add to cart” button your “cart” will appear at the bottom of this page.
This 9 X 11″ limited edition giclee print is made with archival ink and paper. The edition is limited to 300 prints (with one Artist’s proof). Each print is signed and numbered, and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
Payment is through PayPal. If you are not already a PayPal member you can still pay with a credit card through the PayPal portal, which is easy and secure.
The shipping fee is $7 per shipment (not per print, higher outside the US); shipping is free on orders of three or more prints. Sales tax will be added for shipments to Massachusetts addresses.
Shipping is via USPS Priority Mail; please allow up to 3 weeks for packaging and shipping (contact me if you need faster delivery).
Other Prints for Sale
Gray Hawk from “The Wind Masters”
Snowy Owl
posted February 20th, 2014; last edited February 20th, 2014 –– David Sibley
Ten dollars from the sale of each print will be donated to help fund the work of Project SNOWstorm, which seeks to understand more about the invasion of Snowy Owls that is happening right now (January 2014) in eastern North America. And of course you can also donate directly to the project.
Price: $45
When you click the “add to cart” button your “cart” will appear at the bottom of this page.
This 9 X 11″ limited edition giclee print is made with archival ink and paper. The edition is limited to 300 prints (with one Artist’s proof). Each print is signed and numbered, and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
Payment is through PayPal. If you are not already a PayPal member you can still pay with a credit card through the PayPal portal, which is easy and secure.
A shipping fee of $7 will be added per shipment (not per print), and sales tax will be added for shipments to Massachusetts addresses.
Shipping is via USPS Priority Mail; please allow up to 3 weeks for packaging and shipping (contact me if you need faster delivery).
The completely revised Sibley Guide to Birds, Second Edition, will be on sale in a matter of weeks – March 11, 2014. You can pre-order the second edition at your local independent bookstore or at Amazon.com or find other online sellers at Random House.
If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind gift for someone on your list, there are still a couple of days left to order a piece of my original art and have it delivered before Christmas. See the selection available here.
And in case you haven’t heard, the completely revised Sibley Guide to Birds, Second Edition, will be on sale in a few months – March 11, 2014. You can still buy the first edition, or you can pre-order the second edition at Amazon.com or at your local independent bookstore.
It’s been a very busy and productive fall here at Sibley Guides. The coming year should be the same, and I have a lot of ideas for this blog starting in January – stay tuned.
I recently painted this pair of Bachman's Warblers, and learned a lot in the process, but the last definite record was in 1962 (before my first birthday), so I could only learn as much as had been preserved and recorded by a few lucky observers more than 50 years ago. The painting was a melancholy project in some ways, but also a reminder of the value of enjoying, questioning, and documenting everything we can about all of the wonderful birds that are with us today. And - it should go without saying - remaining vigilant and supporting conservation efforts so that no more species follow the Bachman's Warbler. ...
This is just one finding of a massive genetic study making news today, adding support to earlier research showing the same thing. The paper is here www.sciencemag.org/content/346/6215/1320.full and the full family tree is very close to the one on p 256 of the second edition of the Sibley Guide, but the new study puts tropicbirds closer to Pelicans and allies, not with pigeons as some earlier studies had suggested. Amazing stuff, and a great leap for for bird study. ...
Blue-gray Tanager
White-crowned Parrot
Brown Jay
Yellow-winged Tanager
White-whiskered Puffbird
or find other online sellers at 
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