On a bright September morning, Kate and I stopped on the access road to Drake’s island, just north of Wells, Maine. We were looking for a small flock of white ibis. A branch of Wells harbor passed under the bridge, and when we looked upstream there were the dowitchers, probing the sand for breakfast with their long beaks. Four greater yellowlegs were swimming, splashing and herding small schools of silverside minnows in the center of the pool.
Later, in the grassland to the left, we did spot the elusive white ibis. They were at some distance, so I couldn’t get any painting reference, but it was a first for us to see them.
Short-billed dowitcher pair is an acrylic painted on a 16 x 16 inch wood panel. Along with 25 other originals, it’s for sale here.
