I have always loved watching birds. Growing up, my grandparents had a bird feeder just outside a window by their kitchen island, and I could spend ages sitting nearby, watching the countless birds that came to visit. I would ask my grandparents about the ones I didn't recognize, slowly learning their names and noticing the little things that made each one unique.
Those memories are what inspired my Field Notes series—a collection born from a lifelong love of birds and the simple joy of stopping to notice them. I’m adding to the series one bird at a time, and when the American Goldfinch began visiting our own backyard, I knew they were going to be next.
There is something hard to miss about an American Goldfinch. The male's brilliant yellow plumage and black markings seem almost too bright to be real, especially when you catch one perched among the greenery. But I wanted to capture both the male and female, whose softer coloring offers a lovely contrast and a reminder that nature is full of its own subtle variations.
This piece is my little way of celebrating a bird that has become a familiar sight in our backyard, while also carrying forward those much older memories of watching birds beside my grandparents.
A little piece of nature, inspired by the birds that make us pause and look a little closer.
Pairs well with Sialia Sialis.
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