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Archive for the ‘birds and birding’ Category

The Rare Cumberland Greencrest

Posted in Absurd, animal art works, Art, art and environment, birds and birding, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature photography, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, Styrofoam, tagged , , , , , , on May 26, 2010| 2 Comments »

While wandering the Woodland Trail in an area best described as temperate semi-rainforest, I made another unusual bird discovery.  I believe that I have these privileged sightings because of two principal reasons.  The first has to do with frequency.  I am at the Falls of the Ohio as much as I can get away from my other responsibilities and so I have more chances for encounters.  The other has to do with motive.  Being knowledgeable about our avian friends, I simply am out here looking for birds and therefore open to their discovery.  On this particular day I was actually anticipating members of the wood warbler tribe when I came across what must be a first for this park…the rare Cumberland Greencrest!

This is one species missed by both Lesson and Gould in their individual monographs on hummingbirds of which the Cumberland Greencrest is an atypical member.  The Cumberland Greencrest was first discovered on the Guatemalan Highlands in 1910.  It is larger and slower on the wing than the average hummingbird.  It’s flight can best be described as being Swift-like where the individual wing beats alternate between extreme activity and gliding.  In its main haunts, this bird constructs a small nest from lichens and spider webs on a suitable tree branch and a single jelly bean-sized egg is produced.  The adults take both small insects on the wing and feed from the nectar of rare orchids found only in certain protected valleys. 

I was exploring the trees lining both banks of Parfume Creek (so named because on certain days, the scents of various laundry detergents are detectable emanating from the water using one’s  open nose) when the Cumberland Greencrest made its appearance.  I immediately recognized I was in the presence of something special and limited my movements so I wouldn’t frighten it away.  As this single individual coursed along the creek bank, I slowly brought my camera up to my eye and recorded these images in quick succession.  I think they show this bird in its glory very well and are worthy of sharing with a larger audience if I say so myself!  But please, don’t just take my word on this…judge for yourself!

I recorded these images using my high-speed camera as the bird made its passes back and forth along the creek.  In these images one can see why this bird is appropriately named with its lacy green crest atop its head.  The encounter was brief, but memorable!  What was this bird doing in our area to begin with?  The answer may lie in the very powerful thunderstorms that are becoming a staple of the Western Hemisphere.  I speculate that this bird was simple blown way off course as is known to happen with other species of hummingbirds.  I returned to this area the following three days, but never again encountered this specimen.  I did, however, see the duckling of a species of which I am currently unfamiliar and recorded its image among the driftwood and I hereby also present this to you my very dear reader in the hopes it will fuel your curiosity!

The Cumberland Greencrest was made from materials found entirely within the park and include:  Styrofoam (body and wings), wood (its tiny feet), coal (the eyes), plastic ( the bill which was part of a fishing bobber and the tail which is a plastic lettuce leaf!, the yellow collar is from a soft drink bottle) and lastly the green crest is some foam-like material.  It is held together in places with small, sharpened wood pegs.

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A Unique Predator

Posted in Absurd, animal art works, animals, Art, art and environment, birds and birding, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam on May 22, 2010| 4 Comments »

Extraordinary images from a remotely placed camera-trap yield glimpses of a rare mammal.  Long thought to be gone from the Falls of the Ohio, it appears the Feralocitor is recovering parts of its former range.  The Feralocitor is a carnivorous animal about the size of a very large house cat.  Genetically, a Feralocitor’s closest living relative is the Fossa from Madagascar which is that island’s largest and rarest native predator.  Both share a relentless drive to pursue prey and are especially adept at catching birds and small mammals in trees.  Like the Fossa, the Feralocitor has a long tail which it uses to balance itself as it runs and jumps from branch to branch in its arboreal home.  Pictures of the Feralocitor at the Falls of the Ohio came as a shock to the park’s naturalists who remain mute about its existence here although there have been long-standing rumors.

The image above shows what the Feralocitor is especially good at which is stalking its prey.  Noiselessly, this predator can get low to the ground (or log in this case) and approach within striking distance of its formidable claws and teeth.  Once a Feralocitor has a hold of its intended victim, there is no escape.  In addition to stalking, some Feralocitors (especially older or injured individuals) are excellent at hunting by ambush.  The original inhabitants of this land have an almost supernatural reverence for this animal and their name for it roughly translates to “…ghost-spirit of the trees”.  This reverence, however, wasn’t shared by the farmers who settled this area and saw the Feralocitor as another predator who killed and ate their smaller livestock.  It was shot on sight, poisoned, and trapped until it became so scarce that it was rarely seen and believed gone from these parts.  Today, the role of random predator is played by domestic dogs that have gone feral and occasionally run in packs causing fear and damage.  Such dogs exist at the Falls of the Ohio and here are a few images of them.

The feral dogs in this area are a motley crew of mixed breed dogs.  I recently came across two of them while bird watching and I was so intent on looking up, that I didn’t notice that these dogs had walked quite close to me.  In far western Kentucky, I recall an experience of being out in the woods and being surrounded by five wild dogs!  It was a tense moment because dogs in this situation can be dangerous.  I remember yelling at them and throwing rocks in their direction to chase them away.  Once there was a thriving sheep industry in the western part of the state that was decimated by feral dogs.  An old biology professor at Murray State University told me that one.  The dog in this second picture doesn’t seem particularly glad to have run into me and I’m probably interrupting his attempt at a meal from a nearby dumpster.  They seem always hungry and will take nearly anything that crosses their path.  There is a shortage of ground nesting birds in the park because there are just too many predators on the prowl and not enough cover.  World-wide, feral dogs are a resilient and growing problem and rabies is also on the rise.

I decided to camp out in an area where a Feralocitor was last seen.  After several days of nothing, I was rewarded with two separate  images of a hunting Feralocitor.  In this case, the prey animal (the Ohio Valley Rail) is also rare and endangered.  The first hunt I observed was successful, however, the Feralocitor was so efficient and quick at the kill that it was over and gone before I could get obtain another picture.  It waited until the bird’s head was down before launching its fatal attack.

In this second photo, the Feralocitor was unsuccessful when the bird sensed something was wrong and flew away.  By listening to its instincts, this rail lived to experience another day.  It is great seeing an animal that once existed in this area recovering some of its former range.  Similar stories exist from the recent past.  Once black bears were rumored in the eastern section of  Kentucky.  This was proven, they became studied, protected,  and  now there is a limited hunting season on them.  The same could be true of the mountain lion.  Persistent claims that they too are re-entering  their former territories will probably pan out as young lions move eastward pursuing the ever burgeoning deer population.  As for the Feralocitor, time will tell.  It isn’t an animal likely to be prized by hunters.

The last image is of the Feralocitor in progress.  It’s made of found Styrofoam, wood, nuts (for eyes), rubber, and plastic and was constructed on location during a light rain.  The sculpture was held together with sharpened wooden stakes and pins.  With the exception of the Feralocitor and the Ohio Valley Rail, other mentions in this post are factual.

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The Birds and the Trees

Posted in Absurd, animal art works, animals, Art, art and environment, birds and birding, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, tagged , , , , , on May 19, 2010| 3 Comments »

I love this photo!  This Swainson’s Thrush seems so happy sitting on its berries.  At the Falls the migrant birds are around and our trees are flowering or fruiting.  I have been doing my best to come up with some nice bird photos in between other river activities like making art.  Most of the warblers are proving to be tough subjects.  The difference between getting a nice image and nothing is a thousandth of a second.  Warblers are very small and constantly moving.  There is a lot of thrush and catbird activity around the sweet mulberries and squabbles are frequent.

These pink and red mulberries will be ripe when they turn dark and black.  That’s when the wildlife particularly go for them.  This is a prolific tree and seems to be on the rise.

This bird atop a willow tree is a bit of a head scratcher for me.  I like that I was able to get such a relatively clear shot among the foliage, but what species of bird is this?  When I first took the photo, I thought I was photographing one of the seasonal vireos.  However, there is a suggestion of light-colored wing bars and perhaps a slightly streaked breast too which is an unusual combination.  That’s what I like about bird watching…it can be challenging even when you think you have a good image.

Wafting through the air were the tiny, cottony seeds of these black willow trees.  Many of these will land upon the sand and germinate.  Only the fittest can thrive in this tortured soil and manage the periodic flooding that helps define this place.

There were birds that I was able to photograph and identify like this pair of Mallard Ducks.  They were away from the river and more than likely have a nest nearby.  This Mourning Dove is showing a little of the iridescence on its neck that comes with the breeding season.  It’s hard to believe now that Audubon’s first drawing of the extinct Passenger Pigeon was made at the Falls of the Ohio.  That is certainly a bird I would have loved to add to my list of living species in the park.

I was able to add a new bird to my list on this trip and it’s an unusual one!  It’s called the Ohio Valley Rail and is usually heard more than it is seen.  It is not typical to run into one during the daylight hours.  So, when I came across this female near the river…I got real excited!

This bird is in transit to the marsh habitats that exist around the lakes in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  Since the Ohio Valley Rail is believed to travel at night…it is a mystery why this one isn’t sleeping in a secluded spot.  Originally discovered and named within the river valley by early 19th Century naturalists, it would be many years before it’s true northern haunts would be known to science.  The males are slightly smaller but have more developed plumage which they use to their fullest glory when they leap and dance into the air trying to win the favors of a female.  Successful dancers will pair up producing a clutch of two eggs usually in a nest located on the ground and made from cane leaves.  One last image of this rarely seen oddity with the big head and bright red bill.  Bon voyage!

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Bottled Notes on Earth Day

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, birds and birding, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Louisville, Kentucky, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, watershed, tagged , , , , on May 10, 2010| 3 Comments »

Continuing a streak of good luck, I was able to catch up with video artist Julia Oldham and show her a little of my stretch of the river.  I first became acquainted with Julia’s work through Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest’s Connect event from last summer.  Several of her videos were being projected outdoors and I was frozen in my tracks by them.  I later learned she would become an artist in residence at Bernheim during the months of April and May of this year. We “cyber-met”  through each other’s blogs, leaving occasional post comments back and forth.  With considerable interest,  I anticipated meeting her in person for the first time.  Julia was kind enough to give me a sneak peek of the work she is creating at Bernheim and will formally “unveil” at the arboretum later this month.  Her newest works are as she is…smart, funny, and engaging.  I looked forward to sharing a river adventure together.

We arrived at the Falls in time to celebrate Earth Day…sort of.  It was two weeks late, windy, cool, and the muddy-colored Ohio River was still very high but receding.  The park was full of cars and people participating in the festivities.  Evidence of the high water was all along the shoreline and to be truthful, I felt dismayed by the sheer amount of crap present.  Happy Earth Day everybody…let’s celebrate this liquid landfill we call a river!

Pretty much all the spots I like to inhabit were still underwater or inaccessible and muddy.  I wondered how much of a bad impression this was making on Julia?  Quietly, it affected my mood and I tried to distract myself by making a quick sculpture from this junk.  But it fell apart and I didn’t manage to even get a picture of it!  The sight of so much river born garbage was repellent and I felt like a rubber-necker at the scene of an accident.  This is also part of the fascination that I have with this place, but rarely have I seen it this bad.  Where we could, we touched base with the river.  In places, there were immense logs and washed away trees driven against the bank.  Who knows what I will find once the river returns to a more normal pool?  Definitely, there won’t be a shortage of art making materials…maybe for years.

We visited the Interpretive Center and Julia was able to see some of the displays.  I have wanted the chance to photograph the large replica of the Permian Age amphibian among the ginkgo leaves and here it is.  I got down on my belly to get eye to eye with it!  From this angle it looks like a big frog, but it is a four-legged giant salamander-like critter and lived in the swamps that millions of years later became coal deposits.  It was maybe 3 1/2 feet long in life.  I wondered if it had a long tongue?

Several birds of prey were on hand as part of a raptors rehab program in our area.  We talked birds and I photographed this really pretty male American Kestrel.  I see wild and free kestrels in the park all the time.  This small falcon is our most colorful bird of prey.  I once observed a kestrel catching a Killdeer plover on the fossil beds.  The hunt was over in seconds.

Julia and I hiked around the park where we could and then we returned to my vehicle.  I had brought with me four clean, glass pint bottles I had found earlier at the Falls as well as materials to write notes or make drawings.  After sharing a Blue Dog peanut butter cookie and a couple of pears…we set to work.

I’m frequently asked if I have ever found a note in a bottle and I have to disappoint by saying no.  The ones I would make along with Julia are in fact the first notes I have ever put into bottles.  I have, however, been interested in doing this for some time and this seemed as good a moment as any.  The notes are written with permanent ink on Tyvek and paper.

I have no idea what Julia wrote in her notes and she doesn’t know what I put in mine.  We did, however, include some contact information just in case by some stroke of luck someone should find one of these bottles.  I hope that someone does.  It would be cool to see where it went!  I placed small fishing bobbers in each bottle to give it some more visual “pick me up” appeal and then Julia and I took photographs of them in front of the skyline of Louisville.  Since the river at the Falls wasn’t conducive for launching our bottles…we drove to nearby New Albany, Indiana.  In August, Julia will be having a solo show at the Carnegie Art and History Center and I thought Julia would like to see the space.  After a few beers at the New Albanian it was time to launch our bottled notes.  We went down to New Albany’s expansive waterfront and while Julia videotaped, I threw the bottles as far as I could and they landed with a splash to begin their journeys to destinations unknown.  The setting sun reflected on the glass of the floating bottles and I lost sight of them as they drifted towards the center of the Ohio River and points west.

The day went by so quickly and then it was time to go home.  We talked about our very different experiences in the art world, but in the end, felt like we had much in common.  The following morning, I opened the local paper and was surprised to discover an article about Julia in the art section.  It was a nice way to continue our first meeting.  If you are interested in seeing Julia’s work, her blog ” Bee Sting Brose” is on my blogroll.  A click there will take you to several links featuring her videos and articles written about her and her art.

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Derby Day at the Falls

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, birding, birds and birding, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , , , on May 3, 2010| 3 Comments »

The Kentucky Derby happened 24 hours a go, but the bigger regional story was all the rain we received.  I’ve said this before in this blog, the gentle spring rains of yesteryear seem like a thing from the past.  Now every storm is charged with energy and abundant water.  In the Louisville area totals for the last two days are 5 to 7 inches ( 12 to 17.75 cms).  In Nashville, TN there is wide spread flooding.  There was one period of a few hours on Saturday that things were just misty.  That was as good as our luck ran this weekend.  I took that opportunity to get my river fix and it was good for my peace of mind!

Since I fully expected the rain to just pound me at any moment, I kept my eyes open as I moved along the river.  I had the place nearly to myself which helped make the Falls seem larger.  The willow trees were in bloom and there were even a few nice birds around.  I quickly made a figure from available Styrofoam and sticks and I will now turn the narrative over to him.

Yeah…we moved as fast as my beaver-chewed willow legs would carry me over the wet and packed sand.  We checked out the various debris fields near the river and took pictures of the things that caught our attention.  We came across a lost arm lying next to a plastic bottle and I wondered who would lose an arm and not miss it?  I picked it up and examined it.

It’s a perfectly good arm, but I don’t want to carry it around and so I left it where it was found.  If I find out later that I have a need for it…I think I can remember where this spot is provided the river doesn’t rise and rearrange things again.  Certainly looks a lot greener now than the last time I dropped by.

Of late, I’ve taken an interest in the remains of old fires and camp sites.  It’s a test of observation and I like to learn what I can from the charcoal and ashes, but this one has been hit hard by the rain and we learn little.

A colorful, but ruined soccer ball lay before us. The leading edge of the river usually has a few balls of one kind or another in the mix.  We stopped for a few snapshots than went our merry way.  There were more things we could see laying on the sand a head of us that looked worth checking out.

I traded the blue ring around my neck for a larger one I could wear around my waist.  It could be used as a flotation device if necessary!  Walking the shoreline we came across this vignette…a still life of tulips.  It’s a partially buried plastic watering can and the river has revealed this picture for us!

Oh man!  We found that awful jar of baloney again.  Even the river doesn’t want this thing and keeps casting it back upon the shore.  The thought crosses my mind that this might make good catfish bait if I could stomach running a hook through this mystery meat.  I wonder if that giant bug-thing is around?

Like I mentioned earlier…we saw a few birds too!  Some of our warmer weather birds have returned.  I thought we had some better pictures, but I guess there was just too much water in the air.  We did come across a pair of Canada Geese with three goslings doing the same thing we were…namely investigating the riverbank.  Their young are very cute!

And, we saw three of our favorite bird species!  The Yellow Warblers have returned and we tried like crazy to get a decent shot of this bird singing away, but the images were kind of gray.  Also saw a Spotted Sandpiper (but missing its spots) heading north.  We will see those spots upon its return migration from near the Arctic circle.  Indigo Buntings seem plentiful and we were fortunate to watch Baltimore Orioles chasing one another through the trees.  Here’s a picture of a male oriole who was watching a female among the branches and not intent on us. 

With hope, the Scarlet Tanagers and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks will be passing through soon.  I decided to hang out longer while that artist-guy went home.  I’ll be right here, unless someone else finds me first.

Well, that’s how our Derby Day went.  The rain stayed away long enough for the race to be run and by all reports the festival was an overall success.  I’m glad people had a good time, but I’m getting a little event weary and feeling the need to be more contemplative…and dry!

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The Redbud Bird

Posted in Absurd, animal art works, Art, art and environment, birds and birding, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , on April 13, 2010| 2 Comments »

After delivering some of my artworks to an exhibit in La Grange,  (more on that in a future post) I stopped by the Falls for a quick look-see.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day and I decided to take a quick walk along the Woodland Trail to see if any of the spring migratory birds were in the area.  I was amazed to see the sizes of some of the trees that washed into the park during the last high water.  From my vantage point, I could see several “nice” pieces of Styrofoam that were also stranded by the retreating river.  I made mental notes to myself to come back to those areas when I had more time.  Images of future sculptures came to mind.

People were taking advantage of the lovely spring day and were ever-present in the park.  I noticed many fishermen lining the banks although I can’t say that I observed anyone catching anything yet.  Walking along the Woodland Trail I did see several species of birds including a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker working a Sweet Gum tree.  To me, this woodpecker is a harbinger of spring.  Bird watching was a little frustrating today because there just were so many people everywhere that the birds were a bit jumpy.  Further down the trail I did see something new I hadn’t recorded before and it has the nickname of “the Redbud Bird” and I would later learn why.  At first appearance, it’s a bird that isn’t especially memorable.  It’s a bit clumsy looking and not a particularly good singer.

The Redbud Bird was working a section of the park bordered by a creek.  This area had many downed trees of significant size that this bird was exploring.  I observed it tilting its head from side to side as though it was carefully listening for something.  I found several more specimens of this species taking advantage of the ecological niches that the park has to offer.

Wherever I saw one of these birds…it would be turning its head from side to side and every once in a while would slowly flap its wings.  The day was a warm one and I wondered if this was a method the bird used to stay cool?

I followed one bird from the woods into the Interpretive Center’s parking lot.  This proved easy to do because this bird is also a fairly weak flyer compared to the other birds I had come across.  It would move ahead of me and seemingly waited for me to catch up.  I felt as though it was leading me someplace.  This bird did this several times until I finally understood how this species received its name.

I followed the bird to the front of the Interpretive Center where our bird began to display in a most gloriously blooming Redbud Tree.  This bird times its appearance in our area to the blossoming of this tree.  What this bird lacks in physical charisma it compensates for by immersing itself in the beauty of this tree within site of the river.  After watching it bounce from one blooming limb to another it flew off leaving me with this view.

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Spring at the Falls of the Ohio

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, birds and birding, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , on March 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Spring has officially succeeded Winter at the Falls of the Ohio State Park.  The river is high. Its waters increased by the thawing in the northern Ohio River Valley.  The river crested yesterday just below flood stage.  All my familiar spots are under a few feet of water now.  My record here is being rearranged.  It is amazing, however, how quickly the water recedes.  Spring is renewing this place in an especially physical way.

Lots of logs missing limbs roll and churn in the shallows by the river’s edge.  Once in a while you can hear a loud crack as something wooden is shattered in the water.  The trees roll over one another grinding their bark off which forms large floating mats that collect debris.  The corky squeak of wood grating against wood can sound like the grinding of teeth.

In places you could easily see the ever shifting currents by the objects floating on the surface of the water.  I walked along the park’s western shoreline.  The sound of three dueling kingfishers played out in an aerial display above my heads.  Although it still early…I’m always keeping my eyes out for migratory birds.  I was able to add a new species to my park bird list…the Bufflehead duck.  I came across a male with four females resting with their bills tucked into their back feathers.  They seemed to be just floating along with the available current at the limits of my camera’s telephoto lens.  I came back the next day to see if they were still around but they were gone.  I would have liked some better photos.

As I walked along I noted the mats of rafting wood.  You could see where a mat would drift against a tree and create an island.  I could spot the bright white of Styrofoam chunks like polystyrene passengers.  If I run into them again…I’ll turn them into sculptures.

When these mats are pushed onto the shore, this image shows a good example of the material aggregate that composes them.  It’s mostly wood chips, but you can see a lot of plastic and Styrofoam pieces too.  I have more than a hand full of those plastic cowboys and soldiers that I have found out here over the years.

I walked by one of my favorite trees.  I love its exposed, developed root system and wanted to see it covered by water.  Usually, I can rest in the open, small room the roots create under the trunk of the tree…but not today.  It have used this place to get out of the hot sun or driving rain many times before.

I kept walking until I reached private property.  I small creek with dirty river backwash demarcated a border.  Unfortunately, whatever is in the river is also now in the creek.  On the opposite side from me is a pasture with three horses and a goat.  This is a new background for me and I decided to improvise a figure from found materials and record a few images.

I quickly find enough junk to construct a figure.  Walking along this soupy creek I pick up fishing bobbers, foam, plastic, and wood. Here’s the piece in progress.  I never did use that plastic dauber looking thing.  This is an especially sad photo for me because I lost my knife within minutes of this image.  I don’t know what happened.  I either dropped it or left it sticking in a log somewhere, but when I returned to look for it the following day, it was not to be found.  Jim Gottuso gave me this knife years a go.  It only has two blades, but the small, sharp saw was perfect for driftwood.

These pictures hardly seem like a fair trade, but at this point I will take what comes next.  Sometimes the river requires a sacrifice.  I’m also thinking that I may see it again.  I might see it in a day-dream and its exact location will be revealed to me.  Since Kentucky is hosting the World Equestrian Games this year…this will be a good way for me to work a horse picture into the blog.  I’ve heard that we are expecting more than a half a million horse lovers to come to the Bluegrass.

I moved this piece around the edges of the property and finally left it standing next to a tree on this side of the riverbank. Here are a couple more shots of this piece.  The red object being held came from a large fireworks rocket.  When the sun is shining, the small bicycle pedal reflector makes a nice belt buckle.

I made another piece and have lots of other images from this weekend at the river that I will share over the next few days.  It was a long, grey winter and I’m glad that it has passed.  Here’s another image of the flower beds by the Interpretive Center, but taken on my way home at the end of the day.

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Another Synthetic Nest

Posted in Absurd, animal art works, birding, birds and birding, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, Ohio River, tagged , , , , on January 7, 2010| 7 Comments »

On my last expedition to the Falls, I spotted this oddity about twenty feet off the ground on a terminal branch of a cottonwood tree.  I had a feeling I knew what this is, but clicked-off a couple more close-ups for more information.  The day was very cold, but bright and clear.

I believe this to be a hanging basket nest from a Northern or Baltimore Oriole.  I had seen one other similar nest years ago at the Falls that incorporated waste fishing line and long-stemmed grass.  This one is different in that it is made mostly from synthetic fibers teased out of a discarded barge cable along with fishing line.  These cables are very large, thick ropes that are used to tie-off and secure the barges used in commercial river traffic.  Here is a recent picture of just such a cable that was lost and wound around willow roots.  This one has blue and yellow fibers instead of orange like the oriole’s nest has.

As these ropes slowly break down, it’s interesting to think of nest-building birds preferring to use this material as opposed to strictly natural ones.  I know of other birds (more in an urban environment) that will use other bits of artificial litter in their nests.  A month or so a go in the western section of the park I came across another synthetic nest created by a different species and featured that in a post about rare birds.  Here is that nest reproduced again along with a close-up of the oriole’s nest.

Since a nest made of these materials will last longer…I’m wondering if the oriole or another bird will attempt to reuse it?  I will have to wait until spring to find that out.

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The Arctic Hummingbird

Posted in Absurd, animal art works, Art, art and environment, birds and birding, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , on January 5, 2010| 2 Comments »

 

When the coldest of the cold air drops down from the frozen north, spreads over Canada, and then plunges down upon the U.S.A., then sights rarely seen may be glimpsed at the Falls of the Ohio.  Riding the cold wave, small groups of Arctic Hummingbirds move south to feed upon the Ice Blossoms.

Styro-Trochilae polystyrenus or the Arctic hummingbird is among nature’s most extraordinary and poorly studied birds.  Much of that has to do with the forbidding place that this creature calls home.  There is speculation that this hummingbird must be able to regulate its body temperature in the manner of other Trochilidae in order to live in such a cold environment.  Perhaps, its rarity is due to remaining hidden during its torpid state which might define most of its existence?  Hummingbird metabolism has always been amazing, but for this species to go from nearly zero heartbeats to a thousand a minute when active defies credulity!

I came across this beauty and through high-speed photography was able to steal these images of this bird with its bright orange bill feeding.  It is thought that the Ice Blossoms refract the energy of the sun and transmits that into a form of “solar nectar”.  The bird would need an energy source as unique as it is to exist!  The conditions at the Falls were just right this past weekend to bring out both the bird and its blossom.

There is very little more I can add to the known literature on this ornithological wonder. This species is larger than the more familiar Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, but didn’t seem to beat its wings as rapidly.  I did observe it flying backwards.   It seemed like I watched this bird for a long time, but in reality,  it was probably a couple minutes or so.  I can say that being in the moment made time stand still.  I wonder as the climate changes particularly in the Arctic, whether this hummingbird will share the same fate as other animals that have evolved in such a specialized place?  With hope, the Arctic Hummingbird will prove to have some resilience.  One last image of this bird feeding from a blossom near a piece of fiberglass that was caught in the branches of a tree.

Epilogue:  The Arctic Hummingbird was made from materials found on site at the Falls of the Ohio State Park.  The materials include:  Styrofoam, plastic, wood bark, coal, its beak is a combo of hypodermic needle cover and the tine from an old comb.  The Ice Blossom is Styrofoam,  river-polished glass, and wire.   All images by the author and shot at the Falls of the Ohio.

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Fishing on the Rocks

Posted in Absurd, animals, Art, art and environment, birding, birds and birding, collections, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, unusual collection, watershed, tagged , , , , , on December 3, 2009| 2 Comments »

The river is low and clear and fisherman have been testing their luck at the Falls of the Ohio.  It’s one of those situations where even if the fish aren’t biting, it’s still wonderful to be out in nature.  Sightseers have been moving along the riverbank and on this occasion I have come across other sculptures that while they aren’t mine…may have been inspired by what I do out here? 

Visitors have “recycled” one of my old pieces and made this work that I call “Jack Daniels” based on the empty whiskey bottle stuck in the sand by its feet!  It’s a decidedly tipsy work and seems to sport what I think may be an improvised ice pack on its head.  The turned-wood cane steadies the piece and provides much-needed support.  Perhaps the same person or persons did this other sculpture near “Jack”?  It may be either a robot constructed from stacked rocks or maybe an image of a small television with antennae balanced on stacked rocks?  It doesn’t really matter.  I responded to the sight and added it to my collection of images of “Other People’s Art Made at the Falls”.  Over the years, I have also collected pictures of what other folks have made and left with materials indigenous to this area.  Actually, I’m surprised that I don’t come across more of the stacked rock works since that seems like such a universal human thing to do.

Appearing with more regularity are the Ring-billed Gulls that move into our area once the weather begins to cool.  I observed a large flock with their distinctive white dot on black wing tips flying above me in a slowly circling ball.  Maybe they were getting their bearings on their way to other areas? Anyway, a few stray birds peeled away from the drifting flock and remained in the immediate area.  I photographed this juvenile Ring-billed Gull standing in shallow water near a small Styro-fisherman I had constructed.

When I come out here, I try to make something from the debris I come across.  I usually always feel better about life in general when I’m engaged in creating an artwork.  Here’s the fisherman figure I made on this day.  He is standing on beaver-chewed willow legs as is the pole he holds.

Although I have made many fishing figures over the years, this one was inspired by that day’s finds.  Walking the riverbank, I assembled a small collection of soft-bodied jigs lost by real fisherman.  The river works them loose from wherever they are snagged and beaches them lead-head and all.  The curving tails are intended to flutter through the water once they are reeled in.  It’s an effective movement that fish find hard to resist.

I selected the one that looks like a blue minnow and because it also had a nice length of monofilament attached to it… added it to my work.  I carried the piece along the shoreline and photographed it by the water.  I drew a few quizzical looks and even a laugh or two from real fishermen!

Here’s another image that shows the figure in the context of the larger landscape.  The old railroad bridge in the background has become such a presence in so many of my photographs.  Until next time…

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