Wild Bird Series by Cheryl Birmingham

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Introduction to the Wild Bird Series

The ‘Wild Bird Series’, is a collection of paintings that combines naturalism and allegory. The series depicts birds in their native habitats, their identifying characteristics meticulously reproduced, while exploring the inspirational relationship between wildlife and human beings. Each canvas is accompanied by a narrative that illuminates its mystical subtext. Paintings from the ‘Wild Bird Series’ have been featured across the United States, from New England to Nevada.

Galapagos Islands, Blue Footed Booby and Chick (Wild Bird Series 15), Oil, 8 x 10

Durand Eastman Park, Swan Family (Wild Bird Series 14), Oil, 16 x 20

‘It does not matter in the least having been born in a duckyard, if only you come out of a swan’s egg!’ – ‘The Ugly Duckling’, Hans Christian Andersen

We have all heard the story of the ugly duckling. This swan family, observed at Durand Eastman Park during the summer of 2005, casts a different light on the classic fairy tale. One cygnet rests on his mother’s back while two more babies swim close, shepherded by their father, waiting for a chance to climb aboard. There will be later days for the little ones to find their wings. Hans Christian Andersen’s duckling may have been shaped by heredity, but these swans remind us that it isn’t genetics that transforms most awkward, uncertain fledglings. It’s love. .

Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, Red-Tailed Hawk on Sky (Wild Bird Series 13), Oil, 24 x 36

The reference image for this painting was a photograph of an injured hawk, taken at a local rehabilitation center; the handicapped bird was confined to the arm of his caregiver. But when I look at the photo, that isn’t what I see. I see Rhode Island in late October, leaves dropping like burning cinders, the air thinned out by early-morning chill. I see a lonely trail in Trustom Pond National Refuge… a dead pine tree, harsh and spiny as a bramble bush. Behind it, a sea of infinite blue. Far-reaching eyes scan the horizon, broad wings bow like an angel’s. And into the sky a wild spirit flies.

Owl Woods, Saw-Whet Owl Winking (Wild Bird Series 12), Oil, 24 x 18

Sighting a wild owl is no easy task. They are reclusive birds, more often heard than seen. After hours of searching Owl Woods, near Lake Ontario, I had given up hope of seeing one. As I made ready to leave, disappointed, I stumbled onto this little fellow sleeping in a hammock of pine branches. Warmed by the spring sun and backlit by a flawless blue sky, the saw-whet owl seemed to soak up the beauty of the day. He opened his eyes and looked at us, then gave a lazy wink as if sharing a secret. He had known all along that I would find him in my own time.

Mendon Ponds Park, Wintering Cardinals (Wild Bird Series 11), Oil, 14 x 11

January in western New York can be a long, hard month. Enjoying a sunset in Mendon Ponds Park, their feathers fluffed against the evening chill, this cardinal couple seems not to mind the weather. They are insulated from the outside world by the previous night’s heavy snowfall, and though the temperature is frigid, they draw warmth from each other. Within the trial of winter, they have found a pocket of quiet serenity. Yeats wrote that ‘peace comes dropping slow’… these cardinals would have made a fitting subject for his poem. Crimson against white, they watch as the calendar turns and a new year dawns.

Yellowstone National Park, Mountain Raven (Wild Bird Series 10), Oil, 16 x 20

There is an Inuit legend that tells how Raven created life on Earth and tutored man in the ways of living. He is a cultural hero in Native American mythology, a shapeshifter and trickster and magician of supernatural power. After spending time with this particular raven, photographed in Yellowstone Park in 2003, I understand why the bird holds such a position of honor. From the inky midnight of his feathers to the bright spark in his eye, there is a mystical quality about the raven. He is a shadow amongst the conifer branches, but his spirit shines like firelight in the wilderness.

Great Blue Heron

Montezuma National Wildlife Preserve, Great Blue Heron - full pose (Wild Bird Series 09), Oil, 16 x 20

Crouched behind a curtain of reeds, his long neck pulled down, this blue heron feels protected even though he is in plain sight. He is afraid to be seen, and so he persuades himself that he is hidden. He draws a sense of safety from his surroundings; there is a familiarity between bird and environment that makes him feel sheltered. The heron is a visual metaphor, a beautiful, self-conscious, lilac-feathered allegory. We all camouflage our insecurities, we are all afraid of being exposed. And yet, more often than not, we stand in clear view of those who pass us by.

Montezuma National Wildlife Preserve, Great Blue Heron (Wild Bird Series 08), Oil, 14 x 11

Fall at the Montezuma Wildlife Preserve. The world had turned golden brown and the onset of winter was in the air. This stately blue heron was trawling a river beside a large pond; as fate would have it, his fishing hole was located in one of the rare areas where the public is permitted to exit their cars. Remarkably, the bird allowed me to approach him for detailed pencil sketches and photographs. When I was done, the heron waded deeper behind his screen of reeds. It was almost as though he had been waiting for me to finish my studies before moving on.

Orlando Florida, Limpkin (Wild Bird Series 07), Oil, 16 x 20

Everyone remembers where they were on the 11^th of September, 2001. I happened to be celebrating a much needed vacation at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. I was among thousands evacuated from the Animal Kingdom, but not before I took the photograph that inspired this drawing. Painted in shades of blue gray and brown, shoulders hunched against the falling rain, this limpkin evokes the somber mood of that week. As upon the surface of the pond by which he stands, even though the memories may fade, the ripples remain.

Algonquin Provincial Park, Savannah Sparrow (Wild Bird Series 06), Oil, 11 x 14

Huddled in lichen-covered bushes at the far end of an airfield near Algonquin Provincial Park, I found this young Savannah sparrow. It was my last day at the park. For a week, I had been struggling to coax birds in front of my camera lens, and I wanted to finish my trip on a high note. This image was worth the wait. Bathed in an extraordinary morning sun, the tiny bird conveys a sense of enormous hope. The sparrow has a message for all of us… we can’t find our way out of the dark unless we look toward the light.

Algonquin Provincial Park, Black-capped Chickadee (Wild Bird Series 05), Acrylic, 16 x 20

As the sun set and evening fell on Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, when we photographed this black-capped chickadee; he was bouncing from tree to tree on a pine-clad cliff, foraging for food along with other small birds. This painting captures both the rugged beauty of the boreal forest and the intrepid spirit of the bird himself. Alone in the wilderness, surrounded by a nimbus of light, the chickadee stares through my camera and waits for dusk.

Montezuma National Wildlife Preserve, Northern Harrier Hawk Hunting (Wild Bird Series 04), Acrylic, 16 x 20

Tennyson once wrote: ‘He clasps the crag with crooked hands; Close to the sun in lonely lands, Ringed with the azure world, he stands. The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls; He watches from his mountain walls, And like a thunderbolt he falls.’ The poet was paying tribute to an eagle, but he might well have been referring to this northern harrier hawk. The photograph that inspired this painting was taken during an early morning visit to the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge; I thought it captured the wild nobility with which the hawk hunts. Framed by the clouds, he dives earthward… but he belongs to the sky.

Mendon Ponds Park, Northern Bluebirds (Wild Bird Series 03), Acrylic, 11 x 14

Love has been compared to shelter from a storm, most famously by Bob Dylan. These two bluebirds underscore the analogy. This painting was adapted from a series of photos taken at Mendon Ponds Park; the day was windy and thunderclouds were rolling in, but the bluebird couple was unperturbed. They danced from thicket to thicket, singing and playing as though they hadn’t a care in the world. The horizon could bring what it may. They were together, and that was enough.

Mendon Ponds Park, Gray Catbird (Wild Bird Series 02), Acrylic, 9 x 12

Most catbirds are shy, but not this one. She stands astride a branch, silver-gray plumage contrasted against a backdrop of festive green, her mouth slightly open as if to give voice to the day. The reference photo for this painting was taken in Mendon Ponds Park. I was breaking in a brand-new camera, and I think the bold catbird made a lovely first subject. She dares to step outside of type and greet the world, ready to spread her wings and fly.
same story as Wild Bird Series 07

Orlando Florida, Limpkin (Wild Bird Series 01) Graphite Pencil Study, 16 x 20

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