Birds in the Wooded Dunes on Lake Michigan

In the wooded dunes along Lake Michigan some birds are preparing for winter.  The tufted titmouse hammers seeds into the bark of trees for times when they will be hard to find.  Woodpeckers fatten on insects found in the bark of trees.

I painted this watercolor of a woods near my home.  We see pileated woodpeckers that remind me of the cartoon Woody Woodpecker.  When I was a kid, I loved that cartoon.  A dead tree recently fell and it was filled with large holes made by the pileated woodpeckers.  When they are at work on a tree their loud hammering resounds through the woods. Their calls sound like tropical birds. But I did not paint that sort of woodpecker.  Pictured is the downy woodpecker that we often see and the tufted titmouse that often hangs out with chickadees. These birds will stay with us for the winter.

Partridge in the Wooded Dunes.

This partridge would not fly away but kept walking in front of our vehicle.  She must have been protecting her nest.  It's great to see new life around the wooded dunes of the Great Lakes.