Starling on Wire

Busy Kites

The kite pair that seems to have set up a nest in the large pine just above our lab at work has been engaging in a great deal of courtship activity: calling, display flights, copulation. Yesterday the female landed in the walnut tree with a pocket gopher, eating it over half an hour; the male came in and joined her. Today, another series of flights, another rodent — this time I was able to sketch it quickly. They are beautiful birds and I hope their nest doesn’t get predated by crows…

Red-tailed Hawk, Hit By Train (?)

One of my coworkers came in saying there was a hawk by the tracks that looked as though it had been hit by a train. They went out to look to see if it was fresh enough for a necropsy. Alas no, but they offered it to me anyway for a quick sketch…

Wild Turkey Displaying to Solar Cooker

When I arrived home last night, this turkey was displaying to our solar oven.

House Sparrow

This morning I came across a dead house sparrow in the bed I’ve just planted with lettuce seed. I don’t know what got him—I couldn’t see any marks—but I hope the end was quick at least.

I was all set to draw the bird from the top (facing right) but decided to go for the challenge of foreshortened feet and the awkward angle of the head, and have the bird face left. It’s always a good thing to shake up my preferences. I couldn’t get the grays quite right and think I have some experimenting to do with constructing grays, not hauling them straight out of the box.

(I submitted this to Illustration Friday’s topic of March 19, “Expired.”)

Northern Mockingbird

Funny how mockingbirds, virtuosi of the bird world, barely open their mouths when singing… There were several faceoffs today at the Capay Cemetery.

Tree Swallows are Back

And prospecting for nests. It’s glorious here today.

Mallard Tests

Last week the Wildlife Health Center here at UC Davis trapped and examined 22 mallards. They were actually all mallard hybrids except for two, fat and with poorly developed flight muscles — and lesions on their feet that are common among heavy birds that walk on gravel a lot.

The study is looking for signs of avian influenza as part of a Pacific flyway monitoring system. I was able to go and see a couple of the captures. These birds are used to being fed but even so were surprisingly hard to catch.

Black-Chinned Hummingbird

I got back yesterday from Palm Desert. The wildflowers are going to be spectacular this year. They aren’t yet, but they’re going to be. I was ecstatic about seeing several desert pupfish at Thousand Palms.

Hummingbirds everywhere — I saw a couple of Costa’s but mostly they were black-chinned. The ocotillos will be blooming soon, then look out.

Before the Storm