This is a male surf scoter. Scoters are a type of sea duck that are not widely familiar to people. For good reason-- they spend most of their life in the water diving for mollusks, amphopods, and fish. They can swallow muscles and clams whole! Their numbers, as with many birds, are declining but it's been difficult to tell how quickly and just what is causing it. Therefore research is ongoing. I accompanied researchers earlier this year to catch and fit scoters with satellite telemetry devices so more could be learned about their movements and so models that predict population could be modified. I rarely attempt to draw people but this was a fun challenge.

Media: This was done ENTIRELY on my iPad using Procreate. It's a challenge to work on a little 9.7" screen but I'm getting better with it. The portability is a huge plus.

Your patronage is not only allowing me to do art part time but because I can be part-time employed, it allows me to be available for important field research projects like this one. It wouldn't be possible if I was forced to have a normal job and these projects would have to settle for someone less experienced in this field.

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