"Whither Should They Go?"

Another oil painting finally completed. Not quite sure of the title yet, but it has something to do with migration and the stars. In the 17th century, Charles Morton, believed birds went to the moon and back and Aristotle believed redstarts morphed into robins. Where do our birds go? We know now, with technology allowing a scientist to place teensy GPS devices on the teensy backs of birds. It may take the mystery away but does not take the awe away. How do birds, weighing so little fly so far. I like to think these purple martins take a flight into our Milky Way and back.

Accordion Books

Having some fun making accordion sketchbooks. Here I am incorporating several things that I have seen over the week into one spread: spiderwebs ( it got mild!), robins, starlings, beginnings of snowdrops and some Mycena spp. On the reverse are: Osoberry budding out, Mr. Quail who sported a noteworthy double plume and fog…. lots of fog this week, through the forest.

Snowy Owl

Wanting to make a 3D model of an owl, I scoured the internet for such instructions. I came across a pic on pinterest but no DIY. Using an image from Australian Artist Anna-Wili Highfield for inspiration, I figured it couldn’t be too hard to use masking-tape to cobble some kind of framework together. I had many hand-made papers already that I had worked up, so after some fiddling. Voilá! I feel I would like a few more hanging in my studio for company. Different birds. Not just owls. Check out Anna-wili Highfield’s work.

Old Man Winter

Paint and pastel musings on paper. I think I caught a glimpse of Old Man Winter passing through the woods. Just out of the corner of my eye.

Migration Lines

This small oil painting ( I finally finished) is somewhat misnamed as our local wren doesn’t migrate, but he is definitely thinking about setting out and finding some new territory of his own. He’s had his eye on that corner lot at the creek, you know, where the old fir fell across the water? It has a nice mix of ferns there and salal.

Red-winged Blackbird

This small watercolour on Yupo was inspired by our stay at Nanoose Bay, Inn at the Estuary. If you want to feast your eyes on nature from your own private room or in your own outdoor bathtub, this is the place.

Yupo is fun to work with. Fun, frustrating and tricky. I do like the extreme chaos the the watercolour on plastic and yet trying to control the wet flow around the details of claws, eye and beak had me grinding my teeth. One should not have to wear a mouth guard to paint on Yupo.

Requiem

“Due to ongoing logging of old-growth forests scientists estimate that less than six owls now remain in the wild in Canada. Currently biologists have been able to locate only three adult spotted owls, including a breeding pair residing in the unceded territory of the Nlaka'pamux community of Spô’zêm (Spuzzum) First Nation, located in the Fraser Canyon area near Hope BC. On February 25, 2021 he BC government announced a one year deferral of logging in Spô’zêm Nation territory - home to Canada's last surviving breeding pair of spotted owls in the wild. The historic population of spotted owls is estimated to have been 500 pairs.”

The Marbled Murrelet

The Marbled Murrelet was once known as the "Australian Bumble Bee" by fishermen and as the "fogbird" or "fog lark" by loggers and fishermen. These nicknames reflect the bird’s foggy coastal habitat, its frequent calling even at sea, and plump shape and whirring wings in flight.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Marbled_Murrelet/overview

I know I will probably never see a Marbled Murrelet, but it is nice to know they are out there, for now. Logging old growth forests and Murrelet reproduction don’t mix as they need old growth trees ( over 200 years old) in which to reproduce.

Marbled Murrelet - non-breeding plummage

Marbled Murrelet - breeding plummage

Old Growth Logging

Decisions being made in the old growth;

To log or not to log.

An insane question.

Can’t uncut those trees.

This is not a poem.

Apparently it is acceptable to log AROUND the nesting owls…

Maybe we need to read “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss once more.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/critics-say-b-c-old-growth-blockades-underscore-failure-to-deliver-endangered-species-law-1.6054460