Tennessee Conservationist

The May/June issue of Tennessee Conservationist magazine is out and features an article on whip-poor-wills written by Stephen Lyn Bales, friend and author of Natural Histories, Stories from the Tennessee Valley. Lyn's article, entitled "Whip-poor-wills, on the Borderland of Invisibility" is written with that same magical Bale's quality--lyrical story telling, enriched with historical and sensory detail --that has become his trademark and is fast making him one of the most sought after naturalists in our area. His book, a first publication, is destined to become a regional classic. I was delighted several months ago when Lyn asked me if I would be interested in creating some watercolor sketches to go with his article. He is an excellent pen and ink artist himself. And it is indeed a thrill now to see this article in print, accompanied by both my watercolor illustrations and his pen and ink.

enlargement of watercolor

A special thank you to Stephen Lyn for the invitation to join him in this endeavor and to Louise Zepp editor and Jeff Law, art director/designer of this award-winning magazine.

To see enlarged illustrations click on link to April 26 post, whip-poor-will seranade

Whip-poor-will Serenade

“On certain occasions, an inherent symmetry falls into place like the intermeshing gears of an old-time pocket watch—perfect alignment where all things are connected and work together, moving over the water, the land, permeating the air. It’s an overall sense of balance, of past and present, flowing energy followed by calm…”
--Stephen Lyn Bales

Last night, just as I was about to call it a night, a whip-poor-will began to sing right outside my window. Oh, my heart! It was only a couple of months ago that I was searching for reference photos and laboring over a sketch of this elusive nocturnal bird, a bird that I have never seen and whose song I had not heard since childhood, a bird whose numbers have declined by 57% in the past forty years.

Whip-poor-wills arrive in Tennessee around the first of April, spending their days roosting on tree limbs or on the forest floor and their nights hunting insects on the fly with large wide open mouths aided by long whiskers. They lay their eggs in leaf litter on the ground in late April with incubation lasting 19-20 days. Amazingly, these parents coordinate egg-laying with the moon cycle so they have the best moonlight while feeding their brood.You may wonder how these birds survive with such vulnerable habits. The secret is camouflage. You would be more likely to have heart-stopping fright as this bird flushes from beneath your step, then to ever see one at roost among the leaves.

Did I tell you I heard a whip-poor-will singing last night?