Common Goldeneye

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Common Goldeneye on our pond this morning.

Vulture Chick & Wood Duck – birds of a different feather

Posted on May 23, 2013 by MaryALivingston

– Vulture Chick and Wood Duck Hen in pencil.

“Z” at Zeebra Designs put out a call for Timeout for Art. Here is a pencil sketch inspired by a recent visitor to the turkey vulture nest.
What happens when a wood duck invades a vulture nest?
Video tomorrow.

Eerie Sounds from the Vulture Chicks

Posted on May 14, 2013 by MaryALivingston

It’s Tuesday, time for a Turkey Vulture (TV) update.
The turkey vulture chicks have grown rapidly their first 4 weeks. They are beginning to get their juvenile plumage. Notice the dark brown, nearly black, feathers showing up in the wings and down their backs.

Capturing pictures of the turkey vulture chicks in this deep nest requires some old school photography techniques. Everything is set manually. I preset the focus, set the aperture, shutter, and flash. Then I hold the camera over the entrance to the nest and take a series of shots. I can’t see anything, even if I were to stick my head into the dark deep nest. After the flash fires the first time, the chicks begin their eerie vocalizations. My friend, Rhythm, over at Reading With Rhythm calls turkey vultures “spooky birds.” The ominous sound made by the chicks, plays into that role perfectly.

Turkey vultures do not have voice boxes. They only grunt and hiss. The eerie ghostly sound in the video is the sound the turkey vulture chicks make. No chirpy chickies here.

This little guy was all sprawled out on the nest floor. Must have been a busy day.

The chicks begin hissing a warning…stay away…they hiss.

Vulture Chicks – 3 weeks

Posted on May 7, 2013 by MaryALivingston

The turkey vulture chicks are about 3 weeks old. I was amazed at the lack of odor from the nest cavity opening. Previously, when a parent was in the nest, the smell was malodorous. This time, however, with only the chicks, I was shocked at the lack of stench when capturing this image. Curious because it looks like it should smell bad.

Turkey Vulture chicks at about 3 weeks old.

Peek-a-boo, We see two…

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A close view of the cute little fellas. Can you believe how adorable they are?

A wider shot. These babies will not be able to leave the nest until they can climb the 14 feet to the entrance of the hollow cavity.

Wolf at the Door

Posted on April 17, 2013 by MaryALivingston

Tim shared a map with me this morning while we were having our morning coffee. It is a map of OR7’s travels in Northern California. OR7 is the first known wild gray wolf to enter the state since 1924.

Map of OR7’s path in California. Downloaded from CDFW. (formerly DFG)

What is so special about this map? Take a closer look…

Blue path – the wolf.
Red dot – Our House

The red dot is our house. So I checked OR7s California Blog (yes, there is a blog). The timing of his visit to our neck of the woods was January 7 – 8. They don’t provide real time tracking, we all find out after the fact.

Odd that this lone wolf would venture into populated areas.

Perhaps he has traveled into more populated areas looking for a mate. Since he is the first wolf to enter the state, there are no wild females for him to service. The domesticated bitches probably smell just as good when they are in season.

Something to think about. It is not the “Golden-ORe” I would be looking for. 😉

OR7 has since returned to Oregon. Here is more on OR7
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/nongame/wolf/

Mary and Norma

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Mary and Norma

Great day today at the Shasta Wildlife Rescue fundraising event.

Shasta Wildlife Rescue – Run for the Wild

Posted on April 5, 2013 by MaryALivingston

On Saturday, April 6, I will be at Shasta Wildlife Rescue for their 13th annual SWRR Run for The Wild held together with the Open House and Baby Shower. At Anderson River Park, in Anderson, CA.

Be sure to see “Sunny” the turkey vulture, their very own Ugly Bird ambassador. Sunny was kind enough to show me how a turkey vulture moved and held itself.

So…if you are in the area, stop on by and say “Hi.”