White ibis

Ibise Bird
Originally uploaded by Ricky Holtman

I love these guys and when I lived in New Orleans I could go out and see them all the time. Roosting in trees with mossy growth and other things or in the wet mud areas. They were a super sight. You could draw and paint forever. They hunt like nothing I've ever seen. Beautiful white with big red beaks and legs.....kinda like me..hahaha!
Watercolor and casein on crescent and approximately 7 X 12". Another one of those odd pieces I'm trying to use up. Enjoy.

I and the Bird #100--pileated woodpecker

I've heard these big guys in the woods for years, but this is the first time I ever spotted one--he flew across the country road right in front of the Jeep, crossed a bare field and disappeared into the woods that line Shackleford Creek. I had no idea they were THAT large--almost as big as a crow at about 15". The male has a red forehead, the female a brownish black one, but still with that bright red crest! The pileated woodpecker really was the model for Woody Woodpecker--I felt like I'd seen a childhood friend.

I saw that distinctive flight pattern, the size, the bit of white on the wing, then the elongated head with the flash of red and KNEW I'd finally sighted one...exciting! Quick gesture sketches capture the overall shape, but I had to look the big bird up to see a closeup...

We'd run away from home for a bit of peace and quiet...didn't expect such a lovely reward, in addition to a fresh-baked cookie from the organic farm and bakery we like to frequent, Van Till Farms in rural Rayville, Missouri.

The long-lived birders blog, "I and the Bird" has its 100th post on the 14th, and I meant to get this done in time to celebrate with them, since we're members of the Nature Blog Network (see the link at left, in our sidebar!) But I didn't remember that the 12th was the deadline, so...late, like my woodpecker, but celebrating just the same!

I and the Bird #100: The Whooping Crane

I just returned from an exciting visit to Washington D.C. where I joined Operation Migration during the May 7th celebration of the Partners in Conservation Awards presented by Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar. What a thrill to be on this stage with a team that has worked so hard. And what an honor to be among hundreds of individuals who dedicate their lives to conservation.

The Whooping crane, a species that numbered only 15 in the early 1940’s, has been a driving inspiration for my art since I began creating watercolors and gourd art in 2000.

Every work of art begins with observation and sketching. It is this time and study that brings the subject into focus and into your heart and inspires you to spill it back out into your art.

Right now the Whooping cranes at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin are beginning to re-nest after been driven off their first nests by swarming black flies. We have our fingers crossed that their second nesting attempts will be successful and produce wild hatched chicks. In the meantime, incubated eggs in captive breeding programs are hatching and our first captive-raised chicks are on the ground preparing for their place in the migration class of 2009. It's a time for hope and excitement.

It took many people many years of hard work to bring Whooping cranes back from the brink of extinction. And with the first ultralight-led migration in 2001, Whooping cranes were seen in the east for the first time in over 100 years.

Every effort and every voice made a difference. And I can't think of a better way to say 'thank you' to all those people than to celebrate the 100th edition of I And The Bird with this expression of gratitude for our Whooping cranes and for all the birds of our world.

To see a special video clip of Whooping crane parents with their chick, click here. To see more of my posts on ultralight migration click here. And pay a visit to Operation Migration's field journal to keep up to date on the progress of the eastern population's nesting and hatching progress.