Last view of Ithaca

Golden Swallow

Golden Swallows (Tachycineta euchrysea) are tiny, gold-green birds native to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. They are classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and no one knows exactly why their numbers are dropping. Fortunately, the little swallows seem to be amenable to nesting in recently-installed boxes, giving reachers an accessible way to study them and a better chance of figuring out the problem. 

Researcher Justin Proctor (of Cornell's Golondrinas de las Americas project) asked me to paint some Golden Swallow illustrations, which he plans to use as part of his conservation outreach efforts. Here are a couple of the preliminary sketches.

The dock

I've been spending a lot of time on and around docks lately.