Megan O’Connor 🍁
@meganoconnorart.ca
I draw wildlife with coloured pencils using my own photos and observations as a reference (unless otherwise stated). Toronto, Canada. https://meganoconnorart.ca
Over the last 10 yrs, sharpshooters hired by the B.C. govt have killed hundreds of wolves from helicopters to "save" struggling caribou herds. The real cause of caribou decline isn't wolves, though - it's habitat destruction. This isn't endangered species conservation, BC. It's willful ignorance.
BC Just Spent $74,900 to Kill a Single Wolf in the Kootenays | The Tyee
The program exists to save at-risk caribou, but critics want Ottawa to move to preserve herds’ old-growth habitat.
thetyee.ca
Bad: the hawk is so close to your camera lens that you have to lower it down and just watch. Good: the hawk is so close to your camera lens that you have to lower it down and just watch. #WildlifePhotography #Birds
“I feel sorry for Americans. If you can’t be friends with Canada, then you almost certainly do not have a friend anywhere in the world.” — David Eby, Premier of British Columbia
Ordinarily, late morning is the best time for me to draw because of the natural light, but today it’s too dark because of wildfire smoke. I can only imagine how awful this must be for people in northern Ontario 😢 We know fires are more common now, and larger. Why are we not more proactive?
Black crowned night herons have the coolest dance moves! #Birds #TorontoWildlife
Am completely exhausted and bitten too many times by mosquitoes, but I got to watch a family of young raccoons play bitey face with each other — so, worth it 😄
“Air pollution fell substantially as Paris restricted car traffic and made way for parks, people-streets and bike-lanes.” Better for the climate, better for health, better for livability and quality of life. Common sense. Such a no-brainer, it’s remarkable that more cities HAVEN’T done the same.
Paris said au revoir to cars. Air pollution maps reveal a dramatic change.
Air pollution fell substantially as the city restricted car traffic and made way for parks and bike lanes.
washingtonpost.com
My latest dog portrait — the lovely Penny ❤️ She is still a puppy, entering the gangly phase, with the most wonderful textured fur. Coloured pencil on cotton paper. #DogPortrait
I’ve been visiting friends in England, and taking up a new habit: rapid painting in watercolour. It’s a sort of counterpoint to my realistic drawings; it makes me put shapes down on the page without stopping to think. I sometimes add ink lines, but the rule is the same: don’t think (much).
There is so much poetry in Stephen Colbert celebrating his finale on the exact stage where the Beatles changed culture in 1964. Singing "Hello Goodbye" surrounded by his family, his band, and his crew before Paul McCartney flipped the final power switch. This was the perfect full-circle goodbye!
My #BirdOfTheDay #WingsWideOpen is a ruby-throated hummingbird :) I took this photo in a Toronto ravine. @robcrank68.bsky.social
Rob Crank Photography@robcrank68.bsky.social · 3mo agoGood morning folks. Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #WingsWideOpen, any bird with it's wings open wide, the Alt Theme is #Laridae, any of the species. #birds #photography #ECK #CanonR5mkii #birdphotography #ukbirding @rspb.bsky.social #BBCSpringwatch #naturephotography #BirdLife #BirdsInFlight
You rarely get to see the rainbow of colours in a Bufflehead's face, but I caught this one in just the right light. #birds 🌿
The only thing “carbon capture” has ever been successful at, is acting as a corporate and political distraction from, and an excuse for avoiding, REAL climate action.
My pre-ordered copy is winging its way to me now :)
Steve Brusatte@stevebrusatte.bsky.social · 3mo agoYou guys!!! Whoa!! Holy crap!! The Story of Birds is a New York Times bestseller! @nytimes.com No. 10 nonfiction & top science book in the USA during its first week. My god, thank you all! I am the luckiest guy to have such engaged and friendly readers. ☺️☺️
I was happy to get this photo of a pair of Cooper’s hawks in their nest today. It shows how eye colour changes with age. The male on the left has the orange eye that goes with his adult plumage; the female is younger (probably a year old) and has yellow eyes and streaky brown plumage. #Birds
“Barely Awake”, coloured pencil on cotton paper, with thanks to a raccoon in my neighbourhood. #WildlifeArt #SciArt
Burrowing owls typically have bright, intense yellow irises, which are a characteristic feature for these diurnal (day-active) hunters. While yellow is the standard, some individuals, may exhibit mottled, dark brown, or olive-green speckled irises, often from recessive genes. 🪶🦉
Things are a bit stressful just now — including a badly timed knee strain — but I get to draw this sweet face 🥰 #WildlifeArt
Realistic drawings take may hours, so I’ve begun a new (to me) practice of quick sketches to record what I see and to play with colour and composition. It’s a pen-and-watercolour journal — this entry took about 5 minutes! — throwing perfection to the wind 🙂 #naturejournalling
Forget “to be or not to be.” The real question is, “to draw or to play ball.”
