Nighthawks—The Last Hurrah

Let’s have some fun! No preamble from me, no more buildup, let’s just look at a beautiful, strange, and thought-provoking painting. Here goes:

(Click on image to enlarge.)

If you’re an ABA member, then you already know that Ray Nelson’s “Nighthawks” (acrylic on wood, 2013) appears on pp. 52–53 of the November/December 2013 issue of Birding. And even if you’re not an ABA member, you may have the strange sensation that you’ve already seen this painting.

Just the other day, we were talking, around the campfire, recall, about all the other stuff in life—Appalachian “oldtime” music, abandoned buildings, maps of Vienna and Gondor—and how those things intersect with our interests in birds and birding. Well, yeah. And that truth is reaffirmed in Ray Nelson’s “Nighthawks,” wouldn’t you say?

This painting was commissioned in connection with the ABA’s recognition of the Common Nighthawk as the 2013 Bird of the Year. If you don’t have the November/December 2013 Birding, featuring Ray Nelson’s “Nighthawks” (and much more), visit the ABA’s online store and purchase a copy.