gesture drawings & sunset

When in the field studying birds, I love to do gesture drawings to get the feel of the bird. These are quick and do not have to be perfect. They help me to understand what I am seeing.

Here is a gesture of a Piping Plover

I also do line contour drawings.

The idea is to draw fast without looking at the paper rather looking at the bird. This is what I like to call tactile learning. It reinforces what my eyes are seeing or sometime what they are not seeing.

This is the contour drawing for this drawing.

Another contour of sunflowers in Ware County

To finish: I've noticed I have taken a fancy to the word stunning. Here is last night's sunset. Would you agree it was stunning?

Doodle for the Day

Black Skimmers are just down right cool. They appear to be social. They bunch together and at time appear to dominate the beach. Other time they just hang out. I enjoy watching and sketching them. Here one of those sketches. Enjoy your day!

Friday Morning Bird Ramble May 18,2007

This is a Friday Ramble on Jekyll Island. It has been planned for a few months now. Thursday was awful because the winds were out of the west. The day was very smoky I was a little worried about Friday. But the skies were blue. There was a slight chill in the air. “Perfect” I though!

After meeting with Georgi, Sharon, Joan and Pricilla we walk over to the convention center to get Pricilla her life Gray Kingbird. He was right by his tree standing guard over his nest. What a stately bird.

From there we went to the Beach Deck area near the Days Inn. I always want to check out the beach there. While we were watching Sanderling scurrying around the edge of the surf a woman came up to us. It turned out that Emilie had been looking for us and wanted to join us. The group just took her right in. This was Emilie’s first time to bird. She told us that if she just learned one or two birds that would make her happy. Well, OK we were off to the Welcome Center where the tide was already come in but we walk around to the east side and found shorebirds in summer plumage. The Black-bellied Plover was stunning. The Dunlin was a dandy. But the Whimbrel was the showcase bird.
I wanted to wait for the tide to fall before going to the beach so the next stop was the Campground Sanctuary. We got there around 9:30. This place is wonderful. We had both male and female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Painted Buntings were in and out of the feeders the entire time we were there. A female Black-throated Blue Warbler came into the bird bath a few times. But the real treat was the male American Redstart that popped in to check out the drip. Emilie was hooked when she saw the male Painted Bunting but it was over the top when she learned about the tiny wood warblers like the redstart. What a treat to see someone enjoy watching birds!
The real cap for Emilie and all of us was the Amphitheater Pond. There is just something about babies Wood Storks. Yellow-crowned Night-herons and growing Great Egrets chicks were a plus.
We dropped off Emilie for she had an appointment that her husband had made for her. Did I say this was her birthday? Yes, she wanted to going birding for her birthday. She left very pleased saying she learned a lot more than just one or two birds. A New Birder! Yea.
We finished the morning with Royal Terns, Black Skimmers, and Wilson’s Plovers at the south end of Jekyll. We decide to continue the fun with a lunch at Sea Jays. On the way there a surprise Mississippi Kite flew over the van. Man could it get any better but at Sea Jay’s we were serenaded by a Yellow-throated Warbler. No better way to spend a morning than with good people and beautiful birds. At the very end after I told the group bye I ended my Jekyll Bird Ramble with two Gull-billed Terns. This is the second time I’ve seen Gull-billed Terns in the area around the Gisco Marina Drive. Stay tuned I’ve got my fingers crossed that these birds will hang around here during the summer.
With Jekyll Birds on my mind., good birding.
Lydia

A Windy Birding Day

May 10, 2007

Sometime on Tuesday or Wednesday a weather system formed out beyond the Gulf Stream. This system had a classic circular cloud movement like a tropical storm. It was heading south and west. It crossed the Gulf Stream and it picked up strength. It was named sub-tropical storm Andrea. Andrea was heading toward Jekyll just in time for my Thursday Morning Bird Ramble. Even with the wind, birding was going to be fun. I warned Carole and Anna that we were going to be bouncing around to find birds.

Well the storm didn’t turn out to be an event but we still had fun looking at some interesting birds. The beach near the shopping center was windy and so

only the sandpipers were working in the runnels and surf. The Sanderlings were becoming brick red hooded birds. They were piling up in bunches rushing up and down the surf. A little higher on the beach Least Sandpipers were working the runnels. Runnels are depressions formed by wave action at high tide then at low tide these depressions hold water. All these birds were nervous. At one point I had some Semipalmated Sandpipers. But they didn’t stay long the wind and surf keep them scurrying.

We ended south to the 4-H center and walking around the south end of Jekyll. We found we were shelter from the wind. Gulls, terns and skimmers were taking a break from the wind as well. One Wilson’s Plover briefly came out of the dunes to watch us then turned and ran right back in. We were rewarded for walking all the way to Jekyll Point for there were Red Knots in their summer plumage as well as a brilliant Rudy Turnstone. A lone Snowy Egret was working the surf. Watching the knots and egret a duck appeared. A Lesser Scaup was drifting along just behind the courting Royal Terns and Laughing Gulls.

As we turned to go back to the car a family came out to the beach with their dog. I was about to say that it was good they had the small terrier on a leash when the boy turn loose of the leash. The terrier took it and began shaking it. Then it ran in circles. My heart sank. I know that education is the key to preventing the killing of birds by our own beloved pets. But who could do this education? Jekyll is perfect place for education. Is there any funding out there for this? Let me know.

Moving on we made a few more stops as we headed to the campground. The sanctuary in the Jekyll Campground is a wonderful place to visit. The squirrels are busy scoffing up all the seed on the ground. The bird drip is attracting all kind of birds. A little female Common Yellowthroat works it way through the under bush to the bath first. Then to our delight a male Black-throated Blue Warbler jumped into the pool. A male Ruby-throated Hummingbird is working the feeders. Every once in a while he would flash his ruby throat at us. There were several female Painted Buntings and one male Painted Bunting at the feeders.

Late in the morning we finished at the Amphitheater. The wood storks seemed unaffected by the winds in fact there were little head peaking over the top of the nests. Baby Wood Storks are so cute. They look like fuzzy stuffed toys. Now we are waiting for the Anhinga babies. Stay tuned…..
With Georgia’s wildlife on my mind, Good Birding1
Lydia

A day of Roseate Spoonbills and warblers

May 3, 2007

Well after finally getting over a cold that knocked my off for a week, I am headed birding!

Rob and Robin Ostermann joined me. I have been talking to Rob for several months as they planned their trip to our area from north east Oregon. They arrived at the meeting place beside the Jekyll Island Pharmacy at 8 am. I felt like I knew them.
Actually I have Sheila Willis to thank for this nice couple. When they were looking around for a place to go, they called Sheila. Sheila, with her exuberance for all birds and especially birds of this South Georgia area, told them they needed to stay on Jekyll.

Finally here they were. Naturely I ask what birds they wanted to see. Robin jumped right in with a Clapper Rail and Roseate Spoonbill. “What no Painted Bunting?” I ask. “Oh that would be nice but we have been enjoying them at the bird feeders at Tidelands Nature Center. We have had two males and a few females there.” Both Rob and Robin agreed that any bird would fine. Well for me it was set. We were going to look for the rail and spoonbill.

Out to the causeway we went. The stop at the Welcome Center was OK, The birds were a bit too far out. I drove to the roost but I could tell it wasn’t right so I turned around and headed for Gisco Marina Road.

Now there we hit the jackpot! I drove right to the mitigation pools. Low and behold while we were gazing at some Semipalmated Plovers, a Clapper Rail sauntered out and crossed the little creek. It walked past the plovers up the mud threaded through the thin grass. It stay in view for quite a while. Robin had her rail in fact it was a thrill for me as well. Rails are not the easiest to see, so anytime I get a chance to watch I watch!

Turning around and heading back to the causeway I stopped to help them with heron identification. Rob was working along the row of Wood Storks, Snowy and Great Egrets when he said, “There is something out there that is pink.” Sure enough a Roseate Spoonbill was working up and down the little creek. The bird even came out of the creek in plain view sat up on a branch and began to preen. We watched and were amazed when a second one joined it.

The place was magic. Each time I started to leave a new bird would fly in. We laughed and rack up the species.

I had to swing by and see the Loggerhead Shrike who was on his territory before heading to the south end of Jekyll. Gulls, tern and skimmers entertained us. The Wilson’s Plovers were not going to be left out. There were at least three showing off in the dunes.
Time was flying by. It was getting late but I had two more places to go. First was the campground. It was great. Warblers were the highlight. We saw a good many Black-throated Blues most of these were females but there were a couple males around to balance things out. American Redstarts and one Ovenbird made their appearance at the bird drip along with the resident North Parula. With the drought this bird drip is invaluable to the birds.

We finished the morning at the Amphitheater. We were able to see a Common Yellowthroat bouncing between the palmetos. We spied on the nesting birds. Everyone was sitting tight on eggs. . Stay tuned the Wood Storks should have babies soon!

I did find out that Rob and Robin did get to go out with Sheila on Saturday. Sheila led them on a bird walk at Stephen Foster State Park on the west side of the Okefenokee Swamp. Then they were off to see Red-cockaded Woodpeckers before head home. I do hope they enjoyed the wonderful birds of the Georgia Coast.
With Jekyll birds on my mind, good birding! Lydia