Cherrywood with Juncos

One of the most common birds of the northern coniferous forests is the dark-eyed junco, which incidentally, used to be called the slate-coloured junco. It is, however, seldom noticed in its home territory. Most people are familiar with this little grey bird when it appears in a flock in the southern part of its range during winter. Juncos come down to the snow-covered farmland to feed on the seeds from the crops and the weeds in roadsides and fields. They are one of the most common birds at feeding stations.

In this painting, I have shown the juncos hopping about the base of my woodpile. For some reason, several large black cherry trees died. These cherry trees produced excellent firewood, but it seemed almost a pity to burn it as it has such a lovely, fine grain and rusty golden glow as well as being a wonderful wood for carving.