animals
« Previous Entries Next Entries »Fruit Bats, Adelaide Australia
Monday, January 18th, 2021
Fruit Bats, Adelaide Botanic Gardens, South Australia – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. One of my most memorable experiences of all time was seeing the thousands of fruit bats in Adelaide. On a hot day at sunset we sat and watched them skim across the river, fly back to a tree, settle on a branch and lick the water off their fur.
Cedar Waxwings
Thursday, January 14th, 2021
Cedar Waxwings in the Red-Hot Poker flowers, seed heads forming… Hillsboro, OR. 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper.
I’ve seen this only twice, for just one or two mornings during Spring when the Red-Hot Poker flowers are at their peak. This is why I have my camera handy at all times. Wings fluttering, the birds would lose their balance and change positions as the tall stocks bent from their weight, hovering briefly to sip the nectar of the fresh flower buds. Last summer I watched Cedar Waxwings hovering beside branches to eat tree berries, and on another occasion, flying out to catch bugs in mid-air. Some things you only see once, and it feels so special to be in the right place at the right time.
Prairie Dogs, Drumheller, AB
Wednesday, January 6th, 2021
Prairie Dogs, also called gophers, the Badlands Hoodoos near Drumheller, Alberta Canada. 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W inches.
The geography in this area of Alberta is incredible, and the gophers are so very much a part of prairie ecology. They are cute to be sure, but they dig their homes in fields and are a nuisance to farmers whose horses and cattle can trip and break their ankles and legs.
You know Spring has finally arrived when the roads and highways are littered with gopher roadkill. In Torrington, Alberta, one lady has found a creative way to manage that. You must visit The World-Famous Gopher Hole Museum located in the middle of nowhere, in a small prairie hamlet where there is not even a gas station, barely noticeable along a seemingly endless dusty gravel road. Gophers are stuffed, sporting handmade costumes and placed in small cubicles displaying historic scenes. Completely bizarre, but actually very well done and absolutely worth the trip.
Feeding Cockatoos, Apollo Bay, Australia
Sunday, January 3rd, 2021
Feeding Cockatoos, Apollo Bay, along the Great Ocean Road, Australia – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper.
Zebras at Fossil Rim
Thursday, November 19th, 2020
Zebras at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Fossil Rim is a wonderful drive-through park, dedicated to conservation, research, training and education. You may be greeted by guanacos, zebras and ostrich, and can take your own time, but there are also guided tours.
Golden Lion Tamarin
Sunday, November 8th, 2020
Golden Lion Tamarin at the Dallas World Aquarium, Texas – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper.
These sweet little primates are only about 10 inches and 1.5 lb full-grown. They are considered an endangered species, with an estimated 3,200 confined to areas of tropical rainforest in southeastern Brazil.
Swallows’ Nest
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020
Swallows’ Nest at Dosewallips State Park rest area, Hwy 101 WA – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W inches, white wood frame, crackle finish.
Sleepy Sun Bear
Friday, October 30th, 2020
Sleepy Sun Bear, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper.
I took some great photos of this sun bear soaking up the sun on a warm winter day at the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas – what a character. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Asian Sun Bear as vulnerable because the population has declined by 35% in the past 30 years.
Australian White Ibis
Wednesday, October 28th, 2020
Australian White Ibis, Brisbane city Botanic Gardens, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Duck Silhouettes
Friday, October 9th, 2020
Duck Silhouettes, Rood Bridge Park, Hillsboro OR – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper
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