Reasons 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20

Reason No. 15

of 55 Reasons to Take Care of Mother Earth:
Healthy Food From Beautiful Farmlands

photo copyright 2010 Susan Faye

Reason No. 16

of 55 Reasons to Take Care of Mother Earth:
The Song of a Red-Winged Blackbird

photo copyright 2010 Susan Faye

Reason No. 17

of 55 Reasons to Take Care of Mother Earth:
Thriving Wetlands

photo copyright 2010 Susan Faye

Reason No. 18

of 55 Reasons to Take Care of Mother Earth:
Dusky Canada Geese

photo copyright 2010 Susan Faye

Reason No. 19

of 55 Reasons to Take Care of Mother Earth:
Great Blue Herons

photo copyright 2010 Susan Faye

Reason No. 20

of 55 Reasons to Take Care of Mother Earth:
A Favorite Swimming Hole

photo copyright 2010 Susan Faye

All of these photos were taken on a glorious autumn day last week at the Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. The 2,492 acre refuge sits in the middle of Willamette Valley farmlands and was created to provide vital wintering habitat for dusky Canada geese, the smallest of the Canada geese sub-species. They nest on Alaska's Copper River Delta and winter almost exclusively in the Willamette Valley.

See that dark cloud in the last photo? No, that's not a swarm of locusts, it's GEESE, all honking with wild abandon! You haven't lived until you've heard several hundred geese all honking at once right over your head. You can't help but laugh out loud.

Over the next few weeks I will be posting photos or artwork of 55 reasons why I think it's a good idea to take care of Mother Earth. If you find any of my 55 reasons compelling, please consider making a small donation if you can: 55 cents, $1.55, 5.50, or $55.00 (you get the drift...) to the Susan Faye Double Nickel Birthday Fund for Mother Nature to benefit the Nature Conservancy.

Your donation will support the many programs of the Nature Conservancy, an efficient and effective organization that has been working around the world for 60 years to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. My goal is to raise $550 to help with their important work.

If you would like to donate, please click here:
Double Nickel Fund

Thanks for stopping by!

Bee Nice To Your Planet...Your Earth-Mates Will Thank You

Some beautiful earth-mates I had the pleasure of meeting over the past few days:

At the Woodburn, Oregon, Tulip Festival: A Picture-Perfect Pollinator

At the Tualatin River National Wildlife Preserve: A Handsome Bald Eagle

Also at the Tualatin River: A Flirtatious Pair of Tree Swallows

All photos copyright 2009 Susan Faye. Do not reproduce without permission. Thanks!

Happy Earth Day!

I'M SO GLAD IT'S SPRING...

...and boy, am I glad! The daffodils are blooming, the tulips aren't far behind, and all of our feathered friends are finding their way back to our bird feeders after their winter vacation in sunnier climes....

"I'm So Glad It's Spring" is the title of this watercolor painting of a White-Crowned Sparrow , and I'm happy to report that the painting is currently winging its way to its new home Missoula, Montana, having just sold yesterday at Lawrence Gallery Sheridan (thank you Margot!). To celebrate, there will be extra suet for all this week, maybe the fancy peanut delight kind...

Thanks for visiting!


"I'm So Glad It's Spring" is also available as a limited edition print at my Etsy Shop.

Each print is personally signed and numbered by me, and is printed on Epson 100 percent cotton rag acid-free art paper with archival quality inks using a "giclee" (ink-jet) process. The image itself measures 9-1/2" x 12-1/2" and is matted in white, ready to frame in a standard 16" x 20" frame. The edition is limited to 200 prints.

Featured Painting: "TWO DAYS 'TIL SPRING"

HAPPY SPRING! There's nothing more cheerful than seeing a flock of a dozen or more American Robins descend to a sunny meadow to hunt and peck for juicy worms...

This original watercolor painting is of a "robin red-breast" that I spotted at the Baskett Slough two days before spring arrived one year. The Baskett Slough is a wonderful wildlife preserve in the middle of farm country here in Oregon. To find out more about the preserve, check out this link: Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge.

It is painted on Arches 140 lb. Cold Press Watercolor Paper with professional high quality watercolor paints. The image is 14" x 10" and is matted in off-white in a standard 16" by 20" size, ready for framing.

This painting is for sale on my Etsy site : www.SusanFaye.etsy.com

Thanks for visiting!

Featured Print: "I'M SO GLAD IT'S SPRING"

Okay, okay...the official first day of spring is still a week or so away, but there are daffodils and crocus blooming everywhere in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, with the tulips right behind, just on the verge of bursting out.

This watercolor painting is called "I'm So Glad It's Spring " and features a White-Crowned Sparrow and two brilliant red tulips. On the bird watching front, I'm excited to report that I saw a pair of Downy Woodpeckers for the very first time last week, just outside my front door in the fir tree, enjoying some suet that I put out. To find out more about this pretty little bug eater visit this link: Downy Woodpecker

"I'm So Glad It's Spring" is available as a limited edition print at my ebay auctions, (auction ends March 20 at 6:59 pm). Each print is personally signed and numbered by me, and is printed on Epson 100 percent cotton rag acid-free art paper with archival quality inks using a "giclee" (ink-jet) process. The image itself measures 9-1/2" x 12-1/2" and is matted in off-white, ready to frame in a standard 16" x 20" frame, and retails for $75 plus shipping. The edition is limited to 200 prints.

Thanks for visiting! Susan Faye

Featured Gift Item - TAKE WING TOTE BAG

This extra-roomy tote bag features my watercolor of a soaring raptor--perhaps a Golden Eagle or a Red-Tailed Hawk--from my "Mother Nature" series.

This 100% cotton eco-friendly canvas tote bag has plenty of room to carry everything you need when you are on the go. It includes a bottom gusset and extra long handles for easy carrying. Use it for shopping and you'll help the environment!

• 10 oz heavyweight natural canvas fabric
• Full side and bottom gusset
• 22" reinforced self-fabric handles
• Machine washable
• Measures 15" x 18" x 6"

It retails for $15.99. I have over 40 tote bag designs to choose from that you can find at this link: TOTE BAGS.

Thanks for visiting!

Featured Photos- BIRD COUNT BIRDS

As mentioned earlier this week, I enjoyed participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count in February. I was able to take pictures of many of the Countees and submitted several photos to the website. I was thrilled to discover that two of these photos were chosen for the GBBC Gallery!!! Included were this photo of a handsome Steller's Jay radiating blue in the morning sunlight, and the close-up of a male and female pair of Evening Grosbeaks enjoying their breakfast together at one of our feeders. To view the 2008 Photo Gallery click on this link: GBBC Photo Gallery


This is another photo I took that day of just a small portion of the maple tree that was FILLED with close to 30 Evening Grosbeaks enjoying the early morning sun, all happily cheeping and chirping! What a sight and sound treat!

Thanks for visiting!


The Great Backyard Bird Count is led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, with sponsorship from Wild Birds Unlimited. For more information visit the website at:http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/

Featured Print: "Such A Pretty Day"

Spring is just around the corner here in Oregon! The daffodils are starting to open in the valleys, so the tulips and the goldfinches can't be far behind.

I participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count two weekends ago and counted birds in the Coastal Hills north of Willamina-which is a beautiful mix of woodlands and conifer forest.

There were juncoes, robins, towhees, song sparrows, a varied thrush, chickadees, nuthatches, stellar jays, mourning doves, and best of all, a flock of 40 evening grosbeaks (watch for photos in a future post). To see the results of the Bird Count for your own neighborhood, visit this site:
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/

This watercolor painting is called "Such a Pretty Day" and it is available as a limited edition print at my ebay auctions, (auction ends March 4) and also on t-shirts, note cards, and giftware at Susan Faye for Nature Lovers

Thanks for visiting! Susan Faye