
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.
Limited edition prints of compiled poster coming soon.

Baltimore Oriole

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

Redwinged Blackbird

Cedar Waxwing

Downy Woodpecker

Female Northern Cardinal

Dark-Eyed Junco

Blue Jay

American Goldfinch

House Finch

Merlin

Red Breasted Nuthatch

Mourning Dove

American Robin

American Crow

Chipping Sparrow

Common Grackle

White Breasted Nuthatch

Purple Finch

Yellow Shafted Northern Flicker

House Wren

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

White Crowned Sparrow

European Starling

House Sparrow

Hermit Thrush

Male Northern Cardinal

Hairy Woodpecker

Black Capped Chickadee
