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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 12h

October 12: “Named After A Person” and “Crystal” I drew a pair of Nuttall’s Woodpeckers to satisfy today’s prompts ✨ … Sharing some October Art I’m making as part of #BirdtoberClub2026 and #Witchtober2026 over on instagram. I’m combining prompts from both challenges. Time for some witchy #birds!

Two woodpeckers perched on an outcropping of glowing yellow-gold crystals, against a dark background. One woodpecker is chipping away at the corner of a crystal.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

October 11: “Adaptation” and “Skull” I picked a Phainopepla eating mistletoe berries to stay hydrated in the desert, and a Bighorn Sheep skull! … Sharing some October Art I’m making as part of #BirdtoberClub2026 and #Witchtober2026 over on instagram. I’m combining prompts from both challenges.

A black songbird with a head crest perched in front of a bighorn sheep skull and holding a red berry in its beak right in front of the skull's eye socket. Behind the skull are saguaro cacti with white flowers blooming and there is a gold ribbon winding through the scene. The background is dark brown with a dark vignette around the edges.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

October 10: “Bold Facial Pattern” and “Herb” Three cheers for Canada with Canada Warbler and Canada Mayflower! Sharing some October Art I’m making as part of #BirdtoberClub2026 and #Witchtober2026 over on instagram. I’m combining prompts from both challenges. Time for some witchy #birds!

An illustration of a Canada Warbler singing while perched on a small branch, surrounded by two Canada mayflowers which each consist of two leaves and on small stalk with a cluster of tiny white flowers. There are stars above the bird and a rusty brown rectangle framing the scene, against a dark background.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

October 9: “Rails, Crakes, Coots” and “Bat” What American Coots Do In The Shadows 🧛 … Sharing some October Art I’m making as part of #BirdtoberClub2026 and #Witchtober2026 over on instagram. I’m combining prompts from both challenges. Time for some witchy #birds!

An illustration of an American Coot with bat wings. It's got a little fang and its lobed foot is pointed out in front as if it's strutting. The bird and its outstretched wings are colored in deep blues while the background is in shades of ruby red with a brighter red starburst shape behind the bird.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

October 8: “Nemesis” and “Mushroom” I picked Kentucky Warbler (a nemesis bird for me) and Omphalotus illudens. Sharing some October Art I’m making as part of #BirdtoberClub2026 and #Witchtober2026 over on instagram. I’m combining prompts from both challenges. Time for some witchy #birds!

A small songbird with yellow belly, olive back, and black facial markings perched below an outcropping of glowing mushrooms that are growing out of a tree trunk. There is grass in the foreground and background, and the whole scene is seemingly lit from the glow of the mushrooms.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

October 7: “Urban” and “Key” I picked a Peregrine Falcon for today - they nest on rocky cliffs, but also skyscrapers! … Sharing some October Art I’m making as part of #BirdtoberClub2026 and #Witchtober2026 over on instagram. I’m combining prompts from both challenges. Time for some witchy #birds!

An illustration of a peregrine falcon in flight, with its belly facing the viewer and head turned to its right. There is a gold skeleton key overlaid on top of the bird so that the bird's head shows through the handle of the key, and a gold thread winds through and around both subjects. In the background is a blurred image of skyscrapers at night, with a few glowing windows. The whole image is in shades of gold, brown, and gray.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

October 6: “Intelligent” and “Amulet” Great Horned Owls are considered “wise” - that’s counts, right? Sharing some October Art I’m making as part of #BirdtoberClub2026 and #Witchtober2026 over on instagram. I’m combining prompts from both challenges. Time for some witchy #birds!

An owl drawn in shades of blue and looking straight at the viewer. It’s wearing an amulet that’s glowing brightly in whites and blues and purples. There are stars on the dark background behind the owl.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

October 5m “Musical“ and “Bone” … Sharing some October Art I’m making as part of #BirdtoberClub2026 and #Witchtober2026 over on instagram. I’m combining prompts from both challenges. Time for some witchy #birds!

An illustration of a skeleton of a bird surrounded by flowering dogwood flowers against a dark background. You can see a glowing string coiled in between the bird's ribcage, which leads to yellow-gold musical notes coming out from its open beak. The glow inside its ribcage is the center point of the lighting in the image, with dark vignette edges.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

October 4: “fruit-eater” and “moon” Sharing some October Art I’m making as part of #BirdtoberClub2026 and #Witchtober2026 over on instagram. I’m combining prompts from both challenges. Time for some witchy #birds!

A Cedar Waxwing with its wings outstretched and carrying a branch filled with red berries. It has a red berry in its beak, too. Behind the bird is a bright full moon and a dark sky full of stylized stars.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

October 3: “Raven” and “Dive” Sharing some October Art I’m making as part of #BirdtoberClub2026 and #Witchtober2026 over on instagram. I’m combining prompts from both challenges. Time for some witchy #birds!

Three Ravens flying in the glowing green light of a bubbling cauldron. The lowest raven looks about to dive into the potion.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

October 2: “Shades of Gray” and “Card” I made a Secretarybird tarot card to fill today’s prompts! Sharing some October Art I’m making as part of #BirdtoberClub2026 and #Witchtober2026 over on instagram. I’m combining prompts from both challenges. Time for some witchy #birds!

An illustrated "the empress" tarot card featuring a secretarybird. The card shows the head of the bird, which is drawn with teal-green feathers and a crown of darker feathers spraying out the back. Her face is red-orange with a bright yellow beak. A flying secretarybird in similar colors is depicted above the portrait, and the dark teal inset background is decorated with yellow, orange, and red star shapes. The outside of the card is the darkest teal, and along the bottom are the words "The Empress" in yellow-gold.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I’m back! Gonna share some October art prompts I’m making as part of #BirdtoberClub2026 and #Witchtober2026 over on instagram. I’m combining prompts from both challenges. Get ready for some witchy #birds! October 1 - todays prompts are Aerial Insectivore and Candle, so I drew a Common Nighthawk 💜

An illustration showing the front view of a nighthawk looking up and to its left. There is a candle lit in front of it, the piece is in purples and deep pinks, except for the yellow and orange glow from the candle.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Yellow-headed Blackbird I’m back for a quick update after a very busy summer! This fantastic icterid was drawn thanks to a private commission. Thanks E! #birds #birdart

A digital illustration of a yellow-headed blackbird.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 24/05/2025

I’m back with a quick Little Spotted Kiwi! Not going to add dates anymore since I’ve not been able to keep up daily, but this was a lovely return to drawing these #birds!

Digital illustration of a Little Spotted Kiwi.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

March 19: Tīeke (North Island Saddleback) Another species that we saw only on Tiritiri Matangi. They were everywhere: flitting around the flax flowers, under the forest canopy, all while calling out with their chattery song that sounds like laughter. Very cool #birds!

Digital illustration of a Tīeke, also known as a North Island Saddleback, standing with one foot raised in the air.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

March 18: Tītitipounamu (Rifleman) This little wren is truly tiny - we were lucky to spot three of them on our trip, but all buzzed around so quickly I didn’t have time to snap a photo! #birds

Digital illustration of a Tītitipounamu, also known as a rifleman.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

March 17: Kererū (New Zealand Pigeon) The largest and silliest pigeons I’ve ever seen. These #birds are chicken-sized and will scare the living daylights out of you when they take flight 😂

Digital illustration of a Kererū, or New Zealand pigeon, perched on a branch.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

March 16: Toutouwai (North Island Robin) These #birds have super long legs and they’re more curious than anything! We had one hop right up to and between our feet as we sat on a bench in the forest on Tiritiri Matangi, off the coast of Auckland.

A small gray songbird called a Toutouwai, or North Island Robin, standing on the ground.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

March 14: Pīwakawaka (New Zealand Fantail) This little bird is endemic to New Zealand. We delighted in seeing them when we were there- just a few hours off the plane and we got to see an adult feeding three recently fledged chicks 🥹 #birds

Digital illustration of a pīwakawaka, or a New Zealand Fantail, perched on a small nub of a branch, with its tail spread out in a fan behind it.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

Week two for March! Still succeeding with drawing one bird a day…even if they might be finished after midnight some nights 😅 #birds

A field guide plate of digitally illustrated hummingbirds, with the word March at the top of the page.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

March 14: Green Mango A large hummingbird endemic to Puerto Rico! Big, beautiful and green 💚 #birds

Digital illustration of a Green Mango hummingbird in flight.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

March 13: Green-throated Carib Another species found in Puerto Rico! I’d like another look at one someday- my one sighting was so much faster than I wanted it to be. #birds

Digital illustration of a Green-throated Carib hummingbird perched on a twig.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

March 12: Rufous Hummingbird Long day for me, but I still had just enough time for this little western dude #birds

Digital illustration of a Rufous Hummingbird perched on a branch.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

March 11: Puerto Rican Emerald What a joy to see this tropical hummingbird species! They have such fun names, too - emerald, starthroat, mountain-gem - I think we could stand to have prettier hummingbird names up north #birds

Digital illustration of a Puerto Rican Emerald hummingbird in flight.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

March 10: Anna’s Hummingbird Their magenta gorget is stunning in person! All my favorite reddish pinks, shining with iridescence. #birds

Digital illustration of an Anna’s Hummingbird, perched on a small bit of cactus.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

March 9: Costa’s Hummingbird The bright purples of these #birds’ gorgets are…GORGEOUS 💜 Saw my first ones in Tucson and I remember being completely wowed 🥹

Digital illustration of a Costa’s Hummingbird perched on the end of a twig.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

Oops, and here’s the first week of March all together! I’ve got prints of all of the #birds I’ve drawn this year (and more!) on my Redbubble: www.redbubble.com/people/LadyE...

A collection of seven digitally illustrated birds below the word “March.” It’s a mix of thrushes, and thrashers.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

March 8: Ruby-throated Hummingbird New week, new batch of #birds! Starting with the only hummingbird native to the Northeast US 🙌

Digital illustration of a ruby-throated hummingbird in flight.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

March 7: Curve-billed Thrasher A common sight in Tucson, AZ where I saw them for the first time. I love the sounds of the desert! 🌵🏜️ #birds

Digital illustration of a Curve-billed Thrasher standing on the ground.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

March 6: Townsend’s Solitaire I’ve only ever seen one of these before, in Zion NP. Hope to see more someday! We’re nearing the first full week of March- I’ve got one more bird for this batch, and then I’ll have to decide what my theme will be for next week! #birds

Digital illustration of a Townsend’s solitaire perched on an uneven post.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

March 5: Pearly-eyed Thrasher Native to Puerto Rico. These thrashers are super common! I saw tons on a trip a few years ago for the AOS conference and they never failed to charm me 😊 #birds

Digital illustration of a Pearly-eyed Thrasher perched on a post.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

March 4: Brown Thrasher Another mimic! Where mockingbirds typically repeat in phrases of 3s and 5s, these thrashers repeat other birds’ song phrases in 2s and 4s!

Digital illustration of a Brown Thrasher standing on flat ground.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

March 3: Gray Catbird Fun fact, when I was little I was CONVINCED id come across a real live kitten stuck in a tree -just like on TV! Should I call a firefighter? Before I could decide, I saw this guy fly out 😂

Digital illustration of a Gray Catbird perched on a branch.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

March 2: American Robin These are one of my favorite songs to hear in spring. They’ve been gathering in flocks here lately, are you seeing any yet?

Digital illustration of an American Robin perched on a twig.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

March 1: Northern Mockingbird New month new birds! Let’s start with these incredible mimics - their song is made up of a melodious mixture of other bird songs and it’s fun to try and identify them while the mockingbird is singing!

Digital illustration of a Northern Mockingbird with its beak wide open, standing on a branch.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

February 28: Pāpango (New Zealand Scaup) Rounded out my duck month with one from Oceania!

A digital illustration of a pāpango, also known as a New Zealand Scaup.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

February 27: Black-bellied Whistling Duck Saw my first one ever about a thousand miles out of its normal range, in a marsh a few miles away from my house 🙌

A digital illustration of a Black-bellied whistling duck standing on flat ground.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

February 26: Mallard The quintessential duck! 🦆

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

February 25: Northern Pintail That curl of white up the side of its head is the easiest way to identify a pintail. They love visiting marshes with lots of other duck species!

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

February 24: Blue-winged Teal The smallest and cutest 💜

Digital illustration of a blue-winged-teal.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

February 23: American Wigeon That green splash of color and white forehead is one of my favorite bits of duck coloration. These guys make a cute squeaky sound, too!

Digital illustration of an American Wigeon.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

February 22: Northern Shoveler Those bills are just as ridiculous in real life, I love them

Digital Illustration of a Northern Shoveler duck.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

February 21: Barrow’s Goldeneye I saw my first pair in the harbor up on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Just minding their own business with a view of Canada across the strait!

Digital illustration of a Barrow’s Goldeneye.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

February 20: Common Goldeneye A pretty duck I haven’t seen for a long time.

Digital illustration of a Common Goldeneye.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

February 19: Long-tailed Duck I’ve seen these on the Great Lakes but rarely elsewhere. They’re so pretty!

Digital illustration of a Long-tailed Duck.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

February 18: White-winged Scoter I always think of their white “eyeliner” before the white wing markings 💅

Digital illustration of a White-winged Scoter.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

February 17: Surf Scoter I got my first really good look at this species on an impromptu trip to Maine a few years back.our goal was to see the Steller’s Sea Eagle that was out there (and we did!) but we got bonus scoters too!

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

February 16: Common Eider Beautiful sea ducks - saw my first ones on the Great Lakes and saw more over the years in Provincetown, coastal Maine, and Iceland!

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

February 15: Harlequin Duck One of the prettiest ducks - they’re wildly out of range in my area, but one year a bird showed up and hung with a flock of other ducks, and it stayed long enough that we got to see it start molting into breeding plumage (pictured) before it flew off again. 😍

Digital illustration of a Harlequin Duck standing on a flat surface.

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Holly 🦆 Birdy Nature Journal @hermitthrush13.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

February 14: Hooded Merganser My favorite merganser, I mean, just LOOK at him! That hood can be raised or lowered.

Digital illustration of a Hooded Merganser, a duck with a large disk-shaped feather crest protruding out the back of its head and neck.

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