Merganser Family Along the Poudre Susan E. Quinlan Paine asked when he was

Paine asked when he was studying the intertidal life along the Washington coast

Original watercolor by Susan E

Seven magpies gathered around a fallen tree on a Colorado hillside along the front range of the Rocky Mountains

Photo by Bud Lehnhausen

I see flocks of them most often in fall after their young have fledged and always wonder what sort of mischief they are up to

Merganser Family Along the Poudre Susan E. Quinlan Paine asked when he wasAny encounter with a single one of these fish eating ducks is a treat, but I immediately envisioned a painting when I had the good fortune in midsummer to observe a Common Merganser female leading her brood of ducklings along the edge of the Poudre River. On that same outing, I noticed a monarch butterfly visiting the nearby flowers of swamp milkweed. So I combined these sightings in memory of a particularly delightful summer day. Original: 15 x 30