Birds of Palomarin | LarissaBabiczArt

Birds of Palomarin

Dimensions: 27.5 x 39.5"
Materials: Soft Pastel on Pastelmat Board
Price: $6,500.00
Custom framed by Dan's Camera City
Prints available here
Original available here

"Palomarin is a transformative experience," I was told when I first started my bird banding apprenticeship with Point Blue Conservation Science. They were jokingly referring to poison oak exposure - there is so much of it growing around the field station that most people end up being allergic to it by the end of the season. However, for me the apprenticeship was "transformative" in many other ways.

I came to the Palomarin Field Station in the spring of 2022, expecting to learn how to run a field station, be a bird bander, and see some cool birds - then move on. I was in a bad place, mentally. I had just spent several months at home in a very stressful environment, and I really just wanted to get away. This would at least be fun, I thought. What I wasn't prepared for in the slightest was the overwhelming kindness and patience of the people at the station. I slowly learned to relax, gained some confidence, and for the first time felt like I had a purpose. I completely fell in love with the place - the station, the birds, the amazing scenery of Point Reyes, and the ocean!

Towards the end of my nearly eight-month-long stay at Palomarin, I started to think about art, and how I could possibly create a piece that might summarize our season. Sure, I had a few species in mind that I wanted to draw. But somehow, each one seemed like a betrayal to all the other birds I worked with. The idea of drawing all 78 species seemed ridiculous at first - it would take months! But I was already taking the winter off to do some thinking, and I always found that the best way to do that was by drawing at the same time.

The drawing you see here took a total of about 200-250 hours to complete, stretched out over about five months. I truly enjoyed every moment I spent working on it, as each bird brought back so, so many memories - the fidgety Song Sparrows that I struggled to hold onto, the sweet Wilson's Warblers that were always so cooperative, the flock of Oregon Juncos (or "junkies" as we so lovingly referred to them) that lived around the station, and of course my capstone project that involved illustrating woodpecker molt limits (yes, that flying Downy Woodpecker can be micro-aged as a SY/TY bird!). Included are all 78 bird species that we caught, banded, and released from February 14 until October 5, 2022. I also added our phenology plants - plants that we monitored over the course of the season to record changes such as timing of breaking leaf buds, flowers, and fruits.

Species included in this drawing:

Western Wood-pewee

Western Tanager

Tennessee Warbler

Hutton’s Vireo

House Finch

Brown-headed Cowbird

Nuttall’s Woodpecker

Chipping Sparrow

American Goldfinch

Hooded Warbler

American Crow

Pygmy Nuthatch

Hooded Oriole

Downy Woodpecker

Varied Thrush

Pacific Wren

Rufous Hummingbird

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Anna’s Hummingbird

Hermit Thrush

California Quail

Northern Waterthrush

Marsh Wren

Black-headed Grosbeak

MaGillivray’s Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Cooper’s Hawk

Fox Sparrow

American Redstart

Wilson’s Warbler

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Townsend’s Warbler

Purple Finch

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

California Scrub-jay

Lesser Goldfinch

Red-shouldered Hawk

American Robin

Hairy Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Common Yellowthroat

Black Phoebe

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Swainson’s Thrush

Warbling Vireo

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Northern Flicker

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Hermit Warbler

Oregon Junco

Pacific-slope Flycatcher

Allen’s Hummingbird

Violet-green Swallow

Pine Siskin

European Starling

Orange-crowned Warbler

Cassin’s Vireo

Mourning Dove

Bullock’s Oriole

Brown Creeper

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Barn Swallow

Spotted Towhee

Band-tailed Pigeon

California Towhee

Western Bluebird

Song Sparrow

Steller’s Jay

Tree Swallow

Bushtit

Savannah Sparrow

Bewick’s Wren

Wrentit

White-crowned Sparrow

Lazuli Bunting

Lincoln’s Sparrow

Monkeyflower

Red Alder

Live Oak

Coyotebrush

California Blackberry

Arroyo Willow

Pacific Poison Oak

Douglas Fir

In order to help support Point Blue Conservation Science and their fabulous work, I will be donating 40% of the profit from this piece to them. If you choose to purchase this drawing, you will be helping to support vital conservation projects! Check out this organization here, and please consider leaving a donation if you can.