Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrel

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We don't see these guys as often as the Richardson's, they don't tend to colonize near people.  But they are awfully cool!  Sometimes when I first see them, I think they are wee lizards, the way they put their little heads down and scuttle along!

Yeah, just like that!

Photographed at Beaudry Provincial Park, May 18, 2008



Of course, they stand up too.  They're probably only about half the size of a Richardson's, and blend in with the grass really well!

Look at those teeny-tiny little forelegs!

Photographed at the Alexander-Griswold marsh, April 25, 2010

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ACEOs

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Well, I had pretty big plans for making prints available for sale, but looks like that's not going to happen right now.

But I do have the supplies and the capability to make art cards - ACEOs - those little 2.5" x 3.5" cards on bristol paper. 

I'll probably limit the number, and am thinking about hand-coloring a portion of the run, probably in colored pencil. 

Looks like I left it pretty late to have these intended as Christmas presents - it's only a few days until the "mail before" day! 

I'll post again when I get it worked out, but if you're interested, feel free to email me at pterelas at gmail dot com.

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Concert! The Casualties! Gwar!

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Missed The Casualties last time they came to town, so I sure was happy to finally be able to see them!  Figured Gwar was worth seeing too!

First band was called Mobile Death Camp.  They didn't use the lights much, and all my photos were this red color. 

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Next band was Infernaeo.  The red lights persisted...

Bouncer is not impressed!

Pantene moment!

Next was The Casualties!  I have no idea which songs they played...  OK, I do remember "Made in NYC", but that's all!  People were really excited to see these guys, I was right in front of the stage for the pics, and got myself slammed around quite a bit!  Hit a guy in the head with my camera - sorry, guy!

My camera worked better with the flash, like the photo above, less motion blur, and better focus.  But I think I preferred the pics I got without the flash, like this one: 

and this one:

Another bonus bystander!

Gwar was the headliner, and people were kind of excited about them!

Gwar definitely put on the biggest show I've ever seen on such a small stage!  Part of their act was cutting up effigies of Sarah Palin and Lady Gaga.  They also spray lots and lots of fake blood at the audience.  Afterwards, people crowded outside.  That's not smoke, it's the people that are steaming!  Good ol' Winterpeg!

Concert info:  Mobile Death Camp, Infernaeo, The Casualties, Gwar
December 4, 2010, Garrick Center, Winnipeg
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Stillness

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What does it mean to be calm in your heart?  I hear that sentence a lot, but it seems that people interpret it differently.  Maybe that's the point.  Oooh, how zen. 

The city doesn't suit me.  I like the convenience, but it's not always convenient.  I hate the noise.  Even in the middle of the night, road noise and street lights pervade.  To say nothing for noisy neighbors, sirens...   

I crave stillness, and have to leave town to find it. 

But I find I need it to live.

Taken at Oak Hammock Marsh, October 17, 2005.

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Northern Flickers

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Northern Flickers are the other common woodpecker in our area.  We also have Pileated Woodpeckers and Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers, but we don't see them very often at all!

Flickers are quite widespread, and versatile in their choice of habitat, farm yards, towns, cities and woods all pass muster. 

In our yard, the Flickers come to the virginia creeper, just like the thrushes.  What a versatile plant!

I get such a kick out of this photo...  Tweedledee and Tweedledum? 

For a while, we had a post leaning against our fence.  Talk about a Flicker magnet!

Check out those cool, spiny woodpecker-style tail feathers!

There are two color phases of Northern Flicker - Yellow-Shafted and Red-Shafted.  We have the former here.  The male above illustrates the id points well - black "moustache" mark and red head crescent.

No moustache mark on the females!  Too bad I didn't think to do anything about that branch in the foreground!

I think this is the same bird.  Females DO have the red crescent!

We didn't get any Flickers on our creeper this year, much to my disappointment.  Maybe next year!
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Red Tailed... Squirrel??

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Well, this is a new one for me.  We have a LOT of Gray Squirrels around here.  Once had one with white patches.  Whether it was pinto-spotted or white from injuries, I don't know. 

But this clairol-touched fella isn't like anything I've seen before!!

Sorry about the cut-off nose, but I include this picture to show the extent of the red coloration.

I found some google references to melanistic (black) Grey Squirrels having red tails, but couldn't find any pictures, nor any reference to a normal grey-phase having a red tail.


Anyone?
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Drawing - Yellow-Headed Blackbird

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Yellow-Headed Blackbird - Graphite on Paper

Copyright 2010, Nicole MacPherson

Yellow-Headed Blackbirds are impressive looking birds!  They are lousy songsters though!  But the males put on wonderful displays, easily compensating for any musical shortcomings.  I've found them to be harder to photograph than the Red-Winged Blackbirds.  Less common in general, and a bit more suspicious of humans.  The Yellows are also more social, often foraging in groups. 

This was my first attempt at a real background.  I found it harder than I expected.  Birds are fun to draw, grass and reeds are not! 

As I've mentioned on this blog before, I don't use different kinds of pencils.  But I think I might have to change that.  Had to go over some parts a LOT to get them dark enough.  This ended up warping the paper.  It was even visible when scanned, and the paper underneath this one has a big, bird-shaped impression on it!  Finished this guy up on the 21st, but he's been sitting beneath heavy stuff since that time, trying to get the paper to flatten! 

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Hnausa

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We've developed a bit of a habit of stopping at this small park on our way up to Hecla.  It's a very well-kept picnic area on the west side of Lake Winnipeg with a great shoreline, scattered trees, and some cool birds!

The ice is still usually visible on the lake into May.  This photo very nicely illustrates the rule of thirds.  I like it because it looks like one of those layers of colored sand doodads. 

Lots of shades of blue and tan on a clear spring day.

A better look at the rocky shore.  I love how the clouds at the horizon look like distant mountains.

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