Second Brood

The tree swallows seem to be working on a second brood. It was so hot last week I have no idea if everyone made it through, but frequent visits to the nest box make me hopeful…

Pennsylvania Birds

Back from a calligraphy workshop. I failed to identify warbler chips but there were lots of birds I did catch up with, including this grackle.

Delighted in seeing a robin with some green to be in instead of parched brown.

This eastern kingbird was flycatching from a tall stalk.

Notabird, but a fun thing for this westerner to see nonetheless. This woodchuck is apparently living under the shed at Sheila’s.

Black-Chinned Hummingbird

A walk around the Arboretum at lunch while England were busy squandering chances against Algeria yielded this lovely beauty, guarding his tobacco plant in glorious bloom.

Blue Grosbeak

This beauty was singing during the halftime break between Nigeria and Greece this morning…

Trip to the Zoo

Saturday June 5 was World Drawing Day. We took a trip to Sacramento Zoo, a small zoo on a completely manageable scale. It has been such a cool spring but it’s warming up now and we didn’t stay too long. I used only my Derwent Sketching watercolor pencil (Dark Wash, 8B on paper — and worked much larger than I usually do. It was fun and made a change from pen.

I started out around the pool containing waterfowl and the noisy and raucous flamingoes which are being somewhat shielded from the public during breeding season (it didn’t stop a lot of people trying to get them to “do something” loudly, which always gets me more upset than I think it will).

The greater hornbills have been doing well at the zoo, this male having been bred in captivity. I am always astonished at the protruberance on the head and find it difficult to draw to make it look different from the feathers.

Birds in cages: not my ideal, nor theirs. I draw these birds with respect and hope that what is learned about them here can help their populations in the wild.

American Crow Chick

This bird appeared to have fallen out of a nest. I’m always amazed by how huge the bills are, even on young birds…

American Robins at the Capitol

I spent yesterday in Sacramento at the State Scientist Day event for kids. I got there early, though, and was able to draw these robins foraging on the watered lawns around Arnold’s fortress…

Orange-crowned Warbler

I drew this female on Saturday during the Double Century. It had apparently been hit by a car…

House Wren in Cliff Swallow's Nest

A house wren has taken up residence in a cliff swallow’s nest structure under the bridge. It was singing loudly but not, apparently, able to fit in a piece of nesting material of its own…

Hermit Warbler

Stormy today. There was movement outside. Yellow warbler and hermit warbler. I haven’t seen one of these for ages.

Don’t rush upslope, little bird, there’s snow up there…