#3017 "Singleton Turbulent Stratocumulus April Sunset"

#3017 "Singleton Turbulent Stratocumulus April Sunset"
20 X 24 (inches). Started Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026

The sunset on Sunday, April 19th, 2026, was simply awesome. It was 7:37 in the evening, and we bathed in the twilight colours amid the ballet of clouds tumbling along in the northwesterly winds. Backlit clouds can appear very different depending on their optical thickness. The cold front had passed through in the morning with a trace of snow. Chilly northwesterly winds heralded the approach of clearing skies associated with the high-pressure area. Those cloud streets of turbulent stratocumulus would set with the sun. 

The cloud streets follow the wind and are not necessarily straight lines, obeying the influences of a varying terrain and somewhat chaotic convection. Other data sources can reveal the finer details. It is not essential to know the science to embrace the sunset, but as a meteorologist, I have always enjoyed digging deeper to appreciate the fundamental truths of nature's light show. The Nighttime Microphysics RGB (lower left) reveals subtle details of upslope and downslope flows. The ENVI (ENhanced VIsible Project of the early 1980s (lower right) was an effort to reveal important information in the sunrise and sunset horizons. Satellite data was very new then, and I realized that the details of the weather could be revealed if one only enhanced the raw signal to witness them. I got a lot of "push-back". 

3D Water Vapour (WV) imagery mentioned in the following graphic was my dream since I first used water vapour imagery to solve operational forecast challenges in the mid 1980s. I could "see" the meteorological processes at work on the grainy, flat, black and white satellite imagery, but had to do a lot of hand waving to explain the patterns to others. Not everyone believed me... Others did not even care. 

With WV imagery, cold water vapour surfaces are very icy and high in the atmosphere. Warm and dry surfaces are very low in the atmosphere. If we could just display the “temperature” of the WV imagery along a vertical axis, we could see three-dimensional shapes that closely approximate the adiabatic (constant energy) surfaces that atmospheric conveyor belts (the weather) prefer to follow. 

I shared these visions with my co-workers at COMET in Boulder, Colorado. It may have taken a couple of hours, but my friends had the tools and in 2011 produced the first 3D WV image ever (graphic to the right). When presented with a challenge, my COMET friends didn’t ask “why” or "how much it might cost". The response was always “why not!” We worked together toward making the product a reality. There were no obstacles – only challenges to overcome. The first 3D WV Animation can be seen here. I officially retired in 2012 and then again in 2020 with COVID. I had continued my research and presentations with COMET and NOMEK (EUMETSAT) until all support from EC completely dried up. In reality, a meteorologist never really retires, as we live in the laboratory 24/7. 

The following graphic describes some of the reasons that this sunset was translated into oils. Pictures can be worth thousands of words and a lot of hand-waving. 

The light can stream through the clouds, making some of those wisps of moisture brilliant and alive with light. Thicker cloud elements can block that light, so they appear dark in their central masses and look foreboding with the approaching night. The dark elements are haloed by the bright light that penetrates through the wispy cloud edges. 

The colours are a mix of blues and purples. I used all of the pigments at my disposal. The challenge of bringing the clouds to life while staying true to the meteorology was worth taking on. 

Meanwhile, the surface of Singleton Lake was streaked by Langmuir streaks shaped by the winds that stirred the sky. The atmospheric ocean is just another fluid, like the waters of the lake and the oils on my palette. 

The brushwork also had to be painterly. The following collage includes a few of the steps on this particular journey. 

Studio paintings can take weeks or even months to complete, in sharp contrast to the fifteen minutes to an hour devoted to plein air impressions. I much prefer to be outside, surrounded by the inspiration, but the comforts and music found in the Studio can be seductive as well. There are no biting bugs in the Studio. I have yet to freeze my hands with the wood stove on. 

In either situation, the painting is another step on my artistic journey. No one knows quite where that trek will lead or when it might end. The goal is to enjoy the ride and always strive for your very best in your own eyes. Every day and every painting is a gift just waiting to be discovered. 

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint Collection. Thank you for reading, and stay well!

Warmest regards, and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick  

#3016 "Singleton Pioneer Garden Shed"

#3016 "Singleton Pioneer Garden Shed"
11 X 14 (inches).
Started Sunday, April 19th, 2026

This painting completes the pioneer trilogy inspired by a stroll around the Singleton Pioneer Barn on Groundhog Day 2026. The triplets include this painting as well as #2997 "Singleton Pioneer Cedar Rail Coral" and #2998 "Singleton Split Cedar Fence". Together, they tell a story that was written only a century ago, when people lived more in harmony with nature and the land. Much has changed, but not for the better, as governments roll back hard-won environmental laws and "stomp on nature" for personal profit. 

Captain Justus Sherwood was sent by the governor of Quebec in 1783 to scout out potential locations for settling Loyalist refugees from the American War of Independence  (1775 – 1783). Sherwood dismissed the forty-mile stretch of terrain north of the Thousand Islands between Elizabethtown and Kingston as "exceedingly bad, being a constant succession of stoney ledges and sunken swamps, altogether unfit for cultivation....". 

Sherwood's fellow officer, Lieutenant Gershom French, led by First Nations guides, travelled up the Ottawa River that same summer. They explored the Rideau River to its headwaters, and then portaged to scout the possibilities for settlement along the Gananoque River. They would have paddled through Singleton Lake right past our home. His conclusion was equally bleak: "From our entrance in the River Gananoncoui (near Lyndhurst/Furnace Falls) to its fall into the St. Lawrence, I did not discover as much good land conveniently situated as would serve one Farmer." 

Such were the 1783 descriptions of where we would call home in 2006. The explorers could not see the true nature of the landscape. 

Another 1795 survey crew attempting to locate a path for a canal that would avoid the American threat camped at Singleton Lake and produced map Number 4 below for the Gananoque Canal Plan. They referred to the fast current in front of our home as "Jem Dey's Rapids". Luckily, that Gananoque River alternative to the Rideau Canal never got built. How that name of the rapids originated or morphed into "Jim Day Rapids" might never be known. 

The evaluations of the late 1700s missed the reality of the land, which now comprises the Frontenac Arch Biosphere. Singleton Lake is right in the middle of that natural paradise. The Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designated in 2002. It is one of just 16 biosphere reserves in Canada. The environment and nature of the region are truly unique, and our efforts are all designed to preserve that and even make it better. 

As alluded to above, nature and the environment remain underappreciated and under assault. The Alto high-speed rail project is being pushed through to move people from just a few communities at the "important" ends of the line in Quebec City, Ottawa, and Toronto at speeds up to 300 km/h. The goal is to perhaps save an hour or so of travelling time while callously wasting everything in between. 

Those who might afford to be on that train will only see a blur of destruction. Under the banner of "Nation Building Progress", Alto is Canada’s next budget bomb that will destroy the environment in its path in the process. Shame. Alto must be stopped. The global track record for high-speed projects in North America is bleak. To ignore others' experiences would be foolish, but that is the arrogance of governments and politicians. 

This Alto story reminds me of the Titanic disaster of 1912.  Despite receiving multiple wireless warnings from other vessels about drifting ice, Captain E.J. Smith maintained the ship's high speed (approx. 22 knots) through the night. The Chairman and Managing Director of the White Star Line discussed speeding up with Captain Smith to generate favourable press for arriving early. Careful and timely deliberation is required much more than speed. 

Life in the Alto "fast lane" is not what it is built up to be. One can live much better while really seeing and appreciating if one moves placidly surrounded by nature. 

Jim Day Rapids still looks the same in 2026 as it did 250 years ago. Here is how it looked in 1922.

We purchased the property from Fred's son John in 2006, promising to be good stewards of the land and nature. Promises sealed with a handshake still mean something... I wish we had the resources to steward more land... If my art ever goes viral, that is what I plan to do. 

The following collage depicts some of the steps required to get this story on a canvas. 

For this and much more art, click on Fine Art America or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint Collection. Thank you for reading, and stay well!

Warmest regards, and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick  

#3014 "Eastern Phoebe Returns Home"

#3014 "Eastern Phoebe Returns Home" 
11x14 inches. Started Monday, April 13th, 2026.

I could not resist another painting of a bird perched on dried, winter grasses. This image was taken by my friend, John Verburg, a naturalist and terrific photographer. John provides a tremendous source of inspiration that encourages me to paint within the Singleton Studio when conditions outside are not conducive to plein air. It was a very wet week in April, and the Eastern Phoebes had just returned home to Singleton. 

We look for their return every spring. Their cheerful song fills the air as several Phoebe pairs flit around the property. They like to nest on an outdoor speaker hung under the eaves. The speaker is quickly hung when they return, even though we are not quite ready to sit outside in the chill and wet of spring. That speaker can't be actually used until the little birds fledge...

Both the speaker and the pontoon boat were employed in 2026 as nesting sites. The speaker and boat were not used until mid June... Sometimes nature severely restricts our activities, but that is okay. There are many other things to do within the sanctuary.  

As always, I started with the sketch of the bird. The eye is essential to create the bird portrait. Some lighter shades of gray were employed to suggest the details of the facial expression on this Phoebe. The following graphic summarizes just a few of the steps in this artistic journey.

In 1804, the Eastern Phoebe became the first bird to be banded in North America. John James Audubon famously attached silvered thread to an Eastern Phoebe's leg to track its return in successive years. 

The Eastern Phoebe is a plump songbird with a medium-length tail. It appears large-headed for a bird of its size. The head often appears flat on top, but Phoebes sometimes raise the feathers up into a peak. Like most small flycatchers, they have short, thin bills used for catching insects. The eastern phoebe is most easily separated from other flycatchers by its characteristic habit of dipping its tail in a circular motion. 

The Eastern Phoebe is brownish-gray above and off-white below, with a dusky wash to the sides of the breast. The head is typically the darkest part of the upperparts. Birds in fresh fall plumage show faint yellow on the belly and whitish edging on the folded wing feathers. 

They generally perch low in trees or on fencelines. Phoebes are very active, making short flights to capture insects and very often returning to the same perch. They make sharp "peep" calls in addition to their familiar "phoebe" vocalizations. Even when perched, Eastern Phoebes wag their tails down and up frequently. 

Short to medium distance migrant. Eastern Phoebes are among the first migrants to return to their breeding grounds in spring—sometimes as early as March. They migrate south in September–November, finding wintering habitat in the central latitudes of the United States, south to Mexico. 

The use of buildings and bridges for nest sites has allowed the Eastern Phoebe to tolerate the landscape changes made by humans and even expand its range. 

Unlike most birds, Eastern Phoebes often reuse nests in subsequent years—and sometimes Barn Swallows use them in between. In turn, Eastern Phoebes may renovate and use old American Robin or Barn Swallow nests themselves.

The Eastern Phoebe is a loner, rarely coming in contact with other phoebes. Even members of a mated pair do not spend much time together. They may roost together early in pair formation, but even during egg laying, the female frequently chases the male away from her.

The oldest known Eastern Phoebe was at least 10 years, 4 months old. It had been banded in Iowa in 1979 and was found in 1989 in Alberta.

I use art to learn more about nature. One really can absorb the essence of the subject when recording the nuance of every feather. 

For this and much more art, click on Fine Art America or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint Collection. Thank you so very much for reading, and stay well!

Warmest regards, and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick  

#3015 "Black Rat Snake Friend"

  #3015 "Black Rat Snake Friend"   
36 x 12 inches
April 15th, 2026

As a kid (maybe 8 years old), I once stopped a friend of my brother from mindlessly stomping on ant hills and killing the colonies. Ernie was a bully with no respect for nature. My brother probably stopped him from retaliating, but I do not recall that part of the story. Ernie was much bigger than me and had a vice-like grip which hurt my arm. But right is right. Might is typically wrong. 

Snakes of all kinds are another typical victim of abusive people. As a youngster, I recall adults using all sorts of weapons to kill any kind of snake on sight. My protests were ignored. They feared the snakes, no matter how harmless they might have been. 

As adults, our properties have always been sanctuaries for all creatures. I am not fond of ticks and the diseases that they spread, but lots of creatures enjoy eating them, including the possums, which are migrating northward with the climate crisis. 

The Singleton Sanctuary in the very heart of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere is very special. We are blessed with all the varieties of nature. The 2010 BioBlitz established a baseline for the species that shared the uncut and virgin Carolinian ecosystem with us. We hope those numbers have increased since then as a result of our ongoing activities. 

The Gray Ratsnake is a particularly popular resident.  This beautiful 6-foot-long Gray Ratsnake was on the former endangered species list, but is no longer protected. The logic and motives of politicians simply elude me. These criminal deeds speak louder than their hollow, hypocritical political promises and sound bites. 

Gray Ratsnakes eat up to 100 rodents a year, helping to curtail the spread of Lyme disease by removing the disease vector. Politicians don't care... don't know... and don't bother with anything but getting re-elected with no vision beyond four years. Follow the money.

The long, dark snakes with creamy bellies that climb trees can be unnerving. We make special efforts to ensure that they are safe and secure and prospering within the Singleton Sanctuary. I maintained special snake nesting boxes for several years, but the resident snakes preferred the natural, undisturbed hibernacula, which are plentiful along the rocky ridges of Singleton. 

A few of the Gray Ratsnake nesting boxes were deployed in various locations at Singleton.
It is a challenge to estimate the length of a snake that is not stretched out straight.

Black Ratsnakes (formerly Elaphe obsoleta) were officially reclassified in 2001 after genetic studies revealed they were three distinct species rather than one single, widespread species. 

The single Black Ratsnake was split into three distinct, geographically separated species: 

• Eastern Ratsnake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis) 
• Central Ratsnake (Pantherophis spiloides) - the Singleton ratsnake species
• Western Ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoletus) 

It is easy to get confused. With the split, our Central Ratsnake is a Gray Ratsnake. They aren't actually gray, and Central Ratsnakes become black when they are adults. With the above split, there are no longer any formally called Black Ratsnakes, even though I used that as the title of my painting. I am not certain that the reference texts have all of this sorted out yet... the details only really matter to the experts. We protect all snakes anyway. 

We teach Singleton visitors to respect all nature... bears, snakes and even the ticks. The snakes will even crawl under my easel while I paint. 

Gray Ratsnakes are quite at home at Singleton, and we strongly encourage them. Unsurprisingly, these very impressive creatures do not appreciate being measured for prosperity. Sometimes they leave behind their shed skins for me and my Great Crested Flycatcher friends to enjoy. The Great Crested Flycatcher uses snake skins as building material in their nests. One shed measured out at more than 5 feet long, even bunched up in places. 

An Ontario Gray Ratsnake requires 15 to 20 years to grow to a length of 6 feet in the wild. Canada's cool climate drastically limits their growth rate, while ratsnakes in warmer, southern parts of North America grow much faster.

The following maps summarize Gray Ratsnake observations in Ontario. Singleton is located at the red star on the maps to the right. 

Sometimes nature might seem cruel. A group of three large Gray Ratsnakes once discovered nesting Tree Swallows in one of my birdhouses that lacked the protective metal cone. The intelligent snakes appeared to communicate and collaborate. They dined well that afternoon, and that is nature. 

I have many memories and photos of Gray Ratsnakes from the Singleton Sanctuary. Images are worth thousands of words. The snakes know us, and I can imagine that some almost smile to see us.   

The Gray Ratsnake was already assessed when the Endangered Species Act first took effect in 2008.

In 2025, the Ontario Conservative Government tabled Bill 5 called “Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act.” Amidst reducing environmental and heritage protections and proposing "Special Economic Zones" that bypass all protective legislation, the Ontario Government repealed the Ontario Endangered Species Act, replacing it with the "Species Conservation Act" on March 30, 2026. The misappropriately named, contradictory, oxymoronic "Species Conservation Act" encourages quite the opposite, offering much less protection to species at risk of extinction. Essentially, business and money override the environment and nature. Shame. Shame. Shame.

The Federal politicians have similarly passed Bill C-5 (Building Canada Act) to fast-track "nation-building" infrastructure—such as pipelines, highways, and critical minerals mines. HSR ALTO is an example of one such astronomically expensive project that would devastate the environment, farmland and nature between Toronto and Quebec City. Bill C-5 creates a pathway to bypass rigorous oversight under acts like the Impact Assessment Act, Species at Risk Act (SARA), and Fisheries Act. 

Species at Risk Act (SARA) sounds like it was meant to protect biodiversity, but it contains discretionary language that can be easily influenced by political or economic bias.  

Further, Special Economic Zones (Provincial/Federal Interplay) allow the government to exempt specific projects from conservation authority and municipal regulations. 

Basically, there are no rules when it comes to the GDP or making money. Politicians at every level are intent on stomping on nature.  Shame. Shame. Shame. 

I have a vote, but it is ineffectual. Bill 5 and Bill C-5 are just some of the many examples of political corruption. "The Narwhal" is a reliable source of truth. 

The wording of these political documents reminds me of "doublespeak" and the writings of George Orwell, and in particular, his 1949 dystopian social science fiction novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four". George was absolutely right. His forecast only missed the mark by forty years, more or less. Not bad for an author, but not nearly close enough for a meteorologist concerned about climate change.  

As well, please be aware of political slogans like "net zero", "carbon neutral", "carbon offset", "carbon capture and storage", direct air capture" (DAC), "bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) as well as others. Politicians and fossil fuels companies use these to allow business as normal. So far, none of these approaches have scaled to the extent required to impact on the ever increasing amount of carbon in the atmosphere. 

To summarize, the misdeeds of the world's leaders have resulted in the escalation of the climate crisis to the point that the Earth is now well into the verification stages of the dire predictions made by oil companies' own scientists in the 1960s and 1970s. A few people have become incredibly wealthy at the expense of everything else in the past sixty years, when preventative action was still a possibility.

As well, the planet is racing through the Sixth Mass Extinction, the ongoing, rapid decline in global biodiversity driven entirely by human activity. Species are currently disappearing at rates 1,000 to 10,000 times faster than the natural pre-human background rate. This catastrophic loss is primarily caused by climate change, habitat destruction, pollution, and the overexploitation of natural resources. Ontario politicians are actively aiding and abetting these extinctions using Bill 5 and the "Species Conservation Act" as a slash-and-burn tool. Federal politicians are doing the same with Bill C-5. Alto is a "nation destroyer." Please be informed and vote wisely. 

Sadly, bullies grow up and typically do not or can not mature or develop wisdom with age - their personalities are rigidly cast by the age of ten. Sometimes, glad-handing, smooth-talking psychopaths even get elected into positions of great authority. The above is the result. Stomping on all of nature as if everything were as insignificant as anthills. Power does corrupt, fueled by greed and the insatiable lust for more, ever more. 

I continue to advocate for what I believe is the good fight, but must admit that I find solace only in front of my easel, as pictured above or in the Singleton forest. Nothing will change until those responsible for their misdeeds are actually held responsible for their crimes against nature and the environment, which are, in effect, "crimes against humanity". If they only understood that we are all just a part of nature.  

For this and much more art, click on Fine Art America or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint Collection. Thank you so very much for reading, and stay well!

Warmest regards, and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick  

#3013 "Magnolia Warbler"

#3013 "Magnolia Warbler"
11 X 14 inches oils on canvas.
Started at 10:00 am, Wednesday, March 25th, 2026

My friend John Verburg. John Verburg, a naturalist and terrific photographer, provided me with an inspiring image of a male Golden-winged Warbler in its vibrant breeding plumage. This is the next in the singing bird series, although its beak is not moving... 

The Magnolia Warbler is a bird with a "misleading" name, as it was named after a magnolia tree by Alexander Wilson in 1811, despite preferring to breed in spruce and fir forests. These birds are known for being exceptionally messy nest builders and having "bad" bird names because they aren't typically found in magnolias. 

They frequently join foraging flocks of chickadees during their migration. The “chickadee-dee-dee” call is a possible marker for the presence of the magnolia warbler. 

Magnolia Warblers breed in dense stands of young conifer trees, especially spruce in the north and hemlock in the south. During migration, they forage in dense areas along forest edges, woodlots, and parks. On the wintering grounds, they occur from sea level to 5,000 feet in a variety of areas, including cacao plantations, orchards, forests, and thickets. 

Magnolia Warblers primarily eat caterpillars, especially spruce budworm when it is abundant. They also eat insects and spiders, and occasionally take fruit in the fall. They tend to forage on the outer edges of branches, searching the undersides of needles and leaves for prey. 

Males and females weave together a sloppy and flimsy-looking nest of grasses and weed stalks built on a foundation of twigs. They line the nest with horsehair fungus. 

Magnolia Warblers hop from branch to branch in dense stands of young conifer trees. They pick insects primarily from the undersides of conifer needles and foliage. Males sing most intensely at dawn and dusk and even sing while foraging. Males court females with song and show off the white spots on their tails, similar to the behaviour of an American Redstart. To warn a territory intruder, males also spread their tail, flashing their white tail spots. Males and females maintain a shared territory on the breeding grounds, but separate territories on the wintering grounds. During migration, they frequently join foraging flocks of chickadees, and they join mixed-species flocks on the wintering grounds. 

Magnolia Warblers are common, and their populations increased by nearly 1% per year from 1966 to 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates the global breeding population at 39 million and rates them 8 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, indicating a species of low conservation concern. Magnolia Warblers, like many songbirds, are often the victim of collisions with tall buildings and TV towers during migration. 

Their average life span is unknown. The oldest recorded magnolia warbler lived for at least 8 years and 11 months. 

The following collage summarizes the week I spent with my friend, #3013, the "Magnolia Warbler".

The Magnolia Warbler was still not finished in that lower right image above ... always a few more strokes of the brush to make it better ... until the next stroke fails to do that. Oh my. Sometimes I need that person with the 2x4 standing behind me at the easel, poised to clunk me over the head. 

Almost done...

At the 2010 BioBlitz, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Cerulean, Chestnut-sided, Nashville, Pine, Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warblers were all spotted, but no Magnolia Warblers. The Magnolia Warblers are here now, though, and we appreciate having them.  

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint Collection. Thank you for reading, and stay well!

Warmest regards, and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick 

#3012 "Golden-winged Warbler Sing-a-long"

#3012 "Golden-winged Warbler Sing-a-long"
11 X 14 (inches).
Started at 9:00 am Tuesday, March 24th, 2026

The Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) is a small, migratory songbird known for its striking silver-gray body, gold crown, and dramatic black mask. These birds are critically threatened. Thanks again to my friend John Verburg, who provided this striking image of a beautiful little bird. 

Golden-winged Warblers breed in tangled, shrubby habitats such as regenerating clearcuts, wet thickets, tamarack bogs, and aspen or willow stands. They tend to occur in wetland habitats more often than the closely related (and competitive) Blue-winged Warbler. Recent radio-tracking studies have discovered that Golden-winged Warblers move into mature forests immediately after fledging. This means that mosaics of shrubby, open areas (for nesting) and mature forest habitats (which offer cover for fledglings from predators like hawks) are important landscape features. This accurately describes the habitat of the Singleton Sanctuary.

The early 20th century was good to Golden-winged Warblers, as settlers cleared forest openings for settlement and farming. As the century progressed, many of those cleared areas grew back into forests, and humans prevented natural disturbances from opening up new pockets of nesting areas. Since the 1960s, Golden-winged Warbler habitat has decreased by an estimated 22 percent in the Great Lakes region and 43 percent in the northern Appalachians. On their wintering grounds, Golden-winged Warblers live in semiopen woodlands, as well as bird-friendly coffee farms under a forest canopy. 

Food items include caterpillars, moths, spiders and such. Leafroller caterpillars appear to be an important food source. Golden-winged Warblers feed among the foliage by probing with their sharp bills into rolled-up leaves to find hidden prey. They only rarely catch insects on the wing. 

Similar to chickadees, they often forage by hanging upside down from branches and, in the breeding season, are strictly insectivorous, favouring moths and caterpillars. 

The 2025 State of the Birds report lists Golden-winged Warbler as a Yellow Alert Tipping Point species, meaning that it has lost more than 50% of its population in the past 50 years but has relatively stable recent trends. The North American Breeding Bird Survey estimates this species declined by 1.2% per year between 1966 and 2023, resulting in a cumulative decline of 52% over that period. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 390,000 individuals and rates the species 15 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score. 

Golden-winged Warbler's breeding range is now largely split into two distinct regions, with 95% of the population in the Upper Great Lakes (mostly Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Manitoba) and the other 5% in the Appalachians from New York to Georgia. Minnesota now has the highest remaining density of Golden-winged Warblers, with about half the global population. 

Some of the steps in the painting process to try to make the Golden-winged Warbler come alive and sing. 

The Appalachian mountains population has nearly been extirpated (down 98 percent). Wetland habitats seem to be a stronghold for Golden-winged Warblers, but invasive Phragmites is making the birds’ preferred tussock-sedge nesting sites harder to find. The Singleton wetlands are still dominated by cattails with no phragmites. Clearcutting, burning, and grazing can improve habitat for Golden-winged Warblers, although new evidence points to the importance of keeping mature forest nearby, which we enjoy. 

Loss of open forests on the wintering grounds is also a problem, and bird-friendly or shade-grown coffee and cacao plantations can help retain habitat for the species. The Golden-winged Warbler Working Group, a consortium including the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and 38 other universities, agencies, and conservation groups, has released a conservation plan to improve the species’ prospects by 2050. Let us hope that they and we might be successful. 

Hopefully, the Golden-winged Warbler will be back in residence this summer! The competitive Blue-winged Warbler was not seen during the 2010 Chadwick BiolBlitz, but it is probably alive and well at Singleton by now. 

The handsome Blue-throated Warbler (below) was spotted during the BiolBlitz. Someday it may appear on its own canvas. 

The following map shows just how rare the Golden-winged Warblers are in Ontario. There are just a very few sightings in the Frontenac Arch Biosphere. The Singleton sighting did not get posted on the map. Citizen science and the dedication of "birders" are essential to protecting habitats in the face of escalating encroachments. 

Almost done... each painting is a process...

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint Collection. Thank you for reading, and stay well!

Warmest regards, and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick  

#3011 "Chestnut-sided Warbler Sing"

#3011 "Chestnut-sided Warbler Sing" 
11 X 14 (inches).
Started at 9:00 am Sunday, March 22nd, 2026

My friend John Verburg. John Verburg, a naturalist and terrific photographer, provided me with an inspiring image of a male Chestnut-sided Warbler in its vibrant breeding plumage. This is the next in the singing bird series. 

In the early 1800s, both John James Audubon and Alexander Wilson saw this bird only once. The Chestnut-sided Warbler is a "success story" in North American birding, having gone from rare in the early 1800s to common today due to increased shrubby, young forest habitats. Humans have destroyed the old-growth forests, and this has produced a habitat that favours the lifestyle of the Chestnut-sided Warbler. The Singleton forests were never cut, but we have built a habitat for all creatures. 

Distinctive Features: It is easily identified by its bright yellow crown (cap), chestnut-red stripes along its white flanks, and a bold black facial pattern. 

Behaviour: The bird is captured singing, a common behaviour during the breeding season from May through summer as they establish territories. I hope the bold brush strokes let the song come through in my painting. 

"Pleased to Meetcha" Song: Males have two distinct song classes: an accented song used to attract females (often interpreted as pleased, pleased, pleased to MEECHA) and an unaccented song used for territorial defence.

Habitat: These warblers thrive in early successional habitats, such as regenerating forests, overgrown pastures, and forest edges. 

Chestnut-sided Warblers flit and hop along slender branches, carefully inspecting the undersides of deciduous leaves. Look for them in saplings and shrubs more often than in tall trees. They often raise their tails and droop their wings as they move through the branches. 

Chestnut-sided Warblers eat mostly insects. They feed mostly in deciduous habitats, where these warblers pick or glean caterpillars and other prey from the undersides of leaves. To find prey, the birds hop quickly from perch to perch to change their perspective. They tend to stay in the foliage rather than near large branches. Seeds and fruit make up a small part of the diet. On the wintering grounds, they eat fruits of tropical plants. 

Chestnut-sided Warblers form monogamous pair bonds. Courtship displays involve males raising and spreading their tail and wings, then vibrating the flight feathers and crown feathers while raising and lowering them. The male guards his mate as she constructs the nest and occasionally follows or chases intruders in the territory. Aggressive encounters between males involve straightening or lowering the tail (which they typically hold upward when foraging) and fluffing out their chestnut flank feathers, as well as calling. 

Nests are fairly low to the ground, in deciduous trees and shrubs of the understory, usually no more than 6 feet high. Some very low nests have been found in blackberry, alder, multiflora rose, and ferns. Most nests are set in the crotch of several small branches. These birds frequently use spiderwebs to weave their nests to branches, adding durability to the structure. Nests average 2.8 inches in diameter and 2.6 inches in height, with the interior cup 2 inches across and 1.5 inches deep.

Every portrait is a challenge. I almost always start with the eyes and the beak. 

I highly recommend Frontenac Bird Studies. Frontenac Bird Studies (FBS) was created by the Migration Research Foundation (MRF) not long ago in 2009, with the aim of strengthening the capacity for protection of bird populations and habitats in the Frontenac region through monitoring and research. According to the 2010 BioBlitz conducted at our sanctuary, several significant species use the Singleton Sanctuary. There might be more now, given the extensive efforts undertaken to improve habitats.  

The Chestnut-sided Warbler was counted during that BioBlitz! The other warblers observed were Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Cerulean, Nashville, Pine, Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

The waterfront still looks like this in 2026. You can imagine why I fell in love at first sight...

My admiration for birds goes back to 1967... comprising about 60 portraits. The following are recent "singing bird" portraits. 

It was still winter outside, so #3011 "Chestnut-sided Warbler Sing" was completed within the Singleton Studio, listening to tunes while the wood stove kept me warm!

Almost done... it was still winter outside. 

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint Collection. Thank you for reading, and stay well!

Warmest regards, and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick