Left-overs before leaving.....

I found some images from last Thursday that I never got around to posting. We drive up to Indy later this afternoon and fly out early Tuesday morning. I hope our plane will remain rightside up unlike this little skipper who is trying the upside down position!
I finally got 2-3 photos of the Clearwing Hummingbird Moth. I've been trying to get this critter for several weeks.

They are such strange looking critters! The shape of their body and that tail area remind me of a crawfish, their body color looks like a bee, and the clear wings are like dragonflies and they buzz around like hummingbirds! There was an actual hummingbird flying around the same flowers and it was interesting to compare their hovering activities!

Hovering


I saw a dragonfly that I did not recognize.

A rather short fat body, brown....with wings that have patches of color.
If I've seen it before, I don't recognize it here.

Another shot.

The Tiger Swallowtail ......

....and this black swallowtail were very busy that day.

Back home the wrens are still keeping me busy watching their feeding.

Yummm....spider for supper?

A caterpillar perhaps?

I just know they are going to fledge while I am gone! I still have no idea how many might be in there, but Mike says he can hear noises and you can see the gourd swaying as they move around.

The parent brings food and then leaves with......what? Poop? egg shell? Whatever it is, he is busy cleaning as well as feeding.

He is in and out so quickly, I'm surprised he has time to let go of one thing and grab another!
Well....that's it until we get to Seattle!

Squirrel Sunday.....

"Oops.... What happened to that bird feeder that was hanging here????"

(I'm getting ready to go on vacation....Seattle....not sure of blogging schedule for awhile. )

SkyWatch Friday.....

(Interview with bird carver, Sue Kraft, directly below this post. Check it out!)It's SkyWatch Friday and last week while driving through Henderson, KY we saw this church getting a newly copper clad steeple. Looked great against the blue sky and clouds!
Wonderful work being done. It really gleams in the sunshine.
That's my sky for this week. For more great skies all over the world click on the icon on my sidebar. Thanks to the SkyWatch team for their hard work keeping this site going.
Now.....Directly below is an interview with bird carver, Sue Kraft. Be sure to read on and see her lovely work! A very talented lady!

An interview with bird carver, Sue Kraft.....

(The following is an interview with bird carver, Sue Kraft. Sue and I went to high school together. At that time, I'm not sure either of us was that interested in birds, but now she carves them and I photograph them.) (Woodcock)

Q1. How long have you been a bird carver and how did you get started? I started carving January 1996. I needed something to keep me busy after I quit work. I thought I could teach myself, but eventually took carving lessons from other bird carvers. (sleeping Teal)
Q2. What materials do you use? This depends, but in general the birds are carved from Tupelo. This is wood found in the south. The trees sit in water in the swamps and the wood that in exposed to the water, is the part that bird carvers use. It is light and has little grain.

(Mockingbird)
Q3. What are some of your favorite birds to carve? I've gone through several "phases". I was really into birds of prey for a while, but now I like carving exotic birds from Africa, Asia and Australia. There are so many beautiful birds in the world and so little time to carve them. (Fairy Wrens) (Lilac Breasted Roller)
Q4. What are the greatest challenges to carving life-like birds? I think the greatest challenges come from painting the colors as life-like as possible. The carving has some challenges, but nothing like the painting. Getting the colors right requires finding good reference material and that can be a challenge. I have spent a lot of time on ebay looking for taxidermy models and I also go to Chicago to the Museum to take measurements and photos of study skins. (Golden-Crowned Kinglet)
Q5. What was your first carving? My first carving was a mallard drake decoy. I think it looks more like a boat. I didn't have the right tools at the time to cut it out correctly. What was your latest? I just finished a green heron. It is the first time I have carved one. I have many others that I am working on. I am currently working on a magpie, a bee-eater, two kingfishers, a bluebird, and a miniature bald eagle. (Flicker)
Q6. What was your first show to enter and did you win a prize? My first show was the Eastern Woodcarvers Show in Converse, Indiana. I won several ribbons, even a blue ribbon. Which carving was your first prize winner? This I can not remember. I'm sure it was a song bird. Those were what I did at first.
(Resplendent Quetzal)
Q7. What bird would you most like to carve and what is in your future as a carver? I still have many birds that I want to carve. I don't think there are any that stand out as a "must do". I just bought a taxidermy (actual stuffed bird, that I use as reference material) on ebay of a green-headed tanager from South America. I plan on doing this for one of my future pieces. I saw a picture of one in "Birder's World" and decided that I wanted to carve one. That is probably one of the ways I most often come up with my ideas. I love the photos in that magazine as well as in a magazine that I get from Africa. It is now possible to "Google" for images and find lots of ideas.

The answer to your second part is, I don't know. Age is beginning to take it's toll on my carving. My eyes and hands are not what they use to be. I guess I'll keep doing it as long as I enjoy it and as long as they still look like birds when I'm done. It just gets harder and harder to see the detail that is necessary to be competitive. I'd rather not compete anymore. It is too much stress and I hate carving to please judges. I get much more satisfaction from selling my work. Nothing means more then to have someone really appreciate what you have done so much that they are willing to buy it. (Orange-Breasted Falcon...almost extinct...lives in Mayan ruins)
Q8. Anything you would like to add? Not that I can think of. Anyone who wants to see and hear more about the bird carving process should check out my new website at http://www.suekraftwildlifesculptures.com/.

(Gull with baby)

Thanks, Sue! A very talented lady! Be sure to visit her website and see videos of the carving process.

Sue currently exhibits her work at:

CCA Gallery

47 S. Main St.

Zionsville, IN

http://www.ccagallery.com/

All flora, no fauna.....

I haven't been out much the last couple of days. These photos were taken at Blue Grass Fish and Wildlife Area, but we didn't see any water birds that day. One butterfly on the thistle.
pink....

...purple....

...green. It was a colorful drive.

I love how these grass plumes look waving in the wind.

There were several patches of sunflowers....really big sunflowers....that I assume they planted for the birds. However, I didn't see any Goldfinches on them. They all looked so "droopy" on this cloudy day. Even the grasses with them look droopy.

I couldn't get over how big they were! They were as tall as I am.

Lotus flower for a different and more delicate look.

One perfect leaf

A flower pod. I like how they rattle when they are dry.

A very beat up looking flower.

That is all. Maybe I'll get out today if it is nice.