There Goes the Neighborhood II
40 x 30 acrylic on wood panel
Dogwood branches with indigo buntings and scarlet tanagers.
This painting is part of a series that investigates the impact of hurricane Helene on bird diversity in the Hickory Nut Gorge.
Hurricane Helene caused changes in the density and maturity of the tree canopy in the Hickory Nut Gorge. There has been a resulting species shift, which is even evident at my Bat Cave home.
Scarlet Tanagers thrive in large, mature, deciduous forests with continuous canopy. Indigo buntings thrive in clearings, and in open deciduous forest. In the areas impacted by Helene, which lost 30 - 90 percent of their tree canopy, including many old growth trees, scarlet tanagers are moving out in search of deeper more mature forests, while species, like the indigo bunting are thriving in the newly opened areas.
Indigo buntings used to be a very rare sight in my neighborhood and in fact have been in decline. They are now more prevalent at my Bat Cave Cabin. They show up daily on my Merlin app and I catch a glimpse of these illusive birds here and there.
