24 January 04

Sketching at the Raptor Center

barredowl.jpgThis morning we went to the California Raptor Center to do some sketching. The Raptor Center is a rehab facility operated by the veterinary school here at UC Davis that treats orphaned and injured birds of prey for re-release. Some of the birds are too injured to return to the wild and become long-term denizens of the center, often getting taken out on educational tours.

It’s a great place to sketch birds, and why we don’t go there more often, seeing as how it’s just up the road from us, is a bit of a mystery. Today when we got there two of the volunteers had taken a ferruginous hawk and a Harris’ hawk out of their cages, and both birds were posing nicely for us. A little down the path, they were hosing out the cage with the turkey vultures, who seemed none too pleased about such activities. The two turkey vultures are named Balzac and Juliet. Juliet used to be called Romeo, but a year ago last summer she laid an egg. Determining the sex of birds can be a challenge.

Above is my sketch of their barred owl.

Posted by at 06:56 PM in Nature and Place | Link |
  1. Just looked at the owl sketch and thought, “Would love to see an animation of that!” It could be a ball of string, unravelling!

    Wonderful, impressionistic sketch, with lots of character.

    — butuki    25. January 2004, 03:20    Link
  2. I love it that you share your words and your artwork … it is refreshing to see the immediacy of your sketches. They breathe on the page. Thanks for sharing.

    — ntexas99    25. January 2004, 18:43    Link
  3. Hello,

    Just thought you would enjoy this site.

    http://www.TheOwlCam.com

    Cheers,

    -Scott
    — Scott    24. April 2006, 11:36    Link

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