Birds in our Backyard 
Digital illustration series
A personal project dear to my heart. My parents are avid gardeners and their backyard attracts a multitude of bird species. On a family visit in 2018, I noticed a list of birds they'd spotted pinned to the fridge. It was handwritten on a scrap piece of paper, and instantly I knew I wanted to illustrate it as a gift to them.  
At the time I didn't realize it would take me until December of 2022 to fully complete, and it's turned out to be the most ambitious and longest-running project of my career to date. 
I drew each bird individually, with the intention of developing and improving my illustration style. I wanted not only to depict each bird accurately, but I wanted to convey something of their individual personalities as well. I chose to portray the birds in flight, as this is when they seem most vital and alive - and all too often, flight is something we humans take away from birds in our care.  
See below for detail images of individual birds featured on the poster (and a few extras!)
Open edition prints of individual birds available here
Limited edition prints of compiled poster coming soon. 

Baltimore Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Redwinged Blackbird
Redwinged Blackbird
Cedar Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing
Downy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Female Northern Cardinal
Female Northern Cardinal
Dark-Eyed Junco
Dark-Eyed Junco
Blue Jay
Blue Jay
American Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
House Finch
House Finch
Merlin
Merlin
Red Breasted Nuthatch
Red Breasted Nuthatch
Mourning Dove
Mourning Dove
American Robin
American Robin
American Crow
American Crow
Chipping Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Common Grackle
Common Grackle
White Breasted Nuthatch
White Breasted Nuthatch
Purple Finch
Purple Finch
Yellow Shafted Northern Flicker
Yellow Shafted Northern Flicker
House Wren
House Wren
Ruby Throated Hummingbird
Ruby Throated Hummingbird
White Crowned Sparrow
White Crowned Sparrow
European Starling
European Starling
House Sparrow
House Sparrow
Hermit Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Male Northern Cardinal
Male Northern Cardinal
Hairy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Black Capped Chickadee
Black Capped Chickadee
Brown Headed Cowbird
Brown Headed Cowbird