Artwork: "Family Tree"

I realized recently that it's been a while since I posted any new artwork. I just finished this piece today, and am getting the files set up for prints, so am taking the opportunity to throw it up here. I'll be doing prints in the next day or two, in preparation for two shows down south--Pensacola's Great Gulf Coast Art Fair, November 4-6, and Covington, Louisiana's Three Rivers Art Festival November 12-13.

"Family Tree"
Pileated Woodpeckers
14 x 11, framed to 20 x 16
$950.00

This is a family of Pileated Woodpeckers I photographed this spring at Kensington Metropark. They nested very close to a nature trail, and many folks took advantage of the proximity to watch and photograph this family. There were actually three nestlings, who all fledged, but I felt that would be a bit too crowed, composition-wise.

As for the tree, I have decided, for the time being, to do most background/foreground in black and white stippling. I settled on this for depicting water as it is subtle and I can easily create the effect I'm looking for without overpowering the subject. That can be seen on the last piece I posted, "Splish Splash," of a Green-winged Teal. Since that post I've completed seven new pieces, and updated another, but instead of posting that here, I will shamelessly direct you to my website: www.marierust.com.  I've done a Horned Puffin, grey wolf, Common Mergansers and a river otter as well as an assortment of other birds. Oh, and the site is ALL NEW, so take a moment to take a look!

Birds of the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

 Not only does the Corkscrew Swamp contain the largest remnant of old-growth bald cypress in the world, it also hosts a lot of birds. Over 200 species have been sighted there, and while that's not as many as you might find on a wildlife refuge in a migration flyway, say, in rural eastern Oregon, it's still a respectable number. What was great about Corkscrew was how dang close those birds were. The boardwalk takes you deep into the swamp and there are literally birds everywhere, sometimes just a few feet from the walkway.

Before heading out onto the trail, we stopped at the visitor's center and checked the board for recent sightings. While I am happy to just go for a walk and take pictures, there's always that part of me that wants to log a new bird. I don't recall now all of the species on the list (I wish I'd taken a picture of the board) but one that stuck out was a Blue-headed Vireo. I'd never even heard of this bird (although it does migrate through Michigan) so we made that our target bird. Wouldn't you know, it would be one of the first birds we'd see, right in the area where the list said we'd find it. I wish they were all that easy!

Blue-headed Vireo in some deep shade. Pretty little bird with a touch of yellow and bold white eye ring.

Lots of little birds flitted about the swamp, including this female Palm Warbler. I wish I'd gotten better shots, but she was clinging to this branch above the water and nabbing insects from the surface. I love watching their behavior as much as I enjoy their sheer beauty.

Female Palm Warbler on the hunt.

The little birds are very difficult to photograph because they move so dang fast, and, in a situation like this, they are usually in the shade, which means slow shutter speeds and, consequently, blurry photos. I was really happy, then, to get a few decent shots of a Blue-grey Gnatcatcher more or less in focus, from tip to tip, with a bonus of a tasty morsel in its beak. I need to practice shooting with a fill flash to help stop movement and bring these guys out of the darkness.

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher with a spider--yum!

I think one of the things I love so much about photographing birds is it brings me closer to them. Not only do I get to study them in the field, through the lens, but I get to study them further at home, months or even years later. And there's always the challenge of getting a better image of a bird I've already seen. It goes like this:

1) Get an image, any image, of a bird seen for the first time
2) Try to get better images of a bird already photographed
3) Finally capture that "OMG I can't expect to do better than that" image that all photographers dream of.

I have very few number threes, which is what keeps me going back out into the field, keeps me shooting. This image is not a level three, but is certainly a number two--I'd only gotten fairly poor images of Great-crested Flycatchers until I came across this gorgeous bird. While its crest is not raised you do get a good look at those rusty primaries.

Good looks were had of a Great-crested Flycatcher.

But the birds who stole the show in the swamp were the wading birds. Holy moly, they were all over, and close. Little Blue Herons were plentiful, and we watched as this one nabbed a tasty treat then paused to scratch an itch.

Little Blue Heron.

White Ibis were everywhere, probably the most plentiful bird in the sanctuary. I was able to get good shots from a variety of angles. I like this one showing its narrow bill and blue eyes.

White Ibis in the soft afternoon sun.

This is not the greatest quality image as this bird was in some deep shade but as you can see, he found himself quite a meal in a large black crayfish. They probe the muddy bottom with that long narrow bill until they bump up against something, then bring it up and inspect it. He swallowed this crustacean whole.

Ibis and crayfish. The water behind the bird is really pretty, I just noticed.

There were a lot of immature Black-crowned Nightherons too, and we watched this youngster stalking prey. He eventually lunged but came up empty.

Imm. Black-crowned Nightheron hunting.

I waffled back and forth about whether this is an Anhinga or Double-crested Cormorant but I have finally settled on Anhinga--the red eye is what finally settled it. Cormorants have green eyes. In any case, it had speared this fish, and we watched as it worked it off it's bill and swallowed it. This is one of the only shots not obstructed by a branch, which is also another challenge when shooting in the woods.

Anhinga and an unfortunate fish.

Did I mention that the birds where really close? This is an uncropped image of a Great Egret who was just below the boardwalk, stalking prey.

Almost too close to see!

The sanctuary boardwalk closed at sunset and we were hungry, so we hustled through the last half mile or so and headed back to the van for a picnic lunch, then went back out to the boardwalk to cover that last bit more leisurely. Much to my delight, right past the visitor's center at the intersection of the loop, was a male Pileated Woodpecker, going to town on a pine tree. Oh happy day! Getting pileated shots is not easy--in most places they are pretty shy birds. But this one, well, he didn't care at all about the people milling about underneath as he searched for insects. I did a piece based on this bird as soon as I had a chance--maybe the fastest I've turned a photo around to art. It sold at the first show it was displayed. Guess I should do some more!

The magnificent Pileated Woodpecker.

New Artwork--Grey Wolf and More

Here it is, the end of November, and I still haven't finished the Alaska blog series. Shame on me! When my schedule gets messed up I fall out of the habit--or just forget about it completely. The search for our lost dog, Mr. Pickles, took up an enormous amount of time this summer, and I did a record 18 shows this year, so I guess I should cut myself some slack.

While I haven't written my blog in months, I have been getting some artwork done, so there's that at least. Seven new pieces since February is pretty good, and I've already sold two of them.  You can order reproductions from my website, www.marierust.com, or contact me directly if you're interested in an original: 734-223-8612, or email, marie@beartrackstudiosllc.com

There are so many cool things I haven't been able to write about since I got so bogged down with Alaska. One of them that I will write about down the line is a day I spent at the Corkscrew Swamp Audubon Sanctuary in southern Florida. What a place! Largest stand of old growth cypress in the world. Right outside the visitor center was this gorgeous male Pileated Woodpecker, going to town on a pine in the evening light. I was so excited to finally get some great shots. This piece sold at the first show I had it at.

"Woody"  
 Pileated Woodpecker, 8x10. Original SOLD, reproductions available

I have been reluctant to do the same subjects over and over, but I've decided that if that's what sells, that's what I should do. There are iconic subjects that are universally popular, and if I want to make a living at this I need to keep doing those subjects. While I like doing new things, Chestnut-sided Warblers are not a particularly popular subject. So I went back to the Common Loon well, a subject I hadn't done in about seven years. They are difficult birds to get good shots of, and I put this together from several different images. I also like the stippling effect for the water, and will probably carry this over to many other pieces.

"Between Dark and Light"
Common Loon, 20 x 10, framed to 24 x 14, $800.00, reproductions available

I did a number of shows in the Great Plains this spring and early summer, and felt I needed a bison for the prairie. There's another trip I need to write about--Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa. I had never been in those states before and what I expected was nothing like what I found there. Rolling hills, steep cliffs, HUGE sky, spring flowers, and lots of new birds for my list. This bison was one I photographed in North Dakota, at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (another trip I haven't written about!!) in the summer of 2013. He was actually a pretty old guy, so I made him a little more robust in my piece.

"Evening Primrose"
American Bison, 23 x 15, framed to 27 x 19, $1,800.00, reproductions available.

Another denizen of the prairie, this Eastern Meadowlark was photographed in Oklahoma in March. He was perched on a disc golf basket, so I traded that for a wooden post with rusty barbed wire.

"The Troubadour"
Eastern Meadowlark, 8 x 17, framed to 12 x 21, $700.00, reproductions available

Last summer I took a trip up to Tawas Point State Park (I know, I haven't written about that either!) to get images of Piping Plovers. Living in Michigan, I had no excuse for not having seen this bird, one of the most critically endangered birds in the U.S.  The male plover is the one who cares for the young once they hatch--mom literally flies the coop, often starting her journey south.

"Mr. Mom"
Piping Plover, 10 x 8.5, framed to 14 x 12.5, $495.00, reproductions available

I belong to a Michigan birding group on Facebook, and when pictures of cranes with their colts started popping up this spring, Lisa insisted we go to the metro park where they nest so I could get some shots. Sandhill Cranes are one of the few species I've done multiple times, and a crane with her colt was one of the first originals I sold. This piece took quite a while to complete--the bigger, the exponentially longer a piece takes, plus this one has all the stippling in the nest. I just love the fuzzy little guys peering out. The day was cloudy and chilly, and the little darlings shivered when not tucked up against mom.

"Safe Harbor"
Sandhill Cranes, 19 x 13, framed to 23 x 17, $1,500.00, reproductions available

Last but not least--the grey wolf. I have had so many requests for wolves, but they are difficult subjects to find. I've seen several in the wild--most recently in Ely, MN--but the encounter was either so brief, or I didn't have my camera, that I never got shots. So Lori and I drove down to Indiana to spend an afternoon at the Wolf Park. OMG. What a place. They have several small packs, and a small herd of bison, and beautiful enclosures. The wolves are socialized (not to be confused with domesticated). You can sponsor a wolf for a year, which allows you to go into the enclosure with your wolf--supervised of course. I asked my mom for a sponsorship for Christmas. But you can still get quite close, even outside the enclosures, and I got some fantastic images, all behind wire of course.  This is the first of what I'm sure will be many wolves to come.

"The Better To See You With"
Grey Wolf, 16 x 5.5, original SOLD, reproductions available.

My hope is to finish up the Alaska trip in my next post, then start on some of my other adventures. Winter is for artwork and blogging!

Searching for the Red-Shouldered Hawk

Last week Lori and I went out to Unit 4--the part of the Brighton State Rec Area that we've been managing--to look for hawks. We have identified a number of listed species in the area, including Blanding's turtles, which are considered a species of special concern.  On several previous trips to the area we have heard--and seen at least once--red-shouldered hawks, a threatened species in Michigan. We saw a red-shouldered several years ago in the huge cottonwood on the edge of our property, and I had one fly over me, calling, when I was in the chicken's pen last year. They have a very distinctive, descending call, that sounds something like figaro. Our property is nearly adjacent to Unit 4, so it is not surprising to have seen the birds in both places.

I made a report and sent it in to the Michigan Natural Features Inventory, who likes to know about listed species. However, they really only want to know about breeding pairs. Had we seen a nest or other breeding activity? they asked. Well, no. So, we set out last week to see what we could see. I didn't hold much hope--we are fully leafed out here now and the chance of finding a nest was slim to say the least. But it was a good excuse to get out and stomp around in the woods. I had also not yet photographed a red-shouldered in the park, and I wanted some concrete visual proof of their presence there.

We parked along the road near the trail crossing, and before I could even get to the trail this red-spotted purple butterfly landed on the road in front of me. We'd had rain recently, and this little beauty was sipping moisture and minerals from the roadbed.

Red-spotted purple butterfly.

Shortly after leaving the road but before the woods the trail passes through a small meadow. This is an area were we have heard the red-shouldered, and seen as many as three hawks flying overhead. So we stopped to watch and listen. Within 20 seconds Lori announced there was a cuckoo in the cherry tree next to the meadow. I found the bird and got a few shots (these are cropped quite a bit). I could tell she was right by the size of the bird and it's bright white undersides. I had heard cuckoos the last few times I'd been out in the woods, so I was thrilled to be able to see one. These are my first photos of the black-billed.

Black-billed cuckoo.

I noticed a second bird, and got a few shots of it, too. Lori was insisting these were black-billed, but I clearly saw a yellow bill on the second bird, and had not gotten a good enough look at the first to say for sure. So we debated--black or yellow??

Yellow-billed cuckoo.

The disagreement was ended later when we got home and realized there was one of each feeding in the same tree! The yellow-billed has more white on its tail and that distinctive yellow lower mandible, while the black-billed has a bright red eye ring.

Cuckoos eat caterpillars, and are one of the only birds to eat fuzzy caterpillars like tent and gypsy moth. Good thing, because we discovered we have an infestation of gypsy moth caterpillars in the park this year.

While I had my face crammed against my camera, photographing the cuckoos, Lori spotted a hawk overhead. I got a few shots of it as it circled, but I am not certain if this is a broad-winged hawk or a juvenile red-shouldered.

What are you?!?! I think it's a red-shouldered, but it is very similar to the broadwinged. We've seen both in the area. Will have to get better photos than this for a positive ID.

 On the way out of the meadow I spotted a blue-gray gnatcatcher working an oak along the edge...

Blue-gray gnatcatcher. You can see some of the freeze damaged leaves here. 26 degrees Mother's Day night....

 
...and this widow skimmer dragonfly. There were several other species there too, including common whitetail and twelve-spot skimmer. I have heard that some birders have also become dragonfly watchers, and I can see why.

Widow skimmer dragonfly.

Unit 4 is a pretty diverse section of the park. There's a creek that winds through it, leading from Chenango Lake to empty into the Hay Creek near our house, which then feeds the Huron River. The creek passes through a marsh/wet meadow, a low-lying area surrounded by steep, forested hills. There's a swamp (where we've done most of our work and have ID'd over 40 native wildflowers so far) and two small meadows, along with mature oaks, maples and black cherry and a few stands of pines. It is a perfect place to find all sorts of birds thanks to this diversity.

We did finally make it to the woods, and I did some climbing around, searching a few big oaks. But the hills are steep, and in this particular area there's lots of multi-flora rose (a nasty invasive) and so I gave up pretty quickly. But we walked along the trail and eventually came to a deer path that leads off towards the marsh. It's been there for years but we've never taken it, so we decided to see where it leads, and if we could get a view of the marsh, where we've seen the hawk.

Boy, could we!

Beautiful wet meadow/tamarack swamp.

I am a lover of open sky, having grown up on a lake, so I fell in love with this spot immediately.  Some flowers were blooming, and I could see there would be many more as summer approaches. I haven't had time to ID these yet.

I heard hammering in a grove of tamarack nearby, and looked to see a pileated woodpecker blasting away on a snag.

Pileated woodpecker. Look at those shoulders!

 While I stood still against a poplar the bird took off and flew directly overhead, into the woods to land on an oak. It started to move down the trunk into a spot where I would have had a clear view of it, but something yummy caught it's eye and it moved back up. Shortly after this it flew off.

 Clouds had started to build and it was close to lunchtime so we headed back. Good thing, because within a half hour it was pouring rain. We didn't see any more hawks, but I did find a spot where I am sure I will spend a lot of time watching for them.

I have a show this weekend, then I am driving up to the U.P. Sunday, and from there taking the slow boat to Isle Royale National Park. I am part of a volunteer crew working on the restoration of some cottages on the island. I am very excited about spending time on this remote, north woods island, and am sure I will have lots to blog about when I get back.

Birds of Blue Spring

I awoke this morning to a steady snow falling, and we now have about two inches on the ground. I don't really mind, I think it's beautiful and know that it will be gone in a day, but it does make posting about our Florida trip that much more pleasant.

We saw lots of birds at Blue Spring State Park. The problem, as usual, is that they generally saw us first and so took to the air before we could get a good look. But we did have some special moments, like the Purple gallinule from the last post, and this one, a bald eagle atop a ratty looking pine directly across from the boat launch.



About fifteen minutes into the paddle we heard a Pileated woodpecker hammering in the woods to our right. We sat still until she showed herself.


Lisa pointed out several heron nests in a small rookery near the bank of the river. These large, lanky birds seem so out of place high up in a tree.


This heron plied the shallows, looking for lunch.


Once down the Smith canal the birding became a bit more difficult. The narrow, overgrown canal provided great camouflage for the birds. But while Lisa and Lori struggled somewhere behind me to find a place for a potty break, I watched this Eastern wood pewee until it came out and perched in the sun.


And this Anhinga waited just long enough for me to get a few shots before flying away in protest. I had no idea their tails were so long.


We heard many noises in the woods along the canal, and we hoped for a bear or a bobcat. What we got, eventually, was this turkey, a big tom who was working his way along the high bank of the canal.


Once back out on the river, we didn't see a whole lot. Boat traffic had picked up and it was early afternoon. But I did see this Black vulture preening in a tree near the river. I had never gotten such a good look at one before--we only have Turkey vultures at home. I think this bird is quite handsome.


As we neared the boat launch I was struck by this vulture, preening on the branch of a long dead tree with the moon coming up behind it. All I needed was a little mist instead of that bright blue sky, and it would be the perfect vulture picture!