Thursday, February 18, 2010

GOT IT!

I have been waiting for more than three weeks to get a good shot of our Cooper's Hawk who comes through our yard past the bird feeders at least once a day.  When Kay was here we sat often for almost an hour several times, waiting.  But no luck!  Last week I sat an hour and a half  and still no luck.  Birds often come to the same place at around the same time.  So I wait.  Today, Barry called from the kitchen to say there was a rabbit on the patio.  I got my camera out but missed him.  I had just sat down at the computer and laid my camera in front of me when there was the hawk!  I had a perfect view -- through the den window -- without even moving and managed to get six shots!

This is the best of them:
So perfectly posed against the blue sky at the tip of the yucca tree.  

Now to get the rabbit!  I guess the hawk and I have the same plan but different motivations!

******
I have done a little more painting in the past week.  This is an ATC ..."Shep"


  This is another of my farm and farmhouse views, that I love to do.  This is also an ATC.


Finally, this is Shelter Cove, near San Francisco which I did for Virtual Paintout.  To join this challenge, the owner of Virtual Paintout determines some place in the world each month and the painter who participates, must choose some view in that general area using only Google Street View, (no photographs allowed) and paint it.  The location for February is San Francisco.  I haven't decided whether to enter it or not, -- some of those who participate are pretty classy artists.  If nothing else it did help me to become familiar with Google Street Scene.


13 comments:

Gillian Mowbray said...

Well done, Chris. That is a wonderful shot of a magnificent bird. wow!

Beautiful ATCs, as always. Please do enter your Virtual Paintout piece. It's for everyone after all. I'm so glad you've given it a try. Street View is fun, isn't it!

Wanda said...

Abe Lincoln will be so pleased with your Coopers Hawk, as I think it's one of his favorite birds to photograph. You're looks so professional!! Contest worthy!

Your painting are marvelous. All of them.

I think you should enter your painting... that's part of the fun of being an artist!

claude said...

Great capture of the copper's hawk, Chris !
Yesterday from the kitchen window I just open I saw a buzzard in a tree. I took, my camera but the bird was frightened by the click of and flied away. May be another day !!!
Very beautiful drawings.

Autumn Leaves said...

What a most perfectly gorgeous photo of that hawk! We have tons of them around here too and despite their need for hunting, I still am intrigued by them. They have such a beauty, I think.

I love all of your artworks below, Chris. Can you tell me what ATC means? Thank you so kindly!

kaybee said...

Well, he was certainly worth waiting for, wasn't he? That's a beautifuol photo, Chris - I am most envious!

Love your ATCs -- I've done a couple of them this week, also with houses. I'll try and post them this weekend. They are not as good as yours -- I have difficulty taking a large picture and copying it into a tiny drawing. But I am learning!

The Weaver of Grass said...

How clever Chris - that last painting I mean - that is what I like about blogging - it stretches the mind and the creative senses. Loved that Cooper's Hawk photo too.

Cherdecor said...

What a great picture of the coopers hawk! They are such a big bird. I like your Shep, too! I would love to try to draw him. He looks a little like my dog when I was a kid on the farm.

Morning's Minion said...

What a fine shot of the Coopers hawk. It takes such patience to get a good photo of any creature. [My cats can be very uncooperative.]
In studying the bird's feathers that phrase "fearfully and wonderfully made" comes to mind.

Unknown said...

That is a nice looking handsome bird, glad you were able to get the shot you been waiting for!

All of your art is great looking and on such tiny cards too.

One of these days I will get a shot of the humming birds that comes visiting.

Rune Eide said...

I must admit to a slight feeling of envy to that picture of the hawk. I have never been near any hawks like this in the "the wild" - only ducks and gulls with me!

PS I hope everything is all right with you?

Anonymous said...

I am so tickled you got this fine photo of this beautiful bird. It is hard to tell but I suspect the bird was there looking for a meal. Not the rabbit but one of your birds. At least that is what they do here.

I think it is one of the best Coopers Hawk pictures I have seen lately. Congratulations on it. And also on the paintings and drawings. Nice work, really nice landscape.

I keep waiting on an eagle to show up here but then that seems to be almost impossible. There has been one Golden Eagle sighted in this part of Ohio but there would be no reason for it to come here to my backyard unless it was totally lost or suffering from dementia.

sandy said...

Chris, I love your ATC's and Shep is beautiful....

Patty said...

Your hawk looks so magnificent. They remind me a little of an eagle. Abe can set and wait, and never see it, then all at once, zoom, there he is, fly's in silently and sets and waits on the fence. Sometimes we see him dive bombing a bush trying to get some little birds flushed out, but they stay hidden and remain very quiet.