Shootin' Birds

A new painting which is not entirely new.  It was a painting which I was not totally happy with because it was too overwhelmingly yellow--school bus yellow.  I decided that I just had to "finish" it and this is the result.  Not much difference in composition just color changes.

Time to reflect lets us see things, even a painting, in a more objective way.


It is also the time of the year when the birds are starting the reproductive season in their lives.  A most interesting time, which with our warm winter, seems to be starting early this year.  My favorite place to see this happening is at The Alligator Farm down in St. Augustine.  I happily accepted an invitation to accompany good friends and fellow photographers, Stephan and Jo-Ann on such an adventure.  The entrance to The Farm is always a treat as it visually is a very pretty place with attractive plants included in their landscape, and a wide variety of birds and monkeys, all in addition to the many types of gators and crocs and other critters who reside there.  A visually exciting greeting once inside the gate were two of my favorite tropicals, a Pitcher Plant and a Bird of Paradise, in full bloom. 


Next on the agenda, soon after you enter the park is another rare and exotic gator, beautiful Albino Alligators.  They are both rare and exotic.  They are only found in Southern Louisiana.  They are kept underneath a roof to protect their delicate white skin from sunburn.  Usually the big female is in this enclosure but since this is mating season she may be out on a date with a handsome pale gentleman.  The Alligator Farm is permitted to do breeding programs with several of the endangered critters they keep in their Park.  These gators are part of that breeding program.


I stroll onto the boardwalk where according to Stephan, who had been down the week prior, we should find lots of birds.  It would seem there were certainly lots of alligators as they were feeding them from the feeding platform when we arrived.  The water was "jam up and jelly tight" with gators all watching and hoping for a treat.  There was a lot of dogfood-like pellet chow thrown into the pool but the more prized treats were several large dead rats which were tossed into the mob below.  There was really a feeding frenzy when those special "rat" treats were thrown into the fray. 




As I walked on down the boardwalk over the alligator pond I couldn't help but think how interesting the reflections of the trees were with the alligator laying in the middle of them.  I especially loved the way his head was outlined with the reflected white and black reflection of a slight water ripple.


Reaching the end of the boardwalk where there should have been a hundred big white birds, we found only a few.  Very strange.  We began to ask around from some of the other photographers what had happened to the birds.  We found out that the birds had flown away after workers came in to do some work, some of which involved a chain saw.  Well that explained that.  But there were still some of the Great White Egrets working on nest building and getting ready for mating.




A few of the other birds which were still hanging around included the the Black and the Yellow Crowned Night Herons. This Yellow Crowned Night Heron was busy napping his afternoon away.  They actually do hunt in the daytime too but mostly I have observed them just sleeping, with a quick glance now and then when they hear the camera shutter click.


Only a few of the many, many Woodstorks which will eventually arrive were there.  They are the largest of the birds which nest in the rookery and are America's only Stork.


I really like palms which are left natural without the pruning to remove their petticoats.  This is how they appear if left to their own ways.  There is a similar one on the way home from the gallery which I see each day as I make that trip.  So many trees are pruned into being something they are not as in Crepe Myrtles.  It is called "the murder of the Myrtles".  I thought it was funny a couple of weeks ago, that a class was announced at the local Lowe's on how to "properly" prune a Crepe Myrtle, and then the same weekend their landscape crew came in and butchered their own plantings of Crepe Myrtles doing exactly what the class instructor was saying "don't do".  The girl who works in the plant department was livid.


But the Great White Egret was perfect and regal looking as usual.  The mating season brings on the beautiful long land lacy plumage for which they were once killed in great numbers.


This fellow was busy building his nest getting ready to have a nice new home for a young family with room to expand.  You can see the green lores starting to show up on his face also a sign of mating season.


Since there were not that many birds I head off to check out other areas of the park.  The Reptile building houses several interesting and varied snakes.  Besides some very, very large ones, there is the King Cobra, which I find interesting and yet unnerving to only be inches away from this deadly fellow.  Do you know that it is believed over 50,000 people die from snake bites in India and Bangladesh each year.  From this vantage point I can closely examine the intricate patterns in his body and head.  My favorite snake, who is always in this symmetrically draped position, is the wonderful bright green snake in the photograph.  I had to ask where he was because he had been moved from a small glassed cubical to a large more natural environment shared with two other of the really big snakes.  It looked like the female Monitor Lizard was the only one in residence (I know "Lizzard" is not correct but I'm sure you remember our adoptee Lewis Lizzard from last year).  I am not sure where the much larger male is.



I exited out the other side of the Reptile building to see some very active shenannegins by this colorful Cassowary.  This is a very large bird and from head to foot probably stands almost as tall as me.  He seemed to have a thing, whether love or hate I am not sure, for the park worker who was just leaving the area.  The big bird seemed to be trying to get to him in a very agitated state of mind.  In a few minutes the worker came back and he said he wasn't sure what the deal was but that the bird was all about wanting to get with him and follows him everywhere when he is nearby.  Could be the feeding routine.

I crossed over to the African section and found these guys also following one of the zoo keepers.  Food was the motivation in this case and maybe that was the reason for the other.


An exciting nesting is taking place there as well as one of the Buzzards has laid an egg.  One of the other females is looking on as mom stands up to turn her egg.  She glares at the girlfriend when she looks a bit too closely.  The Daddy is sitting up on the nearby snag.


There were four parrots out but the one in the center was the star of the show.  They are sitting out on natural perches unrestrained.  Parrots are very intelligent and this one began to interact with me as I talked to it.


It began to dance for me when I talked to it, prancing and swaying back and forth.  A very fun and unexpected interaction. We even got the attention of a little girl nearby who also came over to enjoy the show.  


An Angels Trumpet bloomed wildly through the fence back at the Alligator pond. They are a very beautiful flower and an easy one to grow from cuttings.


By now some of the birds are starting to settle back into the trees.  Some Roseate Spoonbills are flying on top of the tree we used to call The Woodstork Tree.  However, last year the Woodstorks moved over to other trees it was primarily used by the Great Whites.


Its always a challenge to try to catch a bird in flight.  Once in a great while I actually am able to do that.  The flight of these big birds is very beautiful to watch with variations in the species in the way they hold their heads, feet and flight patterns.  The way these great wingspans can catch and seemingly hold the flight form in midair gives you a chance to really see how graceful their flight is.



It was an overcast day and as an artist I love the patterns of light from the sun which makes me different from serious photographers who love the unbroken image of an overcast day to not have the sun patterns on their subject, but I am an artist, a painter, and artists love the play of light on their canvas.



But in either case the mating dance is a beautiful sight as it begins by this fellow as he bows and gracefully reaches his long neck skyward all the while spreading his feathers to show off for, and to attract the females attention.


Toward the back of the pond almost out of reach of my lens is what I call the swimming hole where the birds, especially the White Ibis, like to gather and bathe.  It may be that it is an area, because of the downed trees and underbrush, in which they are protected from the Gators in the main part of the pond.  A young Little Blue Heron who has yet to acquire his blue color wades in front.  His dark bluish looking bill tells me this is not one of the egrets.


With time running out for visiting hours in the park suddenly Jo-Ann yells out the word "incoming" which is the cue to all of us to look skyward.  And 'incoming' it was, -the birds return in great numbers to their favorite place as the calm of the park returns without tourists and chainsaws to mess with their comfort zone.


The trees suddenly fill with what had been missing all afternoon.


In a matter of minutes the trees begin to look like they are decorated for Christmas, adorned with lots of white ornaments.


There were a greater number than usual of the Little Blue Heron, one of my favorites.  The youngster from the swimming pool area joined this fellow so maybe it last year's offspring.


There were lots of the White Ibis although they never seem to nest here.  I wonder where that happens.


This old snag is a favorite perch for all of the bird species.  They seem to take turns getting this birds eye view of the park.  It becomes a "King of the Hill" type of game when the youngsters, later in the season, vie to see who gets the best spots.


All the photographers hedge their time a bit and wait snapping photos until the park worker comes to personally say it is time to leave (as if we didn't really know that).  It is just a few minutes to squeak out a few more shots with no one in the park but you.  We all appreciate the gift of about 15 minutes after closing time alone with the birds.  Today it was just five of us some who have come from far away.  One fellow from the Midwest says he comes every year to "Shoot the Birds".


Now the birds and the gators can have their park back.  Now it is their world only.


The clouds had finally broken up, allowing some light and a tiny patch of blue as one straggler makes his way and becomes my final shot before turning to the exit gates.  Another good day of shooting birds has drawn to a close but hopefully as the season progresses into nesting, hatching and juvenile's I will get to return for more rounds of shooting.

September High Spots

September High Spots

Strong winds which blew for 3 days straight with Fall high tides and very high rough seas have put the final end to our turtle season for the year, washing away all the last nests.  The last one on the island was to have hatched this week and it is unlikely it survived either.  So our season ends on a whimper rather then a happy note.  One little miracle left from Irene was that 3 eggs someone found laying on the beach were left laying beside the stakes for one of the nests.  Len who watches that area of beach carefully took them and reburied them high at the base of a dune.  Even though the odds were next to nil that they would hatch, small miracles do happen and all three hatched together and all got to the water.   

We are going to fast forward through September because there is just too much going on to ever catch up in detail.  I was able to get a few fun reflections in the Marina while we waited to head out on a speedy trip across the sound on one of the Amelia River Cruise outings.  There were several, with some of the three Workshop groups we had in the month.

Their newest boat captain is not quite into the pace of things here on the island, and hasn't quite got the hang of what "Island Time" is all about.  Being former military, he is still caught up in punctuality and feels he had to leave precisely on time and get back on time.  An hour cruise is just that with him.  I guess we were spoiled with Capt. P. J. Dave and Kevin who just go with the flow and what seems like a good schedule at the time taking advantage of the tides and a little sense of adventure always eager to explore what's just around the bend.

We did get to see the birds in hot pursuit of the Shrimpboat scarfing up the by-catch that is thrown overboard by the Shrimpers.

The Marsh grasses are a very beautiful green right now with their peak production of seeds topping off the plants to make every thing look to be the bright Spring or early summer colors you would normally see in new tree leaf growth. In reality, the marsh plants are nearing the end of their cycle.  Very soon, these seeds will ripen into a beautiful gold color, giving our islands their name, The Golden Isles.  Sometime you should read the poem "The Marshes of Glynn", written about the marshes just north of us up in Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia.

Heading up the familiar route to Beach Creek on the South End of Cumberland Island in search of horses, we didn't get a very good view of the horses on the way, but did get to see some birds.  This Osprey seems to be saying his evening Prayers as it is becoming time when the birds will all be finding that perfect roost for the night.

Two of our most well-behaved sailing friends on this trip were these two regular visitors to the island.  They hardly moved the entire trip.

For a few days earlier in the month of September the fires reignited up in the Okefenokee Swamp surprising us with a couple of mornings of the heavy smell of smoke.  Then torrential rains soaked us with more than 3 inches in the rain gauges inside the park in one period of couple of hours.

Another few days we had an old fashioned Nor'easter blowing us away at least on the beach.  It did not do much beach damage but was interesting to experience and see this contrast in the usually sunshiny calm ocean side.

The winds on the river washed the sea over our remaining nests once again.  The excavations proved out our worst fears with only 6 surviving out of two nests one in one morning's digs.  Most of us are expecting the worst so haven't even wanted to post them for onlookers to see.  It is very distressful end for what was such an exciting season.

Another bright spot of happiness at my house was the emergence of our one surviving Swallowtail.  It was smaller than the other one which had developed naturally outside and turned into a Chrysalis at the nursery.  I have learned much about caring for these guys this year.  I think that it is better to leave the plants outside where they receive good healthy sunlight in which to grow with this type of Caterpillar.  I believe that the health of the plant plays a big part in the healthy and successful development of the Swallowtail caterpillars.  In the future with my new plants growing in my garden I will have some healthy food growing for them to eat by just keeping them supplied with fresh cuttings.  I do know that left outside something eats the caterpillars.  I suspect it is the tiny wasps which I found swarming my caterpillar denuded Passion Flower when all of the dozens of them disappeared overnight outside.

I had one amazing morning with clouds that just made you want to become a bird so you could freely explore the illusive mountains the overhead moisture had created.

The glow from behind the rain cloud was amazing and photographs just cannot do justice to such a panoramic display.

A flock of Great White Egrets soared in front of them with their tucked-back necks, unlike the Woodstorks and Roseate Spoonbills who seem to stretch out their necks as far as they can reach.

A very hated kind of flying device lays burst into shreds by the high altitude it had obtained before falling to the water below, hence becoming beach trash, which gulls will start to eat, but choke and can't expel.  Worse yet, they can be an appetizing bite full of death for some sea turtle who mistakes this tentacled balloon remnant for a Jelly, one of their favorite foods, or wrapping its ribbons around some swimming sea bird.

The reflections on the low tide shoreline mirrored the already overwhelming beauty.

I stop, as I tear myself away from the beauty and head back, for one last glimpse from the river side and catch the sun almost peeking out, giving me some great light column rays before it rises above the clouds to become just another partly sunny day.

In September one thing that we fishermen look for is the great schools of Mullet which form in the river's waters as part of their mating ritual.  The Cormorant was much closer to shore and as with the larger fish may have been drawn toward the ripples the Mullet make as they move in-sinc near the surface and which means fish for dinner.  Some people won't eat Mullet except smoked, which is considered a delicacy, but some say there are ways to cook them that make them very tasty.  Smoked Mullet I like but have not had them any other way.  When they are like this you catch them with a casting net and the small ones are for bait, but have seen some quite large ones caught that way also.

The welcome moisture of the recent rains from the night before, and the still-high humidity give more sun rays to enjoy on the road back to the equipment barn.  It is rare that this happens but when it does it is nice to have your camera handy.  There is just something heavenly about is, you almost expect to hear an angel choir humming in the background.

The beach has been filled with birds.  Lots that we don't see up on our end of the beach very much in the summertime.  There was a flock of small birds which may be a species of Plovers migrating through, and lots of the Black Skimmers.

Here are a bunch of smaller birds who seemed to be catching up on their zzzz's.  These could be a different species or an immature version.

The Skimmers have such interesting beaks with their splash of vivid red orange across the massive beak.  The smaller birds mixed in here seem to be different from the others and look more like the Plovers with the dark necklace.  I am not a true birder, knowing all the varieties of birds that are not the more common ones.

I do know what this fellow is though but I am not so sure he does.  Methinks he may have decided he is a Sea Turtle for today.  Maybe this is a bit of 'devolution', returning to the sea and trying to find those flippers.  For this one, though, he will be stuck with his claws.  He strolled along the escarpment until he found an easy access to the water.

Then he headed straight for the surf.

Quite the eager little boy to try to get to it.  Once there, it seemed to lay down and let the water come up around and looked like possibly drank some.  It had rained very hard the night before so it was not thirst which drove him to the water.  I had experienced this once before on the ocean side and had waded in and rescued the Tortoise for fear it would drown.  This time I just wanted to observe because with the river waves I could easily intervene if it became necessary.

The waves kept coming in and leaving but the turtle wadded even deeper.

At this point it was just kind of doggie-paddling and yet holding its head above the water's surface.

After being washed around a bit it got its footing once again and headed back toward the dunes.  Very interesting behavior which has the experts scratching their heads and saying we didn't think they did this.  I guess when you live right next door to the sea it is just impossible to resist its call even if you are supposed to live in the desert like dunes.  Possibly this one may have had some pests under the shell, he needed to clean them out.

Another of the many beautiful sunrise mornings, which have been a mix of some great and some mediocre gray.

This is the beginning of a large 6 foot by 2 foot commission piece.  The drawing is almost complete and I am adding a heavy layer of a Masking agent, kind of like Rubber Cement, to the plants, Lily Pads, and Koi fish before painting in the watery background.  The reason is that the darker colors I will be using for the water will be hard to cover for the white areas and lighter areas of the foreground.  Also I want the water to be very wet looking and I will spray the paint with water to make it run and drip to convey the water.  That way I don't have to figure out later and draw on top of the paint, since will have already decided where, for the most part, things will be.

I leave you with one more of the really nice sunrises.  The Black Skimmers are much more skittish than the regulars who have gotten used to me cruising by in my quite noisy buggy.  They fly up, giving another dimension with their black silhouettes against the pastel colors of the background.  Just the reverse of my painting with the foreground parts being the light places.  Different moods different views. Keep me in your thoughts and help Bruce keep the gallery running smoothly (but don't let him touch the painting) while I travel to my mom's for her 90th birthday.  You see I have my reasons for trying to hurry ahead.  The Fall colors will be waiting to find their way back to you.  We'll see if my "ESP" endowed mom will really be surprised by all that is in store for her this week.  This is the best kept secret our family has ever pulled off with Niece Julie directing the whole thing.  She commanded a year ago that everyone in the family had to be there and I think that will be the case.