White Crowned Sparrow, Watercolor

Cedar Waxwings…and frustration

 Yesterday, K and I went show shoeing at Hidden Lake Gardens.  On every trip I carry my camera and binoculars.  I try to capture bird close-ups whenever possible to use in my art.  When it comes to Cedar Waxwings I learned that it’s best to let them come to you and not go out to actively search for them.  Flocks come and go.  When they show up they show up in large numbers.  As my luck happens to be…they usually show up in very large numbers when I dont have my camera with me.  But yesterday I was ready.  And, still I only ended up with one usable photo.  Is it frustrating…perhaps.  I recently read a blog by a fellow artist about frustration and wondered how I deal with it personally.  In art, photography, or flyfishing I can control the many fine details of the craft to the best of my ability.  But sometimes there are things I have no control over.  Sometimes things happen the way I want them to, but most often they do not.  Is the search for perfection a fruitless task?  Is the end result what means the most?  Or is the means in which we get there more important?  I’ll probably ask these questions the rest of my life.  But, whether I can capture a Cedar Waxwing, or catch a Smoky Mountain Brook Trout is not up to me completely.  God has given me the tools and I can chose to use them to the best of my ability or not.  But God controls whether a Cedar Waxwing lands in a tree facing into the sun or away from the sun for a photo.  Had I not gone back to look for K’s lost pedometer I may have never seen the flock.    My point is that there are too many variables in life to say that we are in control.  I try to deal with frustration by simply accepting what God gives me and thanking him for allowing me to do the things that bring me joy.

Horned Larks

  I recently joked with a fellow birder about driving long distances to see birds…only to see them when you get home in your own yard.  Well that happened to me today.  I went snow shoeing this morning at HLG but didnt see any new species.  On my way home I bought a new shovel at ACO Hardware.  Of course I had to try it out when I got home.  While shoveling I heard some birds fly over that I’ve never heard before.  They landed in the field next to my house.  I ran inside, grabbed the camera and walked right up to these guys (after identifying them from a distance with binoculars).

Christmas Bird Count

This Red-breasted Nuthatch hangs out in my back yard.  Last spring I started to get serious about bird identification, starting with a purchase of Peterson’s “Birding by Ear” cd.  Then I received Stan Tekeila’s Michigan Birds cd and Sibley and Kaufmann bird guides as gifts.  A few weeks ago I was asked to help with the Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 14th at Hidden Lake Gardens.  So for the past few days I’ve been reviewing my field guides to touch up on my visual identification skills.  I’ve also been waiting patiently for our first good snow to do some cross country skiing.  I was at Hidden Lake Gardens yesterday and there was barely enough snow to ski.  I decided to just hike the Pine Trail instead.  Today there will be no hiking.  Today I’m working on a woodcut for the Chocopalooza Festival this winter at Adrian High School.  I hope to have a photo of one or two finished prints in about two weeks.

Junco yard

Yesterday I goofed off and went to the Toledo Museum of Art to see Winslow Homer.  Today, I had to get some much needed yard work done.  The sun was shining and there was very little wind.  I couldnt ask for a better day to rake leaves.  So I put on my iPod and headed out the door early.  I listened to Edward Abbey that I converted from cassette to digital for a friend.  Around mid-afternoon I noticed a lot of birds around the feeder.  Since I was due for a break I went inside, downed a glass of water, grabbed the camera and headed for the trees around my feeder.  It doesn’t take long for the birds to come back to the feeders with me sitting quietly among the trees.  I sat there for about 20 minutes before my sweat started to chill.  In those twenty minutes I snapped some nice photos of a pair of Downy Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Titmouse, and a bunch of Juncos.

A Reason for Singing

 The Trumpeters are singing…and for good reason.  Hidden Lake Gardens received their new male swan (shown on the left).  He’s a tad spunkier than the last male swan.  He bobbed his head in agitation as I approached to take these photos.  I think it’s a little easier to identify this male.  His neck is thinner and longer than the female’s neck.  The only way I could tell the last pair apart was by their leg bands.    

K and I took the dog for a walk around Hidden Lake Gardens on Sunday.  In addition to seeing these birds, I spotted a few birds along the way that I dont normally see.  For some reason I’ve been seeing a lot of Red Bellied Woodpeckers lately.  I saw a few on Sunday and one has been hanging around my house lately.  I also spotted what I think was a Coopers Hawk.  It was perched above the road when I saw it.  Before I could get the camera up it flew about 50 yards away.  It figures when I forget the binoculars I’m bound to need them.  When we finished our walk in Hidden Lake Gardens we decided to go for lunch and then head to Ramsdell Park near Devils Lake.  The day was perfect with little to no wind and sunny skies.  Ramsdell Park can get chilly since it’s just a rolling meadow and there’s very few trees to block the wind.  The Killdeer were active in the park.  And, so were the Chickadees.  We stopped for a few minutes to watch a pair eat seeds and berries only a few feet off the trail.

In memory of a Trumpeter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This past week the male Trumpeter Swan at Hidden Lake Gardens was killed by what is believed to be a pack of Coyotes.  I was saddened by the news.  Over the past year and a half I’ve spent a lot time hanging out at the Gardens.  I’ve gotten to know the people, the trails, the trees and the birds…including the new Trumpeter Swans.  After I heard the news I rummaged through my photo collection and found this photo of the Male.  I know it’s the male because I took a series of shots and I can clearly see the silver leg band.  Otherwise there is not much that distinguishes the sexes.  The two Trumpeter Swans replaced the Mute Swans because the Trumpeters are native to this area.  Anyway, to learn more about swans go to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website or do what i do…go to Hidden Lake Gardens and see them in real life.

Nuthatch for Stubnitz and Artalicious Festival

I finished this print this morning.  It will be the last linocut that I do before the Artalicious Festival Sept 19th and 20th.  I almost called this print “Creepers” because that’s what Nuthatches do and because of the Virginia Creeper at the bottom.  

I’m off to the local frame shop now to purchase materials for framing.  I need to frame this and about seven others.  I’m framing three of these.  One is for the festival, one will be donated to the Stubnitz Environmental Center fundraiser in Adrian, MI and one is for my wife’s dental hygiene office at Dr. Lark’s Dental Office.

I chose to do this print because of my love of trees and birds.  I started a bark photograph collection a few years ago.  Whenever I go to Hidden Lake Gardens I stroll through the Conifer Collection to take photos of bark and pine cones.  I’m also a bird brained birder.  My dad inspired me to learn more about birds.  He has had bird feeders for as long as I can remember.  Now that he lives in Tennessee it’s more of a challenge for him because the Black Bears in his neighborhood are pretty crafty at tearing down feeders and destroying them.  Anyway, this Spring I purchased a “Petersons Birding by Ear” CD and that turned my curiosity into a full blown passion for birds.  This print will most likely be the first of many future bird prints.

Nuthatch

“Nuthatch”, Linocut, 6×8

I plan on hand painting this when it is dry.  It should be ready to sleeve and or frame by next months Art-A-Licious Festival in downtown Adrian, Sept 19th and 20th.  I also plan on donating one of the prints to the Stubnitz Environmental Education Center fund raising auction on Sept. 27.

Ring-billed Gull

I’ve been thinking about the Gull a lot this summer.  A lot of people think these birds are “crappy”, literally.  I admit this one has done his fair share of pooping on the pontoon boat.  But, that’s what lake living is all about.  I look past this fellas diarrhetic issues and think about it’s other qualities.  I love looking up into the blue and watching gulls circle high in the sky…their faint white silhouettes appearing and disappearing as I squint to see them.  On night-time boat cruises, gulls are like ghosts, floating in large numbers……barely discernible in the darkness.  And, what about the gull’s yalp?…a sound of summer, of water, of sun.  

This photo was taken at Devil’s Lake on Sunday.  I fished a little this weekend…before and after a friend’s wedding vow renewal at Hidden Lake Gardens.  I also finished a novel by Edward Abbey, “A Fools Progress”.  Ed is a strange bird himself.  They call him the Thoreau of our age.  I’m not sure he is as poetic but he certainly had passion.  Anyway, I’m on my 5th Abbey book and intend to read them all eventually.