A Bird in the Hand

We are blessed, here in the Pinckney Michigan area, to be surrounded by parks. Within a 20 minute drive are three State Recreation areas, with approximately 37,000 combined acres of land with hiking, mountain bike and equestrian trails. The Huron River winds past nearby, and we have 50-plus lakes in our area. In addition, there are five MetroParks within that 20 minute radius. Kensington is the largest of these at 4,481 acres. A big chunk of that is Kensington Lake, but they also have a nature center and nature trails with an active heron rookery.

Lori and I stopped by Kensington recently with one purpose in mind--to feed the birds. I had seen others do it, and had been followed by birds as we walked the trails in the past, but we had never remembered to bring seed. So we filled a baggie with sunflower seeds and peanuts, made our way to a sunny bench, and sat with outstretched hands. It didn't take long for the birds to make an appearance.





What a sensation, to have the tiny little toes of a chickadee clasped to the end of your fingers. They are so light that if not for their pointy claws you would hardly know they were there.



First the chickadees came, but soon Tufted titmice joined the fray.




Lastly the nuthatch came in for a bite.


The birds were all around, on the ground below our feet, on the bench seat and back, even hoping across our shoes. To be so close to hear their wings beat and see the light glint in their eyes was a wonderful treat. No doubt we'll be going back again.


And while a bird in the hand may be worth two in the bush, I'll take 'em any way I can get 'em!

And just a quick mention, we here at Bear Track Studios are having our annual Open House at our home gallery, on Saturday, November 13, from 10 am to 6 pm. My studio will also be open. Walk the trails, watch the birds, look at (and buy!) great art, have a snack and a chat. We'd love to see you!

The Better to See You With, My Dear!

I know I said the next blog would be about a spruce grouse, but I have to interrupt that blog series (which is nearly done, darn it!) because I got me a new "toy".

I have suffered for years with cheap camera equipment, and let me tell you, you get what you pay for. I did have a nice pro-series 70-200mm for my Canon, but it didn't get me close enough to my subjects (birds) and was too slow of a lens to add an extender to. Too much info, perhaps, but what it means is that I couldn't get decent bird shots unless I was just about on top of them.

Well, after a really good show last week where I sold three original pieces, I decided it was time to invest in a good lens. So I ordered a 300mm f4 with a 1.4x extender, which makes it a 420mm f5.6--lots of jargon for some of you I know, but what it comes down to is the ability to take really good telephoto shots. It was delivered today, and of course my first target was our chickens.



Fancy, our "Easter egger".

I eventually moved out to the balcony and stood in one corner, camera on a monopod, and started shooting birds in the late afternoon sun.



White-breasted nuthatch, looking rather ragged.


Female house finch.



Chipping sparrow.


A downy woodpecker landed on the suet feeder right next to me, and though I wasn't more than five feet away I could still focus on her. This is not cropped. To be able to get images with such clarity is absolutely vital to an artist who does work with such a high level of detail as I do.

One of the things that had frustrated me up to now was my inability to get good hummingbird shots. But with this new lens and a nice sunny day, I had no trouble at all. I stood next to the house, and with the shed doors in the distance providing a perfect backdrop, I stood quietly and shot as these tiny birds came to our feeder.










This is my favorite--it looks like a stand-off between the bird and the ant.

The male hummer, who takes up his post in the crab apple just off the balcony, put on a show too.



What attitude!


Yee haw!

Remember, you can click on any of these images to get a larger version. Enjoy!!

Artwork--White-breasted Nuthatch

After a spectacular show in Indianapolis I have been working my tail off to get some new pieces done. I am hoping for two before my show this weekend in East Lansing, but I may not get there. We'll see.

I have gobs and oodles of images of birds--some from my backyard, some from up north, many from Florida. It is difficult to choose which ones to do first. I picked the white-breasted nuthatch because it's one of my favorites and because I thought I could do this particular piece fairly quickly. I have others of this bird I want to do but they'll have to wait until I am not so crunched for time!

Winter Birds Part 1

As many people who live in northern climates do, I have a particularly soft spot for those birds who tough out our winters with us. While the weather here in Southeast Michigan is not particularly brutal, we do occasionally get very cold, very snowy winters (like the last two). Every morning after a night of sub-zero temperatures and biting winds I am amazed to see any birds at all, much less the crowds that amass on our feeders. While the weather is mild still, they are busy at the feeders all day, putting on fat stores that will help them through the winter.

The tufted titmouse,



black-capped chickadee,

and white breasted nuthatch are three of the most common birds of our winter world. None of these birds has bills strong enough to crack open a sunflower seed, so each will fly up, take a seed, and fly off to a nearby tree. The chickadee and titmouse will hold the seed between their feet and hammer at it until the shell is cracked. The nuthatch, with its long torso, is designed for clinging to a tree rather than perching on a branch, and seems unable to grasp a seed with its feet. This bird will fly to a nearby tree, cram the seed in a crevice, and then hammer at it with its bill to get at the meats.

The northern cardinal,

and the goldfinch have strong bills for cracking seeds, and will sit contentedly at a feeder devouring seed after seed.

The downy woodpecker (this one's a female) usually sticks to the suet, but will occasionally take sunflower seeds, and has to go about cracking them open like the nuthatch.




I think mourning doves are beautiful birds, but I'm happy not to have as many as we did in Ann Arbor. Their light eye ring really makes their eyes stand out, and their lids are light colored too, so you can see when they blink. Makes them seem less reptilian or something. I miss their cooing when breeding season is over.

The dark-eyed junco is not a year-round resident here. They breed farther north, and come down just to spend the winter. I guess this is like their Florida. We saw the first one this year on October 23--last year the first sighting was on October 22. Either we weren't paying attention or they were running late this year!

Now, I know this isn't a bird, but she's too cute not to include, and is certainly a regular at the feeders year-round. As long as they don't chew their way into my studio (from where all these photos were taken) then they are welcome at the feeders.



Missing from this group are the blue jay, red-bellied woodpecker and a sparrow or two. I'll be curious to see if the hairy woodpeckers stick around for the winter--I saw one the other day, but have never seen one in the dead of winter. We also get eastern bluebirds and cedar waxwings, who will come in mid-January to our crab apple tree out front--they tend to hang out at our neighbor's house, who is back in the woods.

Also absent are the winter birds who have yet to arrive, those who breed and nest to the north. Those include the red-breasted nuthatch, common redpoll and pine siskin. This will be our fourth winter here, and it's taken awhile for some of these part-time birds to find us. The redpolls first came two years ago, the siskins last year. I'm excited to see who may show up this winter.