Nesting Season

The crows have been busy for the past few days. They’re collecting smaller pieces at this point: grasses, mostly — so I assume the engineering portion of the building’s pretty much over.

Wrong Holiday

The turkeys are back, strutting and helping themselves to whatever they fancy in the garden.

Hunting season for turkeys starts soon. It’s extended by 2 weeks for archers…

By the way, take a look at Bridget’s blog, BridBird — she’s an artist who often does bird prints. I love the vivaciousness of her lines! Took a leaf from her book to render the alfalfa around this displaying tom this morning.

Red-shouldered Hawk with Prey

Lots of commotion this morning. I think the ground squirrel babies have been venturing above ground because this was definitely too big to be a mouse or vole, though I never got a good look at it.

There was a second bird, or the same one, that caught a second rodent within 30 minutes of the first…

Slate-colored Junco

We almost never see this race of the dark-eyed junco, but this bird was hanging out this morning with the fresh-plumaged Oregon juncos. It was gorgeous.

Before the Wind

It was supposed to rain this morning. I had all kinds of plans for things I was going to do, rainy day things. But instead I went outside with my new Pentel brush pen and drew this starling.

It was gorgeous with almost no breeze this morning, so we went on a ride the long way to South Davis (about 13 miles). I sketched this savannah sparrow while Numenius fixed his toe clip. I then decided to go further to the Bypass where a ruff’s been reported regularly.

There it was, the reeve. Bright orange legs, short bill, blob of white above the bill.

Now I have to figure out how to get all those things done I was supposed to…

Swainson's Hawks are Coming Back

I saw one yesterday; today, at least three. I haven’t heard their plaintive squeaks yet but no doubt soon enough…

Red-shouldered Hawk Outside the Window

Oregon Junco

These guys will be gone very soon….

Red-shouldered Hawk

The red-shouldered hawks are very vocal at the moment, giving themselves away. I caught this bird and its mate as they disappeared over the top of the pine tree to my north…

Bushtit

We went out this morning and I saw a bushtit gathering spiderwebs for its nest. There was another one this afternoon doing the same thing, but this time I had my paints.

They are restless, tiny creatures that are tricky to see well. I never got a good look at the head. Realized it needed to be grayer so I added some gray in colored pencil afterwards…