Al Larson Photography

My “better half”, Hilda, likes to sketch and draw and paint in oils and acrylic. There are many sketch pads filled with her art work. She is apt to whip out a pencil sketch while talking on the telephone. In her eyes it is only doodling. These doodles are destined to the waste basket. Quite often I find one of these wonderful sketches before it is destroyed and take a photo of it. Here is one that I photographed. I should put all of her works in a digital file.

 Having a “bluebird trail” has been important in my life. I’ve spent many hours every week during the nesting season checking and monitoring nest boxes. It gets me outdoors to commune with Nature. I tread among the wild flowers, shrubs , trees, animals and above all, the birds. Everything has a name and if you are with them long enough they become your friends. One is apt to forget the turmoil and confusion of the busy streets and highways of civilization for a few fleeting hours. Most folks don’t take the time or make the effort to witness the freedom of the great outdoors.

I am amply repaid for my effort and expense of building nest boxes for nesting birds when I see a pair of birds nearby. Bluebirds exhibit a gentleness that warms the heart. In this photo is a female Mountain Bluebird. I am near her nest but she does not seem overly excited. During my checking her nest I move slowly and keep my visit short. It gives me great joy to see her rear her family successfully.

I have several bird feeders in the yard. They attract many species at various seasons of the year. Sometimes there are dozens of birds gathered around for the free handout. It is interesting to sort them out by species, sex and age. One of the feeders is a board fastened to the outside casing of the kitchen window. This brings the birds up close so that they may be viewed at arms length (with the glass between us , of course). Every thing seems pleasant and serene. Then all of a sudden, without warning, a bird of prey bears down on the feeding birds causing much alarm. Birds fly in all directions heading for safety in the nearby shrubs and trees. Alas, one of them may crash into a window of the house showing reflections of safe habitat. Most of the time these predators are either Cooper’s Hawk or Sharp-shinned Hawk. Both of these hawks are accipiters and make their living preying mostly on smaller birds.

This photo shows a Sharp-shinned Hawk perched in the plum tree after having made an unsuccessful stoop on the flock of song birds. It is slightly smaller than the Cooper’s Hawk, seemingly more sleek and the end of the tail is more squared. Otherwise they are almost identical. I feel kind of guilty attracting song birds to the yard and setting them up for a predator’s meal. However there is safety in numbers and many eyes are on the lookout for danger. One alarm call by any one of the feeding birds alerts the whole flock to flee. It has been suggested that less than ten percent of the raids result in a kill.