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Dana Richards

@danemerry

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California Watercolorist.

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Back to birds! This little guy has a delightful name and gorgeous bright blue & turquoise feathers. The Splendid Fairywren is indigenous to Australia and hops around with his tail cocked up at a jaunty angle. The male brings pink and purple petals to the female during courtship! Bird no. 34 #splendidfairywren #birdadaychallenge #birdaday2026 by @danemerry

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2 months ago

More World Cup action. With a population of about 156,000, Curaçao is the smallest nation to qualify for the tournament. Fans around the world were thrilled when they scored a goal against Germany! To put things into perspective, San Francisco, California has a current population of 826,000 and Germany’s national population is approximately 83.5 million! #curaçaoworldcup2026 #curaçaoworldcup #worldwatercolormonth2026 by @danemerry

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2 months ago

Another sketch of a “flying” World Cup soccer player - love Japan’s team name! #samuraiblue #worldcup2026art #worldwatercolormonth2026 by @danemerry

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3 months ago

I’m taking a brief break from sketching birds to sketch a few World Cup soccer players. It’s great fun to pick out action photos and see if I can recreate them in watercolor & ink. #worldcup2026art #oranje by @danemerry

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3 months ago

A recent headline in SFGATE, a digital news website, reads “Impossibly rare tropical bird swooped over California “. Sighted off the Mendocino Coast, it turned out to be a Red-billed Tropicbird normally found in much warmer locales. As climate change continues to warm our oceans, maybe a Red-billed Tropicbird will swoop over the Monterey Bay someday! I was smitten by his “impossibly “ long tail feathers. Bird no. 33. #birdadaychallenge #redbilledtropicbird #worldwatercolormonth2026 by @danemerry

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3 months ago

This cheery little bird is a Magnolia Warbler sporting a fancy black necklace - Stylin’ ! Bird no. 32 #magnoliawarbler #birdadaychallenge #birdaday by @danemerry

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4 months ago

On a recent hike at Garrapata State Park, we were treated to the sight of two Turkey Vultures spreading their wings to warm up in the late afternoon sun that broke through the dark clouds after an unseasonable day of rain. Their wings glowed in the peachy light of sunset! Scroll to see photos of these magnificent birds. Bird no. 31 #turkeyvultures #garrapatastatepark by @danemerry

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4 months ago

2 Western Tanagers stopped by our Bottlebrush flowers to feast on the nectar. What cheerful birds to add to my life list for my home!

I tried sketching this bird using colored pencils. It was fun to try blending the colors but I missed the vibrancy I get with watercolor. Bird no. 30 #birdaday #westerntanager by @danemerry

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4 months ago

Mark Bittner wrote a memoir titled “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill … a love story with Wings” that described the antics of a wild flock of Cherry-headed Conures he befriended. Over time the flock has grown to over 300 birds. This sketch is from Bittner’s favorite of the many photos he took. “Upside Down Parrot” is now part of the wild parrot archive at the San Francisco Public Library. In 2023 the Wild Parrots were designated the official animal of San Francisco, beating out the Sea Lions at Pier 39 in a poll run by the SF Chronicle! Bird no. 29 #birdaday #sfwildparrots #cherryheadedconure #markbittner by @danemerry

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5 months ago

Manfred Kusch, birder extraordinaire & my former neighbor on Strathgordon Ranch, took this photo of a Jamaican Mango Hummingbird in early April. He said “Quite dark and unremarkable when at rest, it shows its beautiful colors& iridescence when it engages in a typical (male) hummingbird stretch. Thanks for sharing your remarkable photos, Manfred! Bird no. 28. #birdadaychallenge #birdaday #jamaicanmangohummingbird by @danemerry

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5 months ago

Recently a flock of 6-8 tiny Bushtits discovered our suet feeder. They prospected & mined for embedded seeds & nuts in one group like an industrious mob. It looked like controlled chaos! The Bushtits are a welcome addition to our “Suet Feeder List”! Bird no. 27 #birdadaychallenge #birdaday #bushtits by @danemerry

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5 months ago

Time for a colorful antidote to the grey rainy weather we’ve been having! by @danemerry

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5 months ago