So, I recently sold a short story to the anthology Zombies: Shambling Through History. Does it involve birds? Of course it does! Ravens, to be exact, but to learn more you will need to watch out for the book when it appears on shelves in 2013!

When an editor asked me for a story that didn’t involve birds (his magazine had just published a story with birds the month before) I found myself stymied for months. In nonfiction, I can venture as far afield as bats, ferrets, or my grandmother, but some strange creature is de rigeur for inspiration. As an artist, I can’t help it. I’m bound to birds.

This got me thinking about other bird art, visual bird art. We celebrate the artistic ornithologist like Audubon or Peterson, but what of the subtly different ornithological artist? Some of my favorites:

The Mincing Mockingbird (and the Frantic Meerkat) is Matt Adrian, who paints troubled, antisocial, but beautiful finches, owls, and more… the Fitzgeralds of the bird world.

Bird and Moon is the moniker of the nature comics by Rosemary Mosco. Many of you will be familiar with her seminal work “Birds are Gross”.

Near and dear to my heart is the Ghosts of Gone Birds project. Scores of talented artists, writers, and musicians have contributed to this effort, “dedicated to breathing life back into the birds we have lost – so we don’t lose anymore.”

Who are your favorites?

Written by Carrie
Carrie Laben, after years of writing and birding in New York, moved to Montana to pursue her two great passions more effectively. She recently graduated with an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Montana in Missoula. When she is not cranking out essays and speculative fiction stories, or wandering around on mountains failing to see the birds she is looking for, she is likely to be drinking one of the many fine local microbrews or attending a potluck with something from the local farmer’s market in hand. On Mondays from 3 to 3:30 Mountain Time you can find her answering questions about birds on live chat at DaysAtDunrovin.com.