In my happy place.
10-15-23 This Week in Pictures
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Tag Archives: birds
Acorn Woodpecker
Pen and ink, 9”x12”.
Acorn woodpeckers cache away acorns in granaries. This way they feed on them all year. They peck holes in trees, utility poles, buildings, or other wooden items and stuff the acorns into the holes. They’ll even find a cavity in a tree or other things and fill it with acorns. I used to have a tractor that they filled the exhaust stack with acorns and when I started it up, it shot acorns out the stack like anti-aircraft shells. They are industrious and cantankerous birds! They seem to bicker with each other quite a lot. They are one of the most common birds on our property. I have a love hate relationship with them.
Can’t Improve on Nature
Killdeer eggs. It’s kind of artsy don’t you think? I couldn’t improve on this.
Wild Wednesday … Great Horned Owl
We walked down a washed out road until we stood on a landing. Mary and I watched the light fade from the sky. Perched in a black oak tree, another hunter joined us. It was a solitary great horned owl beginning it’s evening hunt.
Wild Wednesday … Downy Woodpecker
I drew this pen and ink while Mary and I were sitting in a ground hunting blind two deer seasons ago. It’s of a female downy woodpecker that I photographed earlier that season. I took it when we were in another blind. If you consider that I completed the drawing while waiting for deer you can probably deduce that no deer were harmed during the drawing of that picture. We always do most of our shooting with a camera.
Downy woodpecker.
Wild Wednesday … Hooded Merganser
Hooded Merganser in pen and ink.
Dreaming of the Night
“Dreaming of the Night”, pen and ink of Kowanni the great horned owl.
Kowanni, as it turns out is female. She’s about twenty-one years old according to her handler Hollianne. She came to Shasta Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation after suffering a permanent wing injury from being electrocuted on a utility pole. She’s been with Hollianne for about two years as she has outlived her original handler. Not only is she an animal ambassador she’s also a foster-mother. When SWRR get great horned owl chicks brought in they are placed with Kowanni and an old male owl named Captain to be raised. Less human contact with the youngsters make them easier to return to the wild. Many of the rescued animals live at home with their handlers for the rest of their lives if they are unable to return to the wild. It’s a beautiful ministry they do for their animal charges.
Kowanni and Hollianne.
Hollianne was kind enough to let me get my picture taken with Kowanni.
Kowanni, More Progress
Here an update for Kowanni the great horned owl. I’m planning to finish tonight!
I’ve added my previous progression pictures and the original photo of Kowanni for fun. Although, they aren’t very illustrative of my process other than I draw when I can. By the way, don’t you think Bliss is a great photo prop. She kind of doesn’t really like it. This is the look I get just before she gets up and leaves.
Inking the night!
I thought maybe a woody update would be cool, not sure it’s working. Bliss just wasn’t into it.
Jury duty sketching.
This is the real Kowanni. In case you missed my last post, he’s a resident of Shasta Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation. Actually I’m not sure if Kowanni is a him or her. Sadly, he’s not capable of hunting so will never be released. I want to portray Kowanni as he is meant to be.
Wild Wednesday … Wildlife Rescue WIP
This weekend is the Shasta Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Open House. Mary and I will be attending for Red Tail Publishing. We sell children’s books and art prints. This year I decide to do a special art print of a special owl. Here’s a work in progress of Kowanni the great horned owl. It’s the same picture I was working on at jury duty.
Kowanni is a resident at SWRR because he can’t be returned to the wild due to the nature of his injury which left him unable to hunt. I took a photo of him last year at the event in his capacity of animal ambassador.
Here’s Kowanni on his perch. My drawing is of him where I imagine he would want to be if he could. Stay tuned for updates.
If you’re around on Saturday come on down.
Wild Wednesday … Eagles Nest?
This is week that the osprey customarily return to their nest in the electrical tower at the sawmill. I haven’t seen them yet. Usually the male shows up a week or two before the female. This year they will be in for a bit of a surprise. A little over a month ago a pair of eagles moved in. I’m not sure how this will go, but the eagle are a lot bigger than the osprey. I’d have to put my money on the eagles. Click on the gallery to enlarge to photos and get the dirt.
Nice looking birds.
He seems to have staked a claim here.
I keep waiting for them to gather sticks, but the haven’t. I not convinced their serious about nesting here.
These are all osprey pictures from previous years.
The osprey have inspired art from yours truly.
This has been an osprey nest literally for decades.
It’s a prime location for fishing birds with its grand overlook of the Sacramento river.
It hasn’t been without struggle. last season it rained so much the nest grew a garden before the birds arrived. They had to weed it.
When the summer heat get over about 106 the parents shade the chicks.
More art.
Two years ago the male osprey was struck be a helicopter blade and died. he was trying to defend the nest from the helicopter that was inspecting the tower.
The osprey have raised many generations.
The osprey probably won’t be too happy with the new residents.
Stay tuned to see how this turns out.
Below are a few of the osprey posts over the years.
https://wordpress.com/post/theforesterartist.com/948
https://wordpress.com/post/theforesterartist.com/1056
https://wordpress.com/post/theforesterartist.com/1090
https://wordpress.com/post/theforesterartist.com/1703
https://wordpress.com/post/theforesterartist.com/2659
https://wordpress.com/post/theforesterartist.com/4017
THE FORESTER ARTIST 