Birds of the Tennessee woods

"Birds of the Tennessee woods" is a painting of six species of birds seen while walking in the woods around Nashville

• This is an original painting in watercolour on 425gsm paper size 400 x 405mm.
• A digital image is available for self-printing (at what size and in whatever format you like) for one-off domestic use only.

My painting of birds of the Tennessee woods shows six of the many species we saw in September 2023. I've illustrated a red-bellied woodpecker, American robin, blue jay, American redstart, magnolia warbler and northern cardinal. And because I can't resist butterflies, I've included two: the gulf fritillery and the pipe vine swallowtail. We saw lots of these sipping nectar from the late flowering thistles and coreopsis in the meadows and at the edge of the woodland trails.

Nashville's nature

I'm not especially interested in rhinestones, Dolly Parton, or big hats (though I do like cowboy boots). So while visiting our daughter in Nashville, we got out to see what Mother Nature has to offer.

We found a number of beautiful nature reserves, including abundant treasures at Radnor Lake. Apart from the ones I've illustrated we saw including downy and hairy woodpeckers, harriers and hawks, peewees, tufted titmice, and even a pair of nesting bald eagles. There were loads of deer plus otters, and to my amazement, an alligator snapping turtle!

Shelby Bottoms

But our favourite park, which we visited three times was Shelby Bottoms on the banks of the Cumberland river. One morning we arrived very early to witness a bird ringing (banding) event. I watched as the highly trained, licenced staff carefully handled the birds who had been netted. I was able to examine a chickadee, mourning dove, two magnolia warblers and a downy woodpecker very close up! The staff were so immensely friendly and delighted to share their knowledge with us.

Other species we saw at Shelby Bottoms include: Swainson's thrush, brown thrasher, red-shouldered hawk, indigo bunting, ruby-throated hummingbird, and a charming family of wild turkeys which happily hung about in the car park.