The art of living with nature and the modern world @drawingfromnature-blog - Tumblr Blog

As I watched this Lesser Black-backed Gull catch a wave I couldn't help but think about surfing and remembering hocking my surfboard so I could afford to buy a Fender Telecaster Thinline (electric guitar). I loved that surfboard, but honestly, living on the east coast of the USA I didn't use it much and I loved that guitar more! I eventually hocked the telecaster though, to get a semi-hollowbody Gretsch Tennessean with a Bigsby tremolo. That guitar was the beautiful instrument that I ever laid eyes upon and that guitar carried through most of my musical career until... Yes, you guessed it, I hocked it! Do you see a pattern emerging? Letting go of attachments is an enlightening experience that I believe truly improves the way one can look at the world. Which brings me back to watching this Gull here, what this moment is about was not surfing, or guitars, but the journey we take when we choose the path of freedom. What we gain far outweighs what we lose. #best_birds_of_ig #best_birds_of_instagram #wildlifeaddicts #exclusive_wildlife #wildplanet #birdswatching #majestic_wildlife_ #animal_sultans #wildlife_perfection #capturethewild #wildlife_vision #animalfanatics #birdyourworld #birdsmagazine #raw_animals #naturegrampixels #lesserblackbackedgull #larusfuscus #oceanwaves #catchawave #noattachments #birdsinflight #flyingbirds #choices #beautifulmoments #seabirds #gulls #seagull #jonathanlivingstonseagull #marthasvineyard (at Martha's Vineyard) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmWn3zBuLoK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

What I like about sparrows is that if you really want to know them you have to look closely. With the same general size, shape and coloration, at a glance a small brownish bird in a bush doesn't look a whole lot different than any another. Optics make a huge difference in one's appreciation for all the different birds we see. Be it through binoculars or a camera, when a bird becomes larger than life, or frozen in time, it becomes unique to the observer. This Field Sparrow is a small in the frame, what was your first impression? Little brown bird? Now go back to the image and enlarge it... That's what gets people hooked! Personally, I don't go anywhere without my binoculars somewhere nearby. #fieldsparrow #spizellapusilla #dontleavehomewithoutit #birdoftheday #birdwatching #all_mighty_birds #birdwatchers #birdstagram #birdlife #birding #birders #birdportraits #wildbirds #birdpics #natgeobirds #ornithology #birdspotting #birderslife #birdyourworld #igbirds #conservationphotography #thewildlifebiologist #conservation #birdconservation #sparrowappreciationsociety (at Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl7XTMirk_2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

americasgreatoutdoors

Happy birthday, Arches National Park! This red-rock wonderland is home to over 2,000 natural stone arches – in addition to hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins and giant balanced rocks. You’ll be amazed by the park’s world-famous landscape, including Delicate Arch pictured here. Photo courtesy of Duane Jurma.

drawingfromnature-blog

I have always wanted to visit Arches, looks like this year would be a great year to do that!

#Nationalparks

The Lone Dunlin. This stark image was taken back in May yet the quality of of light makes the bird appear as if it is caught in a December snow field. Somehow it accentuates the fact that the bird is all alone, seemingly abandoned by the flock. He hunts in the shallows, and the only company he keeps is that of his own reflection staring back at him from below. To me it shows that the arduous journey of migration, while often undertaken as a group effort, reaches a point when it becomes an utterly individual battle every bird must fight. This Dunlin, holding a small crustacean in its bill, seemed to be thriving in this tidal flat, and I am sure found its way to greener pastures. (at Mass Audubon Allens Pond)

The secretive Brown Thrasher will always carry with it an air of mystery in my mind. It likes to skulk in the dense underbrush where its color pattern serves to render it nearly invisible. Yet, in the spring it cannot resist to sing from the top of the tallest trees, where it will mimic the songs of all the other birds around it. However, more often it is heard and not seen. I first saw this individual as a dark shape, low to the ground in a thicket. The glimpse I had was enough to tell me it was a Thrasher, which set my heart thumping, but I lost the bird as I drew closer. I looked at every angle but couldn't find it. Finally I gave up and walked away. I got about 50 meters when from behind me I heard it start to sing, clear and strong, repeating phrases twice over. I turned and there it was at the top of a tree right next to the thicket I had searched! If you have ever wondered if it is worth learning bird songs, this is a perfect example of why you might want to give it a go. As photographers we spend most of our time searching out photos with our eyes, but it was my ears that got me this image 📸 (at Demarest Lloyd State Park)

This dapper duck is known as a Pochard. The Dutch call it Tafeleend, which means table duck, so I imagine it was on a lot of menus at one time. Hopefully that is no longer the case, since it's population has been declining rapidly, at a rate of 30-49% (IUCN data) over the past two decades. It is now officially listed as Vulnerable species, so while sightings like this are not quite uncommon, they could be heading down that road if proper measures aren't taken to protect their habitat and pollution from agricultural runoff isn't dealt with. (at Graft-De Rijp)

I have watched Brant geese have become increasingly common over the past decade in the Buzzards Bay area of New England. It wasn't always this way, in the 1930's a wasting disease virtually wiped out Eelgrass (a main food source for Brant) in the North Atlantic. Brant populations decreased but they survived by adapting their diet to other grasses. Today they enjoy being a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to the eventual recovery of Eelgrass, a process that took over 30 years! Even so, Biologists are still working to isolate the pathogen and Eelgrass populations are closely monitored as disease related dieoffs still occur. (at Seapowet Beach)

When Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring the Osprey was in very real danger. The widespread use of the pesticide know as DDT had leached through the soil and into the waterways. Along with the Bald Eagle and Peregrine Falcon, these top predators were the hardest hit. The pesticide became concentrated in the fish they ate and caused the shells of their eggs to become so soft they would crack and break during incubation. The road to recovery for the Osprey all started with words of one writer and her belief that conservation matters. If not for Rachel Carson, pictures like these could not be taken today. We all have our moments of inspiration, and with limited energy we choose our causes carefully, this is mine. Wild is worth fighting for. (at Bourne, Massachusetts)

This Bluethroat taught me a lot about how popular a bird can be in the Netherlands. My usually deserted local bird sanctuary (Kerkemeertje) became a hotspot for photographers. Cars lined the road near it's favorite perch, with huge 600mm - 800mm lenses popping out of their windows. And here I was thinking I was the only one in this country nutty about bird photography! It was great to discover that there was a whole community of enthusiasts right in my own backyard. They were smart too, by using their cars as a blind they were able to get closer to the Bluethroat than I ever could on my bike. After several days of not being able to get a decent shot an idea came to me. Thinking of the advantage the cars had, I tried to improvise. I threw my jacket over my bike, crouched down behind it and waited. The lesson here: work with what you got. ________________________________ Blauwborst Kerkemeertje, Graft NL April 2017 (at Graft)

The clear, highly resonating call of the Cedar Waxwing is often the first indicator of this birds presence. That's assuming your ears are still able to pick up the frequency! For me, the sound of a flock of Waxwings always gives me a rush of excitement because I know I am about to get a chance to see one of New England's most beautiful songbirds. As a child in Pennsylvania I would spend lazy summer afternoons floating on an innertube in the Allegheny River. I would watch them hawk insects over the water like fighter jets out on maneuvers. Whenever I hear them I am brought back in time... I'm a kid again, free without a care in the world, the air is fresh and clean, and the water is crisp and cool. I am surrounded by rolling hills and a forest of old-growth hemlock trees that I'm allowed to explore to my hearts content, because my Dad has taught me that the river will always take me home. Little did he know that the sound Waxwings would someday do that too. (at Barney's Joy Beach)

A common, conspicuous and often cantankerous inhabitant of the Netherlands waterways, the Eurasian Coot carries on it's head a very specialized adornment. Known as the "frontal shield" the fleshy protuberance that extends onto it's forehead from the upper mandible has several purposes. Shields swell during the breeding season and are most prominent in dominant birds with best territories. Territorial disputes are often all out brawls, and I have seen many a Coot with battle scars on their shield. Shields are displayed in courtship and each shield is individually distinct, so once a pair has bonded each can recognize the other based solely on the shape. The next time you see a few Coots, take a closer look and see if you can figure out who's the boss! (at Eilandspolder)

A female Alcorn Blue Butterfly oviposits on Heather, beginning a most interesting life cycle... Once the egg hatches and the caterpillar abandons its host plant, it will fall to the ground emitting a chemical that mimics the smell of an ant larvae. When found by working ants, they take the caterpillar back to their nest where they will feed and defend it as if it were one of their very own. The caterpillar is even able to mimic the sound of larvae ants begging for food! In two years the caterpillar will pupate, with the ants taking care of it all the while, until it emerges as an adult butterfly and leaves the nest to start the mystifying cycle over again. (at Staatsbosbeheer Schoorlse Duinen)

"Purple haze... Excuse me while I kiss the sky." This is what happens when you edit your pictures while listening to Jimi Hendrix! I don't often take artistic liberty with my photography but I finally got out last week to see some Heather in bloom and I am still seeing purple... (at Staatsbosbeheer Schoorlse Duinen)

On sunny days cold blooded creatures are often attracted to the warmth of roads and bike paths. Unfortunately this often leads to high mortality rates. I found this Slow Worm sunning itself on a bike path. Judging by the smile on its face it wasn't too worried about the traffic! In Dutch it is called a Hazelworm however it is not a worm, nor is it a snake. It is a legless lizard. Having lost their legs long ago through evolution, they appear quite snake like yet they retain two key features that make them lizards. They have ear openings and eyelids. So if you ever see a snake that winks at you, think twice 😉 (at Nationale Park De Hoge Veluwe)

Kerkemeertje is a property owned by Landschap Noord-Holland, an excellent, local conservation organization. It is a wonderful place to bird, bike and take photographs. It's name roughly translates as "church by the small lake" and as you can see by the picture, it is appropriately named. Unlike the village where the church is located, the lovely Driehuizen "Three houses". Somebody should do an updated census there because they have way more than three houses! I have yet to visit the villages of Vijfhuizen and Zevenhuizen... and I here there is a village called Huizen, which ended up with so many houses they decided to stop counting! 🏘 🏡 (at Driehuizen, Noord-Holland, Netherlands)

To observe the male Chaffinch is to observe the beauty of soft tones and pastel purity. Soft grays and muted reds help it to blend into the forest floor where it often feeds. Here one alights on the trunk of a pine and gives it's characteristic "vink" call (after which the Dutch have named it) to which a nearby female responds. In a second he takes off in her direction and is by her side. After all, she's the boss! (at Nationale Park De Hoge Veluwe)

The family Corvidae is largely believed to be one of the most intelligent bird families on the planet and is well represented here in the Netherlands. This Corvid, perched like a sentinel on an aging fence row, overlooks it's surroundings taking in every detail it needs just to survive. The Carrion Crow is as much a part of the dutch landscape as the sheep and cattle it shares the Polders with. The canals form a maze that leads to windmill standing motionless in the hazy distance. A pair White Wagtails twitter along the path nearby, and a Marsh Harrier takes liltingly to the sky. Make no mistake, the Crow is just as aware of all of this as I am. Perhaps even more so, for this is it's home and I am merely a visitor. He hears the snap of the shutter on my camera. A single snap. Only to check and adjust my settings. I look down at the viewfinder to check the results then look up. Like a shadow in the sun... it is gone. (at Graft)

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The art of living with nature and the modern world