A Humble Painting

A Malachite Kingfisher, 8x10".

This is a detail of my latest painting, although the painting's details dont really show in these photos.  Now that Alaska is starkly beautiful, and heartlessly cold, my attention turns toward warmer climes. This painting, and the last one, (leopard painting) were painted in anticipation of my upcoming trip to Uganda in mid February. I still only have about half the money saved up for the trip, but I am commited to go. These are the hours of sleepless nights spent wondering how I can earn enough extra dollars in time. Things usually work out at the last minute.

Some Southern Snowbirds

Most of these photos were shot on a January morning in my yard when I was in Northern Arizona. The thermometer read 0 degrees farenhiet. The night before there had been an ice fog that covered everything in Hoar Frost. Birds like this Oregon Junco were drawn to the frozen apples in this tree. Oregon Juncos are one of several bird species that are only seen in Arizona in the winter. Thus they are known locally as snowbirds.

Normally juncos ignore fruit like apples but when it's cold enough they are not so choosy.

House Finches enjoyed the apples as well.

A Red-naped Sapsucker helped the smaller birds by piercing the leathery skin of the shrivelled apples.

Cassin's Finches are rarely seen in the White Mountains where I lived.

One junco species can be seen year round in the White Mountains, the Gray-headed Junco. It seems to be more visible in the winter months.

Pine Siskins are a species that occur both in Northern Arizona and Alaska.

Sage Thrashers are a snowbird that prefer more open areas.

Along with Scrub Jays like this, the White Mountains also has Steller's, Pinyon, Gray, and rarely Gray-breasted Jays. I had all of them in my yard except Gray Jays. Steller's Jays were by far the most common. Around here in Anchorage there are only Steller's and Gray Jays.

Old Croc Tales

Way back, when I was 21 years old, I was hitchiking with some friends down in Mexico. We stumbled upon the small fishing village of San Blas, in the state of Nayarit. This was destined to become a place that I would return to again and again. It was my first foray into the Neotropics.

The Mangove Swamps that surround the town represented a mysterious wonderland in my young imagination. Although I didnt have time to explore them on my first trip there, I vowed to myself that I would return one day and explore every bit of it. Which is what I did.

The photo above is the first wild crocadile that I have seen. It is about 4 and a half feet in length. An American Crocadile. I wanted to jump into the water and capture it, but common sense took control of me.

These American Crocadiles in the swamp are no bigger than the first, but I have seen a few that were in the 10 to 12 ft range. The local fishermen hardly consider them to be dangerous. They are fairly shy, and usually slip into the water in complete silence when you approach them.

The American Crocadiles in Costa Rica tend to be much bigger. Especially on the West coast. The Tarcoles River is famous for it's abundance of large crocs. The Panamerican Highway crosses the river and many tourists stop at the bridge to see the huge crocadiles that gather beneath the bridge. I believe they are being fed there. These guys are in the 14 to 15 ft range. That's just about 5 meters.

Sensible people are content to photograph the crocadiles from the safety of the bridge. Naturally I had to get closer, so I unobtrusively made my way below the bridge. I'm pretty sure that this guy was inviting me to put my head in it's mouth but I politely declined. You can judge a crocadile's size by comparing the size of it's eye to the rest of it's body. Small crocs have large eyes. Look how tiny this croc's eyes are. It was huge.

This toothy crocadile cruised alongside our raft on the Corobici River further north.

Costa Rica also has many Spectacled Caimans. They are smaller than crocs and stick to fresh water where crocs prefer more brackish water. This individual was at Cano Negro near the Nicaraguan border.

A large Spectacled Caiman like this one is only about 6 ft,(2 meters) long. I also saw many Spectacled Caimans in Peru but they were all pretty small.

Africa is infamous for it's man eating Nile Crocadiles. This small Nile Crocadile in Kruger NP in South Africa last Feb. was begging for handouts along with these Side-necked Turtles. He didnt get any from me.

Also in Kruger, we witnessed another crocadile capture a large fish.

In Ndumo Park we were accompanied by an armed guide while we walked along the riverbank to look for birds. He was worried about dangerous hippos, not crocadiles.

This big crocadile in Ndumo appeared not to have a care in the world. It may have been potentially dangerous, but I thought it was too fat to pose any threat as I walked up to it. I worried about the crocadile that I was'nt seeing.

A Leopard Painting

One of the biggest thrills I had during my trip to South Africa last February was seeing three Leopards.

The first Leopard was crossing the road in Kruger Nat. Park. It was so far ahead of us that we were not sure what it was. Then it crossed back and we saw it was a Leopard. By the time we got up to where it had crossed we could not find it so I got no photos.

My disappointment in missing that first photo opportunity was short lived. A few days later we came across this mother and cub in another part of Kruger.

We were too far away but the Leopards were unconcerned by our presense as we observed from our car.

I wanted to get out of the car very badly to get closer but I knew the Leopards would be gone in an instant.

This is what I have been working on for the last week or so. I dont really have a title for it yet, but it's 11x14". To me the nose on the adult looks too long and I wish I had changed it. I just did'nt notice that it looked funny until i had already varnished it. In time I may decide that it's fine the way it is.

Winter Blues

This is what it looks like out of my bedroom window at 11:00 am. The sun is still behind the mountains. Yesterday especially was downright cold with a wicked wind to augment the misery. Nevertheless I was out there with my camera trying to capture the atmosphere of a winter day.

From the field beside my apt. complex, I have a good view of St. Innocent Russian Orthodox Church and the Chugach Mountains for a backdrop. In winter the light is often tinted pink. It is called Alpenglow.

I seldom paint buildings, but someday I may paint this church.

There used to be a trailer park here. It looks so much nicer now.

This photo was not taken yesterday but the Bohemian Waxwings are out and about in the nieghborhood.

They seem to thrive in the frigid weather.

Russian Jack Park is a 15 minute walk from my place. The trails in the park are cherished by the local cross-country skiers, and plodders on foot like me.

The trails leads through a tunnel under a busy street. There are many such tunnels around town. I wish there were many more.

The cold of winter is not what really gets to me. It's the dim winter light on most days, and especially the shortness of the day. This photo was shot after sunset, at about 3;30pm. It is Eagle River Loop Road.

The light at the base of these trees is coming from a lamp post out of the frame.

To compensate for the short winter days, there are lamp posts along many of the trails so skiers and pedestrians can have better visibility. Some people even manage to ride bicycles in this stuff. Although I dont comprehend them, lots of people around here prefer the winter months. This photo was shot at 9:30am.

Some Woodpeckers

Recently one of the blogs that I follow did an interesting post about woodpeckers. It got me thinking about them as well. Over the years I have had the opportunity to photogragh various species. Which is my favorite? That's hard to say, but the Pale-billed Woodpecker of central America is as impressive as any that I've seen.

Here in southcentral Alaska there are four regularly occuring species of woodpecker, Downy, Hairy, Three-toed, and Black-backed. The first two species are very common, the Three-toed less so, and the Black-backed is very hard to find. The bird in the above photo is a female Hairy Woodpecker.

The male Hairy Woodpecker has a jaunty red cap. Downy Woodpeckers are almost identical in appearance except they are smaller and have a stubbier beak.

This is the first Black-backed Woodpecker that I have seen. I was so fortunate to find a nest in the above tree. This is the male. That day was also the day I saw my first Grizzly Bear. They were both in a city park in Anchorage. The bear followed me down the trail for about 100 yards. It was quite an adrenaline rush. I got photos of the bear also.

When I lived in Arizona there were many species of woodpecker, including the Red-shafted Flicker. They prefer to eat ants, but they will even eat bird seed.

The deserts in Arizona have the Gilded Flicker.

I have seen the clown-like Acorn Woodpecker from California to Costa Rica. They are a gregarious woodpecker. Of course they specialize in eating acorns. Like many woodpeckers they have a raucous vocabulary.

A close relative of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, the Red-naped Sapsucker. It was a very cold day in Arizona when I photographed this female in my yard. After it had it's fill of the apple, many smaller birds rushed in to feed on the apple.

Another sapsucker species that occurs in the higher elevations of Arizona, the Williamson's Sapsucker. This is the female at the nest in an aspen tree.

The male Williamson's Sapsucker looks like a completely different species of bird.

The temperature was -10f when I shot this lousy photo of a Great Spotted Woodpecker in Caswell Lakes, Alaska.. I believe it was only the second sighting of this species in North America.

I posted this photo earlier. It's a Black-cheeked Woodpecker in Cahuita, Costa Rica.

The smallest Woodpecker that I have seen is this Grey-crowned Pygmy Woodpecker in Phang Nga, Thailand. It looked to be about the size of a White-breasted Nuthatch.

A female Bearded Woodpecker in Kruger Nat. Park, South Africa.

A female Cardinal Woodpecker, also in Kruger.

This is a bad photo of a hard to find woodpecker in South Africa, Olive Woodpecker.

My life list of woodpeckers so far.

1. Red-shafted Flicker, USA

2. Gilded Flicker, USA, Mexico

3. Downy Woodpecker, USA

4. Hairy Woodpecker, USA

5. Acorn Woodpecker, USA, Mexico, Costa Rica

6. Red-naped Sapsucker, USA

7. Williamson's Sapsucker, USA

8. Lewis' Woodpecker, USA

9. Gila Woodpecker, USA, Mexico

10. Ladder-backed Woodpecker, USA, Mexico

11. Golden-cheeked Woodpecker, Mexico

12. Red-crowned Woodpecker, Costa Rica

13. Golden-naped Woodpecker, Costa Rica

14. Hoffman's Woodpecker, Costa Rica

15. Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Costa Rica

16. Smoky Brown Woodpecker, Costa Rica

17. Rufous-winged Woodpecker, Costa Rica

18. Cinnamon Woodpecker, Costa Rica

19. Chestnut-colored Woodpecker, Costa Rica

20. Linneated Woodpecker, Mexico, Costa Rica, Peru

21. Pale-billed Woodpecker, Mexico, Costa Rica

22. Crimson-crested Woodpecker, Peru

23. Three-toed Woodpecker, USA

24. Black-backed Woodpecker, USA

25. Great Spotted Woodpecker, USA

26. Greater Flameback, Thailand

27. Cream-colored Woodpecker, Ecuador

28. Yellow-tufted Woodpecker, Ecuador

29. Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Thailand

30. Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Thailand

31. Little Woodpecker, Peru

32. Chestnut Woodpecker, Peru

33. Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Peru

34. Bearded Woodpecker, South Africa

35. Cardinal Woodpecker, South Africa

36. Bennet's Woodpecker, South Africa

37. Olive Woodpecker, South Africa.

Which species will I get to see next? That's a much anticipated thrill for me.

Thank you for indulging me with this little vanity of mine in listing these birds.