Chickadee Friend

Jada Fitch's Bird Obsession. A collection of her bird art and photography. Most photos are taken in Downeast, Maine.

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Excited to share the new logo I created for The International Crane Foundation's "I Give a Whoop" campaign. What a super fun project! Loved working on this guy. Cranes are the coolest.

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Excited to share my friend Adrienne's new pro-bird social media account! Follow When There Were Birds and learn some fantastic ways to help out birds. (I did the logo😄)

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Northern Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)

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Northern parulas are back in Downeast, Maine! Heard at least 3 singing in my yard this morning. Just as I'm finishing up painting a pair. Warbler season is the best.

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Long-wattled Umbrellabird (Cephalopterus penduliger) "The Long-wattled Umbrellabird inhabits lowland forests and humid foothills of rugged mountains like the ones of Calima El Darién. Surveys indicate that deforestation and hunting may be taking a toll, leaving the species vulnerable." ~ María Paula Rubiano A. Audubon Magazine.

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Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) "The biggest eagle in Bolivia is also one of the largest raptors on the planet. The Harpy Eagle persists in tiny populations in intact humid forests in Amazonian and Andean foothills like Loma Santa, where the birds perch and hunt within the canopy, rarely flying above it." ~ María Paula Rubiano A. Audubon Magazine.

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Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix) Latin American bird number three for this year's spring issue of Audubon Magazine.

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Black-and-chestnut Eagle (Spizaetus isidori) Another Latin American bird for Audubon Magazine! Dream job.

"The endangered Black-and-chestnut Eagle, also known as Isidor’s Eagle, hunts small mammals and birds in the steep mountains of the new preserve. Habitat loss in the Andean cloud forests combined with ongoing persecution by poultry farmers have driven the population to as few as 1,400 individuals today." ~ María Paula Rubiano A. “5 Projects Transforming the Prospects for Birds and People in Latin America”

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It's not often I get a chance to draw some fun tropical birds. Huge thanks to National Audubon for the excellent assignment. The great green macaw (Ara ambiguus) is the first of 5 birds I illustrated for the article titled, "5 Projects Transforming the Prospects for Birds and People in Latin America", by By María Paula Rubiano A. in the latest spring issue. "The raucous calls of critically endangered Great Green Macaws carry throughout COCOMASUR’s lowland forests. The parrots can be spotted from Honduras to western Ecuador. Increasing ecotourism to and connectivity among forests may help shield them from the illegal cage bird trade and habitat loss" ~ Audubon Magazine

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New warblers poster in the works...

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They're baaaack. (Woodcocks in Maine)

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Dusky Crimsonwing (Cryptospiza jacksoni) A recent watercolor commission. It's always fun getting to paint a bird species from afar. This estrildid finch is native to the montane forests of the Albertine Rift in east-central Africa. And I have to admit, red and black is my favorite color combo to rock, too.

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Very excited to share the blue-headed vireo cover art I was commissioned to create for the Maine Bird Atlas, a project that has been many years in the making. I also spent very many hours counting birds and contributing data to this important effort.

After three years of editing by an incredible team—Glen Mittelhauser and Logan Parker (MNHO), Adrienne Leppold and Amy Meehan McLaughlin (MDIFW), Evan Adams (BRI), and Doug Hitchcox (Maine Audubon)—along with contributions from 75 authors, 69 photographers, and data from over 7,000 volunteers, the final draft has been submitted to the University of Maine Press for publication.

Huge thank you to the Maine Natural History Observatory, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, Biodiversity Research Institute, Maine Audubon, and everyone who contributed to this fantastic project. It is a tremendous accomplishment for all involved, and I feel honored to be asked to create the cover art. Looking forward to holding the finished book in my hands.

Please follow Maine Natural History Observatory for behind-the-scenes updates and pre-ordering information in the months ahead.

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Ruffed grouse, aka partridge, aka mountain pheasant, aka wood chicken, aka pine hen, aka the drummer (Bonada umbellus).

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DECEMBER Bears den and hares turn snowy white

"Nights turn sharp and clear, the sky ablaze with stars. Bears and skunks are cozy in their dens, burning fat reserves, while porcupines are courting and mating, leaving their communal dens to gnaw on the inner bark of trees. Turtles and some frogs are buried in mud under ponds. The forest is waiting for snow.

Some years snowy owls show up in large numbers from Canada, resting in open fields, dunes, even on airstrips. Winter finches like pine grosbeaks may push south, too, common in the Northeast one year, absent the next, as they follow good cone crops. A hundred noisy pine siskins might zip around with buzzy chitter-chatter, hanging upside down to pick conifer cones and visiting bird feeders.

Balsam fir’s sloped tiers will pile up with snow, then shed it. Hares will hide under its boughs. The fragrant resin that oozes from the trunk can treat cuts and sores and, during wildfires, also makes trees burst into flames." -Kateri Kosek from The Forest Revealed

December already. The evening grosbeaks are here. Making up for their absence last winter, and emptying the bird feeders. Here's some details and sketches from this month's page in The Forest Revealed. Also, huge thank you to Northern Woodlands Magazine for including the December pages from the book in the new issue! Posters of each month and signed copies of the book are available in my ETSY SHOP. (FYI, if you order the book through Etsy, it comes with a coloring sheet, a bookmark and a pocket magnifying glass)

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! 2025 Couldn't decided on a color scheme, so here's four.

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THE FOREST REVEALED POSTERS! now available in my ETSY SHOP sold individually, or as a set of all 12 illustrations.

Bring the beauty of Northeastern North America’s forests into your home all year long with these colorful art prints. Each poster features a richly detailed watercolor illustration of the plants, animals, and fungi you might encounter in a specific month, from the quiet snow-covered landscapes of January and December to the vibrant blooms and wildlife of May and June.

This collection includes all twelve months, each centered around a tree or stump native to the region, and showcases dozens of species, birds, mammals, fungi, and plants, carefully numbered with names listed at the bottom of each poster for easy reference.