#rex brasher

[antiqueanimals]

love this blog so much! do you have any ospreys?

Chris Forrest, Osprey, 1980

Allen W. Seaby, circa 1918

Rex Brasher, 1931

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A Dabbler’s Feathursday

A couple of weeks ago we brought a few of the diving ducks that we often see here in Wisconsin. This week we present a few of the Anatinae or dabbling ducks that are common to our neck of the woods, marshes, rivers, and lakes. Dabblers are ducks that dip their heads and front parts of their body under the water to access food near the surface. This is opposed to divers that will submerge their whole body and dive for food. Once again, our examples come from Rex Brasher’s massive, limited-edition, 12-volume set Birds and Trees of North America, self-published in Kent, Connecticut, between 1929 and 1932, containing thousands of hand-colored reproductions of Brasher’s paintings!

From top to bottom, they are:

1.) Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), two details and full print: Perhaps our most common North American duck, Mallards are aptly described by Rex Brasher as "The tamest, hardiest, most social and important Duck in the world -- a full biography in one sentence. Mallards will eat nearly every kind of food. . . . Courageous, self-reliant and altogether capable . . . not the least of their virtues is that they eat mosquito larva -- May their tribe never decrease!” 2.) Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors), detail and full print: One of the smaller dabblers, Blue-winged Teals of both sexes are distinguished by their sky-blue wing coverts. They are among our favorites to see at Wisconsin's Horicon Marsh. 3.) Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata), two details and full print: These fellows are unmistakable due to their large spatulate bill, equipped with well-developed lamellae – small, comb-like structures on the edge of the bill that act like sieves as the bird swings its bill from side to side to strain food from the water. 4.) Wood Duck (Aix sponsa), full print and detail: Wood Ducks are Wisconsin’s most colorful waterfowl species. The drake is decorated with green, blue, red, purple, white, and orange hues. Aptly named, the Wood Duck has specialized foot adaptations for perching and they are are “cavity” nesters, preferring to nest in tree cavities left by tree disease, rot, squirrels, etc.

Find out more about Rex Brasher’s work, and/or view other posts from this set.

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A Grosbeak Feathursday

We continue our tour of the Cardinalidae we began last week with the Grosbeaks! While the eponymous bird of this family, the Northern Cardinal, is not technically a grosbeak, we think that beautiful beak of theirs qualifies for inclusion here. These images are once again from Rex Brasher’s massive, limited-edition, 12-volume set Birds and Trees of North America, self-published in Kent, Connecticut, between 1929 and 1932, containing thousands of hand-colored reproductions of Brasher’s paintings. 

Besides the plate of the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) (both detail and full print), our other grosbeaks, from top to bottom, are:

Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus) Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea)

Some of you might ask, “where’s the Evening Grosbeak (Hesperiphona vespertina)?” The Evening Grosbeak is actually not in the Cardinal family, it’s really a finch (Fringillidae). Even among the birds shown here, only the Rose-breasted and Black-headed are true grosbeaks; the Northern Cardinal and Pyrrhuloxia are cardinals and the Blue Grosbeak is a bunting. All, however, are in the family Cardinalidae.

In his idiosyncratic style, Rex Brasher begins his section on Cardinalidae with an original poem about his first encounter with the Cardinal:

Gray sky and grayer woodland, Night was nearly here. Not a sound from frozen fairies, Nor the step of deer.

Then -- Redbirds from the dark Entry of a tree! Lit in hemlocks near me And whistled merrily.

Find out more about Rex Brasher’s work, and/or view other posts from this set.

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A Spring Swallow Feathursday

You know spring has truly arrived in Milwaukee when the swallows begin to make their appearance, and we happened to see a few Tree Swallows flitting about Lake Park a few blocks from campus yesterday. Seems a bit early, but they do begin to arrive in mid to late April. So to celebrate this harbinger of milder weather, we are showing all the swallows common to our city in plates from Rex Brasher’s massive, limited-edition, 12-volume set Birds and Trees of North America, self-published in Kent, Connecticut, between 1929 and 1932, containing thousands of hand-colored reproductions of Brasher’s paintings!

From top to bottom, we present:

1.) Purple Martin (Progne subis), detail and full plate. This is the largest of the swallows in North America and they’re a truly majestic bird to watch in flight. 2.) Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota), full plate only. This social swallow builds its homes in communities in the bluffs along Lake Michigan, in high banks along the Milwaukee River, and under the bridges that cross it. 3.) Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), detail and full plate. There aren't that many barns in the Milwaukee area, yet we still see our fair share of barn swallows in our public parks and open spaces, which Milwaukee is well-known for. 4.) Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor), detail and full plate. This is the swallow we tend to see the most of in the open spaces near campus. 5.) Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia), full plate only. In summer, we find these little guys flitting up and down the Milwaukee River just west of campus. 6.) Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis), full plate only. We've never identified them ourselves, but local birders tell us they are fairly common at Lake Park. Perhaps we just confuse them with other species, as we are told they sometimes associate with Bank Swallows which are somewhat similar.

Find out more about Rex Brasher’s work, and/or view other posts from this set.

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A Colorful Feathursday

BUNTINGS!!

We thought that with all the snowy whiteness that has hit most of the U.S. (which is lovely in itself), we’d bring some color to our #Feathursday with a splash of New World Buntings (genus Passerina) from Rex Brasher’s massive, limited-edition, 12-volume set Birds and Trees of North America, self-published in Kent, Connecticut, between 1929 and 1932, containing thousands of hand-colored reproductions of Brasher’s paintings.

New World Buntings, which are not closely related to Old World Buntings, are in the family Cardinalidae, which also includes Cardinals, Tanagers, and Grosbeaks. Shown here from top to bottom:

Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) (detail and full print): Nicknamed the nonpareil bunting because some consider this bird the most beautiful in North America. We take exception to that; we just think it’s the most colorful. Found mainly in the southern states, despite its ostentatious coloring, the Painted Bunting is notoriously hard to spot.

Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) (detail only): This blue boy can be found throughout most of the U.S. except the mountain and Pacific states.

Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena) (detail and full print): Mainly a bird of the Western states, its coloration can make it easily confused with the Western or Eastern Bluebird, but it is smaller and has white wing bars.

Varied Bunting (Passerina versicolor) (detail and full print): Mainly a Mexican bird, significant populations can be found in the U.S. along the Mexican border.

Find out more about Rex Brasher’s work, and/or view other posts from this set.

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A Merganser Feathursday

All three species of these cylindrical-hooked-billed, saw-toothed Anatidae are common sights here in Wisconsin. Their pointed, straight-lined flight and their aquiline profiles easily distinguish them from other ducks. Again, these images are from Rex Brasher’s massive, limited-edition, 12-volume set Birds and Trees of North America, self-published in Kent, Connecticut, between 1929 and 1932, containing thousands of hand-colored reproductions of Brasher’s paintings.

Brasher offers this typically idiosyncratic observation of a group of common Mergansers:

They preened awhile after breakfast, sitting on the ice edge. Suddenly the two females slid overboard and assumed the coquette role. After them tumbled the three gallants, all green, white, soft salmon pink with carmine feet and bills, swimming usually in a line or buried in splashing foam -- which seemed to interest the ladies not in the least. A picture of glowing color and virile action which a fortunate onlooker never will forget. Then they rose with back-flung feet tatooing in the whitened water and disappeared around the bend. Yes, the actual show was over but the memory -- not until the West calls!

Shown here from top to bottom:

1.) Common Merganser (Mergus merganser), detail and full print. They are common across North America and Eurasia, where it is called the Goosanger. 2.) Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator), detail and full print. These certainly pass through Wisconsin, but we have to go to the far northwoods and the UP to observe breeding birds. This merganser is the fastest duck ever recorded at 100 mph. 3.) Courting Red-breasted Mergansers, detail and full print. 4.) Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus), detail and full print. While the other two mergansers are in the genus Mergus, the Hooded Merganser is the only extant species in the genus Lophodytes. A quick glance might confuse it with the Bufflehead, but then its splayed hood and narrow, pointed beak immediately distinguishes it from its distant duck cousin.

Find out more about Rex Brasher’s work, and/or view other posts from this set.

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A Feathursday of Ibises and Spoonbills

This week we present some North American species in the family Threskiornithidae of Ibises and Spoonbills. Once again, these long-legged wading birds are from Rex Brasher’s massive, limited-edition, 12-volume set Birds and Trees of North America, self-published in Kent, Connecticut, between 1929 and 1932, containing thousands of hand-colored reproductions of Brasher’s paintings.

The American White Ibis is in the genus Eudocimus, the White-faced and Glossy Ibises are in the genus Plegadis, and the Roseate Spoonbill is in the genus  Platalea. From top to bottom:

American White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), detail and full print. Found from Virginia to Florida and all along the Gulf coast. White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi), detail and full print. Found mainly west of the Mississippi and down through Mexico. Glossy Ibis  (Plegadis falcinellus), full print only. The scientific name derives from Ancient Greek plegados and Latin, falcis, both meaning "sickle" referring to the distinctive Ibis bill. Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), full print and detail. Found mainly in southern Florida and along some parts of the Gulf coast, Spoonbills are gregarious and associate with Ibises, frequently nesting in company. Like the American Flamingo, their pink color is diet-driven.

Find out more about Rex Brasher’s work, and/or view other posts from this set.

View more Feathursday posts.