A New Blog on the Block--Sketching in Nature

My neighborhood blogging block, of course, is Nature Blog Network. And Sketching in Nature is the new blog, an international group blog created by artist, author and teacher, Cathy Johnson, also known as Kate.

I am delighted to be a contributing artist in this group and look forward to seeing how other artists work. It's a chance for everyone to peek over the shoulders of nature-loving artists and see what they discover, what draws their interest and what inspires them to create.

In my last post, I featured the male downy woodpecker that visited me while I was sketching an oak tree. I was also visited by a brown thrasher who graced me with song. There is a wonderful world out there to see and hear.
Below is the finished sketch.
To see another view and read more, click here. And do pay a visit to Sketching in Nature and linger for a while. Everyone's art is different. That's what makes it so much fun!

A Downy Visit

I have always enjoyed woodpeckers, their flighty nature, their calls, their colorful plumage and peculiar lifestyle. The best time to see a woodpecker or any bird, for that matter, is when you're being still outside. They will come to you. I have never had this confirmed so quickly as when this male downy arrived.Both a male and female downy visited my feeders during the winter. I could see them come to the feeder together, sometimes even notice them approaching, tree by tree. But the best photo I could manage was the female with one eye peeping around the feeder!
Yesterday, I sat a chair outside with the idea in mind of sketching a tree. A tree will be still, I thought. But it wasn't the tree that was the problem.

I did sketch the tree, but not without many interruptions. A brown thrasher landed on its branches and I had to stop and photograph it. I watched the dogwood blossoms blowing in the wind as the cloud movement changed the light. And I had to get up and examine the tiny, newly formed oak leaves in their pastel shades of pink and green.
No sooner had I returned to my sketch when I heard a faint, "tap, tap, tap". I sat very still, uncertain where it was coming from. Again, "tap, tap, tap." Just over my shoulder a few feet away, I found a male downy tapping on the branches of a dogwood.
Now still, he was not. Not for a minute. But he was so close, it made me giggle. And he stayed long enough for me to take several images as he scooted around the limbs, going about his business. Tap, tap, tap.
He even showed me the back of his head.
And if you look closely, in some of the photos you can see the spots on his outer tail feathers. Hairy woodpeckers and downy woodpeckers look very much alike, except the hairy has a larger bill and is slightly larger in size. But according to Peterson's field guide, if you are close enough to see them, the spots on the outer tail feathers also set them apart. The hairy's tail feathers are all white with no spots.
This downy brought me an unexpected treat, something nature never fails to give me. Whenever you can, get outside and just be still for a while. Nature's performers are already gathered on the stage and its a busy time of year.

Linked to Bird Photography Weekly #33, at Birdfreak.com, to promote the conservation of our world's birds.