BANDING HUMMINGBIRDS

The view from the site where we were banding hummers.

My neighbour holding one of the birds.

Putting on a very soft restraint.

Banding.

Preparing a band for the hummingbird, wrapped up on the table below. The bands are very tiny, and applied with what look to be orthodontic pliers.

Colouration of tail feathers is one of the ways to identify sex, and adult versus juvenile bird. C. is showing me the differences.

Using a straw to blow on its neck and belly, to see the skin under the feathers and look for fat deposits [a good thing - indicates enough food] and the presence of parasites.

Last weekend, one of my good neighbours asked if I'd like to watch and help with some hummingbird banding. Both she and her husband are ecologists with Environment Canada. Of course I went!

The banding is done to monitor the health of the bird population. Various measurements are taken - weight, presence of fat deposits, length of beak and wing - as well as collection any urine or feces [the size of a raspberry seed]. These measurements are all used to analyze the birds' well-being, especially with respect to insecticides and anti-fungals that are sprayed on some of the fields growing fruit. All in all, a fascinating morning!!!

Thank you for dropping by!

I Don't Understand!!!

The above three photos were taken a few years ago. [I wanted to get some fog and mist ideas for painting.] It is looking across the back end of the field over to the regional park that is on the other side of the street. The spot was quiet and peaceful - a home for wildlife.

Then two years ago, this monstrous house was started [7 bedrooms, 7-car garage]. I have planted a line of trees along the back of the property so I don't have to see it. It really does not suit the property and the area. And my landlady asked me to add that the lights are all on all night - she sees it as she has large windows facing that direction.

It is described as being a "French chateau".

And there are more of these huge houses being built.

I have, for a long time, wanted to say something about all the crazy building that has been going on in and around Vancouver. It started in Vancouver in the mid-1980's, and the result is that the city is now a prohibitively expensive place as a place in which to live. The city and surrounding area have become a haven for speculative real estate. Now the "plague" has moved out to the Fraser Valley. The region has become, not a place for homes, but purely an investment, with most houses and condominiums selling for millions, and standing empty. Needless to say, this has driven many people into homelessness, and others to leave the Vancouver area and even the province to find places where they can find affordable homes in which to live. I have had two friends move this year to Vancouver Island to find affordable housing and liveable communities, and I am considering doing so as well. It hurts me to see what was once a naturally beautiful agricultural area turned into ugly investments.

There was a very good documentary produced this year entitled "Vancouver: No Fixed Address". It describes well the history of the real estate "feeding frenzy", and what is happening in the area now.

As to the title of the post ... I do not understand why the place is so huge. How much room do people need? Environmentally, it is a washout. Why do not more architects and builders construct homes that suit the area and environment? I think more about my queries and gripes to come ...

And if any one of you have some good ideas about what I can do about this, please write!

Thank you!

It's Been a While ... Chickadee - Work in Progress

I think you may have seen this drawing earlier.

I wanted to something different with the background,  something suggestive of brambles. I used daVinci's indanthrone[which is a not transparent] and some raw umber, splooshed them on wet paper, and then dropped on some plastic wrap, and let it set. It gave a nice random texture to the heavy pigments.

Started to work on the bird's local color. Those are my handy color reference photos beside the painting.

I lifted here and there in the background, trying to follow the pattern set by the plastic wrap.

More thin glazes ... I used my favorite triad - quin. burnt orange, quin. violet and indanthrone in various combinations to get the browns and blacks.

A bit more glazed shadowing, and I am here now. I think he's done, but I'll let him perch for a few days to see how I feel about the painting as a whole.

Meanwhile, it's been a bit chilly here - frozen ground, heavy frost, and Bruno snuggled in two blankets at night.

Another scene from our walk. We are out every morning. My dog, Maggie, dances at the front door waiting to go, and her friend [my landlady's dog] barks from her spot inside her house where she can keep an eye on me. I don't dare ignore them!!!

There have been a lot of coyotes this winter - very large, healthy-looking specimens. I don't believe they'd go after  a fair-sized dog alone, but if they are in a pack, definitely. The one above was trotting down a main road out here at 8 AM. Then he stopped and watched the three of us disappear into the park. I am keeping a close eye on the girls when they are off leash.

Thank you very much for dropping by! 

A Lot of This and a Fair Amount of That, Too

Two of my "quickie" posters taped to the back of the food truck ...

... and more on the side ...

Part of the area set aside for the horse trials - the dressage phase and the stadium jumping are held down here, while the cross-country phase is held in the higher, slightly hilly area beyond.

I fell in love with a handsome young dude by the name of Viking. I believe he is a Hanoverian/Westphalen cross. Lovely temperament, though I learned he can buck like nobody's business, when I had a chat with the proud owner.

This is one of the trails for horses and walkers. Campbell Valley Park is a huge equestrian park, miles and miles of well-maintained trails -  beautiful, and enjoyable all year round. It's to the park I almost always go when I take the girls out for a walk.

And we have a 2nd batch of baby nesters. I think they look almost ready to fly ... probably this weekend. I see them quite often now, perching at the edge of the nest.

Here comes a parent to the rescue with food!

After riding Bruno this morning [and he was a righteous dude - YAY],  I drove over to the other side of the park at the end of my street. They were holding horse trials - a 3-day event. Today was dressage, tomorrow is the cross-country phase, and Sunday is the stadium jumping. One of my sister's friends [she of all the rescued animals] was helping her friend with her food truck. Cindy owns Suburban Spoon. In the winter she has a catering business, and in the summer she has the food truck which she takes to various events around the lower mainland - in and around Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Cindy gave me permission to put up several posters, advertising my animal portraits. So I visited a while, then wandered around the fields, caught up with a few old friends that I hadn't seen for a while. I don't show any more, so I am completely out of the horsey loop. All in all, it was a pleasant time this afternoon, and I'll be going back tomorrow to watch some of the cross-country.

Thank you for dropping by! Your comments are always welcome.  

Finally ... a Moment to Post ...

Continuing with the hydrangea, here I have finished the petals, and done light w/w washes on the stems. Throughout the painting, I am using cobalt and indanthrone blue, quin. burnt orange and quin. violet. It seems to be my favorite color combination. I forgot to mention last time, I am using a different paper - Arches 300 lb. CP. It's quite nice. The washes are not quite as wet and wild, and it takes more force and deliberation when painting.

I did two separate variegated washes of a greyed violet mixture. I did not do one darker wash, all at once, as I was not sure what it would look like. After they dried, I wet again where I decided to place the branches, and drizzled in thin lines of dark violet grey with a fine brush.

Here it is finished.
"Beauty even in Winter"
10.25 x 10.25 inches on 300 lb. Arches cold press rag
$160.00 Cdn.

I have reached this point with my niece. It's good, but it's NOT Paulina. So I will be doing this again in the future.

I also had some time to figure out what to do with this hollyhock. The middle flower was not right. I added more of the violet in the left center area, and now it looks like a proper inverted, not everted, blossom.
White Hollyhocks
11.5 x 7.25 inches on Arches 140 lb. CP
$155.00 unframed

It's been a busy week. Since Tuesday, I have been taking care of a neighbor's menagerie [3 dogs, 2 cats and 2 horses] while she and her husband are at Spruce Meadows in Calgary. Spruce is a huge horse facility outside of Calgary, and annually hosts a large series of show-jumping events. It is an international qualifier - horses and riders from all over the world. I heard that Germany won the team event this year.
The extra animals are pretty good. But one of the horses is a yearling, and as cheeky as all get-out! I think he looks for trouble. He's taken down one area of fencing three times. It's no wonder that he is a bit banged and scraped.
And I had to take one of the chinchillas to the vet on Friday after work. He was not moving around much, though otherwise looked well. Then I noticed him limping. He is the more active of the two, and he must have banged his leg, or strained it somehow. Thankfully it was not broken, and he is gradually moving more again.
Here's hoping the coming week is a bit less busy, and I find more time to paint.

Thank you for dropping by, and your comments are always welcome.

A Midsummer's Day

Had a great lesson with the lad this morning. Rhonda really pushed me on more than I have done in a long while. I ignored the little voice in my head saying, "time for a break". We both need to move forward again.

Tootled around Aldergrove, picking up food supplies for me and all the beasties. It was a gorgeous day!!

Took some quick photos of some of the locals. A lot of people are keeping a llama or two with their goats and/or sheep. We've had a lot of very brazen coyotes lately. My friend with all the chickens has lost 14 since March.

This evening, I was crawling around the rafters of the barn, trying to get shots of the baby swallows. Here's their nest - empty- built on an old light fixture.

They were having flying lessons! That's why no one was in the nest. This little chap had been on the floor, and then made it onto an old feed bag to get away from me. The parents were quite agitated that I was in "their" barn taking pictures! I've also started the bridge painting again, hopefully in something strong enough that I find expresses what I feel about the old structure.

As always, your comments are most welcome.
And get out and enjoy the SUN!!!

Yesterday ... and It Really Did Feel Like All My Troubles Were So Far Away ...

Shayna and Lucy ready to set out.

Cool tree growth.

Pat and Les Girls heading over a still-snowy bridge.

Another cool tree formation.

Look up ... way up!

It was so clear and bright. 

Another beauty of a tree.


It was a glorious and energizing day. I had my sister's Boxers for the day, so we joined Pat and her 2 girls, and went out into the park for almost 2 hours. When we got home, I decided to play with the lad, too. He is finally catching on to the concept of inside leg aides - very important for all types of riding. I even managed to get some painting done.

They Don't Call It the WET COAST for Nothing ... or ... a Good Day to Paint

Bruno, waiting for his breakfast hay.

A corner of his shed, looking out onto paddock.

Himself, happily snarfing hay. He is completely dry and warm under his blanket.

The paddock/riding ring - no riding today ... maybe snorkeling?

One of the latest in my frog collection. I hang Fidel from the 2nd light over my work-space; there he functions as my muse.


Well, obviously NOT a day to ride, though I'd like to groom Bruno, and play a bit from the ground. I have one chicken sketch almost ready to be put on wc. paper, and an iris sketch I'd like to down-size and also get on paper. I'm sure they will both be done in WARM, SUNNY colors.