Last day of Wild Wonder was a doozy. I especially liked learning more about scavengers, detritivores and decomposers from Robin Lee Carlson. I feel chock full of learning, inspiration, and screen overload. Time to get outside!!
Downy woodpeckers are native to the (mainly deciduous) forested areas of North America. They are the smallest of the woodpeckers in N. America —14 to 18 cm (5.5 to 7.1 in) in length. They mainly eat insects, but they also feed on seeds and berries. They are a natural predator of the European corn borer, a moth that costs the US agriculture industry more than $1 billion annually in crop losses and population control.
I had fun painting this one with Ian de Hoog as my instructor.
I always love a Jean Mackay class. Here in SoCal we don’t have many deciduous trees, so it’s not likely I’ll get to see a lot of abandoned nests in bare branches in the coming months. But I’ll be keeping my eyes open, just in case.
I had the best time at the first meetup of the Santa Monica Mountains Nature Journal Club. Thirteen of us (including some NJ newbies) got together at gorgeous King Gillette Ranch for nature journalling, food, art supply tryouts, and brainstorming. Can’t wait to do it again next month!
I need to do more crepuscular hiking. I’d love to see a burrowing owl!
For a long time I thought we only had one thrasher in our yard, but now it’s clear we have a pair. They are busy all day long bringing food to their nest in the bougainvillea. Fingers crossed for a successful fledge!
The Black-crowned Night Heron is a medium sized heron with a long head and a funny way of making its neck disappear when at rest. A juvenile was hanging out at Legacy Park this morning. I loved the lime-green legs.
These birds are among the seven heron species observed to engage in tool use. They lure or distract fish by tossing edible or inedible buoyant objects into water within their striking range. Smart!
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