#reductionrelief

[rayleeschobel]

Ectopisted migratorius

Reduction relief print for Patreon members February 2025

"The Passenger Pigeon, Ectopistes migratorius, was a species of pigeon that once flooded the skies of eastern North America. They were named for their migratory habits both in the common name and Latin; their latin name, Ectopistes migratories, translating roughly to "migratory wanderer". They migrated in enormous flocks, constantly on the search for food, shelter, and breeding grounds. They once numbered between 3 and 5 billion, and were the most abundant bird in North America, possibly on Earth. The noise produced by flocks of passenger pigeons was described as deafening and unmusical, able to be heard from miles away.

More than 130 Passenger Pigeon fossils have been found across 25 US states, with some dating as far back as 100,000 years ago in the Pleistocene Era. Evidence suggests that the Passenger Pigeon's range extended much further west than it did in modernity, but it's impossible to know their abundance in this region and time.

While always hunted by Native Americans, it wasn't until Europeans arrived in North America that the populations of Passenger Pigeons began to plummet. Due to their large numbers, the pigeons became known as a cheap food source, resulting in hunting on a massive scale for many decades. Widespread deforestation and shrinkage of large breeding populations added additional stressors on the species, and the populations slowly declined between 1800 and 1870. Between 1870 and 1890, the population dropped dramatically. The species nested in large communal nesting grounds, and hunters would often target these locations for killing. The last large nesting was in Petoskey, Michigan in 1878, where 50,000 birds were killed daily over a span of 5 months. The nesting attempt was a failure, and a second attempt by the remnants of that population were slaughtered by professional hunters before they had the chance to raise any young. After 1897, only small groups or individual birds were seen, and most often were shot on sight. The last confirmed wild bird was shot in Illinois in 1901. The combination of hunting and deforestation has been referred to a "Blitzkrieg" against the Passenger Pigeon, and it has been labeled one of the greatest and most senseless human-induced extinctions in history.

The very last living Passenger Pigeon was called Martha. She was a resident at the Cincinnati Zoo until her passing in the afternoon of September 1st, 1914. It's widely accepted that she died at about 29 years old."

[rayleeschobel]

Sketch → layer one → layer two

[rayleeschobel]

Psittacula wardi

Reduction relief print for Patreon members March 2025

"The Seychelles Parakeet, Psittacula wardi, is an extinct species of parakeet that was endemic to the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. The species name, wardi, is named for British ornithologist Edward Newton, who procured the specimen that were used to first describe the bird in 1867. Only one description from life was ever made of the bird, by artist Marianne North in 1883.

Little is known about the behavior of the Seychelles Parakeet, but it's assumed that they acted very similar to their closest relative, the Alexandrine Parakeet, which live in groups and daily take flights between their nesting grounds and feeding areas. The few descriptions of Seychelles Parakeets mention that they were unimpressive in attempts at mimicry, and that they were notably "stupid." Their "stupidity" is most likely a product of island tameness, a tendency for species living on islands to lose their weariness of predators due to seclusion from mainland.

When the Seychelles Islands were first described in 1609, they were covered in thick forests and inhabited only by animals. The islands were settled by the French in 1768 and subsequently deforested. Seychelles Parakeets adapted well to cleared and cultivated areas and often ate fruit and maize grown for human consumption, and perceived damage to crops brought persecution to the species. The Seychelles Parakeet was noted as abundant in 1811, but by 1867, it was much rarer. The last confirmed individual was shot in 1893 by an American explorer, and none could be found when a search was conducted in 1906 by British ornithologist Michael John Nicoll. Some people believed that the species survived in the islet of Silhouette until the 1930s, but ornithologist Allen Hume was convinced that they were likely extinct by 1906. Joseph Forshaw, an Australian ornithologist, supposes that the species disappeared sometime between when the last specimen was collected in 1893 and Nicoll's 1906 visit."

[rayleeschobel]

I finally pulled the last layer of this big reduction print I’ve been working on for months! The edition was made for a super cool collaboration I’m doing with Texas Parks and Wildlife. The full unveiling of the piece isn’t until November, but here’s a little crop of a baby oystercatcher to satisfy my need to post about it ;)

[rayleeschobel]

This might be on its way to being my favorite stamp print so far. There are already 6 layers of color down, and I think I have 2-3 more until I can call it finished! The background is all done, and now it’s time for the dark gray feathers for the Hoopoe Starling’s wings and tail.

Interested in getting one of these original prints in the mail? Subscribe to my print tier on Patreon before September 1st and you can get one at a super cheap price! Patreon members pay about 2/3 what I charge for these prints to the general public ;)

[rayleeschobel]

Lots of sketching today! I’m getting a late start on my May Patreon print (the Maui nukupu’u) and a relatively on-time start for my June print (Great Auk)!

These sketches are being made into reduction relief prints, so they’re going to be several layers carved and printed from the same linoleum block. All the notes by the sketches are my plans for each color layer and the order I want to print them in :)

[rayleeschobel]

2025 Patreon Print Recap: Passenger Pigeon

Ectopistes migratorius

Reduction relief print for Patreon members February 2025

"The Passenger Pigeon, Ectopistes migratorius, was a species of pigeon that once flooded the skies of eastern North America. They were named for their migratory habits both in the common name and Latin; their latin name, Ectopistes migratories, translating roughly to "migratory wanderer". They migrated in enormous flocks, constantly on the search for food, shelter, and breeding grounds. They once numbered between 3 and 5 billion, and were the most abundant bird in North America, possibly on Earth. The noise produced by flocks of passenger pigeons was described as deafening and unmusical, able to be heard from miles away.

More than 130 Passenger Pigeon fossils have been found across 25 US states, with some dating as far back as 100,000 years ago in the Pleistocene Era. Evidence suggests that the Passenger Pigeon's range extended much further west than it did in modernity, but it's impossible to know their abundance in this region and time.

While always hunted by Native Americans, it wasn't until Europeans arrived in North America that the populations of Passenger Pigeons began to plummet. Due to their large numbers, the pigeons became known as a cheap food source, resulting in hunting on a massive scale for many decades. Widespread deforestation and shrinkage of large breeding populations added additional stressors on the species, and the populations slowly declined between 1800 and 1870. Between 1870 and 1890, the population dropped dramatically. The species nested in large communal nesting grounds, and hunters would often target these locations for killing. The last large nesting was in Petoskey, Michigan in 1878, where 50,000 birds were killed daily over a span of 5 months. The nesting attempt was a failure, and a second attempt by the remnants of that population were slaughtered by professional hunters before they had the chance to raise any young. After 1897, only small groups or individual birds were seen, and most often were shot on sight. The last confirmed wild bird was shot in Illinois in 1901. The combination of hunting and deforestation has been referred to a "Blitzkrieg" against the Passenger Pigeon, and it has been labeled one of the greatest and most senseless human-induced extinctions in history.

The very last living Passenger Pigeon was called Martha. She was a resident at the Cincinnati Zoo until her passing in the afternoon of September 1st, 1914. It's widely accepted that she died at about 29 years old.

[rayleeschobel]

2025 Patreon Print Recap 3/12: Seychelles Parakeet

Psittacula wardi

Reduction relief print for Patreon members March 2025

The Seychelles Parakeet, Psittacula wardi, is an extinct species of parakeet that was endemic to the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. The species name, wardi, is named for British ornithologist Edward Newton, who procured the specimen that were used to first describe the bird in 1867. Only one description from life was ever made of the bird, by artist Marianne North in 1883.

Little is known about the behavior of the Seychelles Parakeet, but it's assumed that they acted very similar to their closest relative, the Alexandrine Parakeet, which live in groups and daily take flights between their nesting grounds and feeding areas. The few descriptions of Seychelles Parakeets mention that they were unimpressive in attempts at mimicry, and that they were notably "stupid." Their "stupidity" is most likely a product of island tameness, a tendency for species living on islands to lose their weariness of predators due to seclusion from mainland.

When the Seychelles Islands were first described in 1609, they were covered in thick forests and inhabited only by animals. The islands were settled by the French in 1768 and subsequently deforested. Seychelles Parakeets adapted well to cleared and cultivated areas and often ate fruit and maize grown for human consumption, and perceived damage to crops brought persecution to the species. The Seychelles Parakeet was noted as abundant in 1811, but by 1867, it was much rarer. The last confirmed individual was shot in 1893 by an American explorer, and none could be found when a search was conducted in 1906 by British ornithologist Michael John Nicoll. Some people believed that the species survived in the islet of Silhouette until the 1930s, but ornithologist Allen Hume was convinced that they were likely extinct by 1906. Joseph Forshaw, an Australian ornithologist, supposes that the species disappeared sometime between when the last specimen was collected in 1893 and Nicoll's 1906 visit.