Larissa Babicz Art

Ruddy Turnstone

Dimensions: 12.5 x 15.5 in
Materials: Rembrandt soft pastels and Carbothello pastel pencils on Clairefontaine Pastelmat.
Price: $320.00
Unframed
Prints available here
Original available here

The Ruddy Turnstone is one of my favorite shorebirds. Not only are they beautiful birds to look at (especially in their breeding plumage), they are quite entertaining to observe, as well. Turnstones' bodies are generally quite stocky for a shorebird, and their beaks fairly short. This build allows them to pick through beach debris with ease, flipping over shells and small stones to find the tasty little organisms underneath.
Ruddy Turnstones are still common birds, but shorebirds as a whole have faced serious declines over the years. The development of coastlines, rising sea levels, and depletion of critical food sources have all had an impact on shorebird populations.