Birders' Nest

[owlice]

There's a bunch of pigeons on the street. They've been around for years, causing trouble like  a Mohock gang in 18th Century London. Or they think they do. Really they just make a lot of fuss and wing-flapping. The truth is they're a bit vacuous. They barge into the garden now and then - all the nice birds fly away - and then they waddle about saying, 'Look at us, we scared 'em off'. Then they don't know what to do, and disappear in a noisy flutter of feathers, and the little birds come back.

Yesterday evening one of these daftosaurs came on his own, and sat on the vacant bird feeder looking silly. Here he is:

Wood Pigeon!! I love these, daftosaurs though you may find them (I am not convinced); we do not have them here. They are SO LARGE for pigeons, so fun to see when one is used to our usual pigeons and doves.

A fabulous capture, with all the bird's lovely colors and vacant express... I mean, clear eye, and commanding presence!

[owlice]

Mostly mountains and corn fields for me today as I drove hour after hour northward. The few birds I saw were mostly House Sparrows, European Starlings, and American Robins, though there were also Killdeer. Oh, one Bald Eagle flying southward above the freeway taking me northward, and vultures, too, along the way.

Since pigeons came up.... some standard-issue feral pigeons:
 

Though standard issue, ubiquitous, and I suspect rarely given a second glance, I find them pretty in their own right.

[Kalevala]

No barn owls?    I've never seen one live, but have fallen in love with their flat faces and their coloring.  They also make me think of one of Janacek's works.

K

[Elgarian Redux]

No barn owls?    I've never seen one live, but have fallen in love with their flat faces and their coloring.  They also make me think of one of Janacek's works.

K

There is definitely at least one barn owl who hunts on those hills. We saw him fairly often on our walks earlier in the year, up there - always in the distance, never close up. But we haven't seen him for a while now. Maybe the chicks are all grown up and so he doesn't need to hunt in the daytime? I don't know much about their habits. Owlice will know, I'm sure!

[Elgarian Redux]

Wood Pigeon!! I love these, daftosaurs though you may find them (I am not convinced); we do not have them here. They are SO LARGE for pigeons, so fun to see when one is used to our usual pigeons and doves.

Yes, he does look like a wood pigeon, but the gang he hangs out with are as feral as they come, with white heads, and blotchy white and grey/black bits all over the place. There are some proper wood pigeons in the woods down in the valley, but I deduce that this one is a daftosaur just from the company he keeps.

[Elgarian Redux]

Since pigeons came up.... some standard-issue feral pigeons:
 

Oh but just look at that fellow. Real nobility. Fantastic character in the attitude, the tilt of the head, the stance. Feral or not, he's a Prince among pigeons. This is what I mean about your photographs: the best ones are not just technically  superb, they convey some sense of the character, the essence of the bird. I'm reminded of the work of a sculptor friend of mine who lives on a mountain side in NW Scotland, making animal sculptures, and somehow always capturing what Ruskin called 'the essence of the beast'. I've some photos, somewhere.  I'll try to find 'em.

[Elgarian Redux]

I've some photos, somewhere.  I'll try to find 'em.

Well I took a new photo (see below). His ravens are always inspired by a combination of naturalism and folk mythology. This is the Raven from the Pit.

As I was walking all alane,
I heard twa corbies making a mane;
The tane unto the t'other say,
'Where sall we gang and dine to-day?'

This one will have your eyes out before you know it. Scary.

[Kalevala]

Well I took a new photo (see below). His ravens are always inspired by a combination of naturalism and folk mythology. This is the Raven from the Pit.

As I was walking all alane,
I heard twa corbies making a mane;
The tane unto the t'other say,
'Where sall we gang and dine to-day?'

This one will have your eyes out before you know it. Scary.

Is this at an art gallery (as in for sale) or in a museum?  And who is the artist?

K

[Elgarian Redux]

Is this at an art gallery (as in for sale) or in a museum?  And who is the artist?

K

The artist is Paul Szeiler. It was for sale, until my wife bought it from Paul some years ago.

[Kalevala]

The artist is Paul Szeiler. It was for sale, until my wife bought it from Paul some years ago.

Oh, nice!  :-)

K

[Elgarian Redux]

Oh, nice!  :-)

K

He has exhibitions quite regularly in Scotland, and we've seen a few. Wolves, owls, wild cats, pine martens ... and ravens, of course. Knowing him has been a terrific privilege.

[Elgarian Redux]

We have one of his wolves in our garden:

[Elgarian Redux]

At last! A near-stationary dunnock!

[Kalevala]

At last! A near-stationary dunnock!

Hurrah!  Good for you!

It reminds me of the gazillion sparrows that we have around here.  They're all very shy, love sitting in hedges, and are quick to startle.

K

[Elgarian Redux]

Hurrah!  Good for you!

It reminds me of the gazillion sparrows that we have around here.  They're all very shy, love sitting in hedges, and are quick to startle.

K

The cuddliest thing about dunnocks, I find, is how instantly identifiable they are just from a moment's exposure to the 'jizz'. You sense this movement, for a fraction of a second, and you know it's a dunnock long before you notice the grey head or the shape of the beak. The only thing you can confuse a dunnock with is a mouse. No other bird is like it. Here's another shot of the little chap who was pottering about this morning.

[owlice]

Oh but just look at that fellow. Real nobility. Fantastic character in the attitude, the tilt of the head, the stance. Feral or not, he's a Prince among pigeons. This is what I mean about your photographs: the best ones are not just technically  superb, they convey some sense of the character, the essence of the bird. I'm reminded of the work of a sculptor friend of mine who lives on a mountain side in NW Scotland, making animal sculptures, and somehow always capturing what Ruskin called 'the essence of the beast'. I've some photos, somewhere.  I'll try to find 'em.

Well, the character has to come from the bird! And speaking of expression, your description of this fellow is wonderful. 

When I was going through that day's photos, this photo, of the same Prince among pigeons, stopped me... because it made me laugh and laugh! Birds often seem to express disapproval of me, so why shouldn't a pigeon be one of them?


A friend suggested the bird was thinking, "Weirdo."

[owlice]

Well I took a new photo (see below). His ravens are always inspired by a combination of naturalism and folk mythology. This is the Raven from the Pit.

As I was walking all alane,
I heard twa corbies making a mane;
The tane unto the t'other say,
'Where sall we gang and dine to-day?'

This one will have your eyes out before you know it. Scary.

Fabulous!!

[owlice]

We have one of his wolves in our garden:

WOW. Not just the wolf, but the garden, too, and how well they are together.

[owlice]

At last! A near-stationary dunnock!

The cuddliest thing about dunnocks, I find, is how instantly identifiable they are just from a moment's exposure to the 'jizz'. You sense this movement, for a fraction of a second, and you know it's a dunnock long before you notice the grey head or the shape of the beak. The only thing you can confuse a dunnock with is a mouse. No other bird is like it. Here's another shot of the little chap who was pottering about this morning.

What an adorable mouse-osaur!! So cute!! And very nicely captured, not once but twice! Kudos!!

I have nothing new to show; it was more corn fields yesterday. I did see Kestrels, however, at 60 MPH (me, not the birds), first one and then its mate on wires along the road, and later, a Merlin, also on a wire along the road. Oh, and Sandhill Cranes in a field. Not from yesterday, but I can share these views from previous encounters with these cranes, one of only two cranes native to North America; the other is the Whooping Crane, which is the tallest North American bird, and critically endangered.


Soarasaurus


Parental-offspring-a-sauri


Tallasaur, one of the critically imperiled Mississippi Sandhill Cranes

[Elgarian Redux]

Well, the character has to come from the bird! And speaking of expression, your description of this fellow is wonderful.

Thank you for the compliment. But this business about the character: you're right that it comes from the bird - one can't capture what isn't there. But anyone can take a picture that fails to catch the character of a characterful bird. What we see is that you do capture it.

I mean, give Gainsborough a Countess to paint, and he'll capture her character. But he deserves the credit for seeing it and painting it, not the Countess (even if she thinks she does).

When I was going through that day's photos, this photo, of the same Prince among pigeons, stopped me... because it made me laugh and laugh! Birds often seem to express disapproval of me, so why shouldn't a pigeon be one of them?


A friend suggested the bird was thinking, "Weirdo."

The Prince among pigeons, looking down on you ... I suppose you should be grateful that he notices you at all. Did you ask him to grant you a boon?