Tag Archives: Birding

Milly has joined the Museum’s Bird-A-Thon Team!

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Sean K.

Milly is super excited to be one of the newest members of the Museum of American Bird Art’s Bird-a-Thon! With Milly on board, it is officially a raccoon approved super team!

Bird-a-Thon is an annual state-wide fundraising and birding event for Mass Audubon that began in 1983. Each spring birders from all over the state raise money to protect the nature of Massachusetts and count as many bird species as they can during a 24-hour period in mid-May.

If you’d like to help support Milly raise money for Bird-a-Thon, please visit her personal fundraising page here.

While we stay at home and social distance, the nature of Massachusetts and Mass Audubon still need your help and support, so Mass Audubon has figured out a way to keep this amazing fundraising event going while we continue to stay safe. This year’s Bird-a-Thon will be the first zero emissions Bird-at-home-a-thon. From May 15-16, birders from all over the state will be counting species in their yards and also participating in arts and crafts and other fun ways to score points for their teams. For more information on how you can donate or join a team like Milly did click here.

Taking Flight: An International Youth Bird Art ONLINE EXHIBITION featuring Eleanor Smith

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Sean K.

We are so inspired by the amazingly talented young bird artists that are exhibiting in this year’s Taking Flight exhibition. Since we all have to be isolated to stay safe, we wanted to bring you a virtual exhibit and a little background about the artists. We still hope to have a physical exhibition of the original art, but we want to share this wonderful work now.

Today, we feature Eleanor Smith and her artwork, Northern Harrier. She is 16 and lives in Utah.

Artist’s Message

“Without a doubt, there are relatively few animals more majestic than birds of prey. Whenever I watch Northern Harriers fly overhead, I am captivated by their graceful beauty. I wanted to convey this power and gracefulness in my piece, ‘Northern Harrier’.” ~ Eleanor Smith

Eleanor Smith (Age, 16)

I’ve been making art since I was just little, but I didn’t really get serious about it until middle school. One of my favorite things about art is exploring new media.

I love to experiment with new and unconventional art forms like paperclay sculpture or block printing. 

Growing up in Utah has given me access to a unique natural environment. I love being outdoors, and most of my art is influenced by the nature around me. I especially love drawing birds; when I was in elementary school, I would spend hours walking around the lake near our house and looking for sandhill cranes and pheasants. My dad, an avid birder, would help me identify different birds, and I would use field guides to draw the birds I saw. Even today, I’m fascinated by the diversity and beauty of wildlife.