TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — George M. Sutton (1898-1982), an esteemed ornithologist, also was one of the preeminent bird artists of the 20th Century.

He was asked by his friend Thomas D. Burleigh, who worked on his manuscript for “Georgia Birds” during the 1940s and ‘50s, to provide the illustrations. Sutton painted a series of individual portraits of a select group of Georgia birds shown in their natural habitats.

Sutton arranged to spend the spring and summer of 1952 with his friend Herbert L. Stoddard at Stoddard’s Sherwood Plantation in southern Grady County.

They made a field trip to the Georgia coast near Savannah and Brunswick to study shore birds.

Otherwise Sutton sought, studied and painted birds in Stoddard’s backyard.

He described his experiences with Stoddard and Stoddard’s Meridian Road neighbors in an affectionate essay in the front matter of “Georgia Birds” and in charming one-paragraph vignettes for each painting.

Sutton gave the original “Georgia Birds” watercolors to Stoddard, whose son, Sonny Stoddard, later donated them to Tall Timbers, and are part of the Stoddard Collection.

The paintings are on exhibit in the Beadel House Webster Art Gallery at Tall Timbers through Feb. 28, 2018, during gallery hours.

Tall Timbers is located at 13093 Henry Beadel Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32312.

Burleigh’s “Georgia Birds” was published in 1958. Sutton was disappointed in the reproduction of the color plates in Georgia Birds as a result of the engraving process used.

With that in mind, Robert L. Crawford and Rosalie Rodriguez have collaborated on a new book, “George M. Sutton’s Watercolors for Georgia Birds: A New Look,” which features the paintings beautifully reproduced and Sutton’s original essay and vignettes.

The hardcover book, published by Tall Timbers Press, is 10 by 12 inches, 96 pages.

The book’s cost is $35, not inclusive tax where applicable, nor shipping and handling. Books are available to purchase from Tall Timbers’ website,www.talltimbers.org, or at the Bookshelf in Thomasville.