Nature Journal and other

Had a great visit at Daniel Webster yesterday. It was certainly a day to see wild life, though it actually was quite windy and not terribly warm. Temp was in the upper 50's but wasn't too bad as long as I was out of the wind.

Top image is the tree stump in the pond. Only eight turtles yesterday, well there were that many when I made my reference photograph, later there were fewer and who knows there might have been more earlier in the day when I wasn't there. I drew the stump not only for the turtles but because the water level in the pond is dropping. We haven't had any rain, or at least not any significant amount of rain. Doesn't bode well for the summer if this weather pattern doesn't change soon.

Bottom image is of a deer I saw on one of the more protected smaller fields, it was busy eating grass and basically ignored me as I snapped multiple images of it. I moved slowly and was actually able to walk past it without startling it enough for it to run off.

Last week I promised to show an update on the stipple border I am working on, so here it is. Making good progress on this. But progress on this means I am not getting much else done. Stipple, while I love the look takes a long time to do, esp. as I want it dark so the light areas will stand out.

I spent Easter Sunday with a friend and her family, and while they chatted I sketched her brother and sister in law. Not terribly good likenesses, but I didn't want to be too obvious about what I was doing, so didn't spend a lot of time on them.

Above is last nights figure drawing. I am mostly pleased with this, though I think I could have gone a bit darker with the darks. This is a slightly different view of a pose from what I normally do, but my view of her pose from my regular position only had one arm in view, and I thought it might make an odd looking drawing so I moved until I could see both arms.

I am sharing two photographs today. The above I made on Easter Sunday and is of weeping cherry blossoms. It is an old tree, in not very good shape, but still come Spring it puts out these lovely pink flowers and is beautiful for a week or so.

My visit to Daniel Webster yesterday included sightings of several raptors, my first sighting was this hawk gliding through the tree tops looking for a snack. This is the only photo that really came out of the several I made. Not sure of the species, but it was a large bird so probably a red tail. Watching it circle through the tree tops was amazing, so smooth and silent.

My second sighting of raptors was of a pair of probably kestrels sitting on the Electrical wires out at Fox Hill. They didn't let me get close enough for a good photo, but I know they were raptors because of how flew and hovered over the fields looking for dinner. I did check out the Osprey nest, and I think I saw the females head but it is so far away I can't be sure. She should be sitting on eggs about now so I probably did see her.

The last sighting was at the bird feeder area where a Cooper Hawk flew past looking for its dinner. All the smaller birds scattered and the Cooper landed in a near by tree letting me get a good look but not a photograph. Fun day, that ended with me getting to play with a really large lens at the man made pond for a couple of photographs of green wing teal. I now have lens lust, but lens of that power are expensive and not in my budget.

That is it for today, per usual comments are always welcome.