Linda

Ann Arbor, Michigan has a massive amount of crows that come to roost in the evening of the cooler months.  It's quite a sight to see!  They completely fill the air.  Then, at night walking around, you just look up and see the trees are completely filled with them.  This is why I am taking this course, to learn more about these birds that are so prevalent here.  The local Audubon society, when they do bird counts, have one person to count just the crows. Ravens are not in southern Michigan, but can be easily found farther up north.

The sketch below shows the trials of nesting season.  A pair of redwing blackbirds have a nest in the lake grass along the shoreline.  I constantly see one of the blackbirds, male I'm assuming, chasing a crow away.  The crow keeps coming back and the blackbird has to expend so much energy chasing the crow! Then one morning, there was a turkey vulture there.  I wondered if the eggs or hatchlings were destroyed.  But the little blackbird chased away this huge vulture.  The vulture did not come back but the crow is around.  Daily, for over a week, the blackbird chases the crow.  I wonder if any survived in the nest, and if not, whether another clutch of eggs was laid.  There is still something there to protect.

Below is my submission.  A bit messy for a first try but it was a very enjoyable experience.  It took 3 tries - the first two times were too noisy with human activities - leaf blowers, chain saws, etc.  Grrr...  When I first sat down the third time on the dock at the lake (across the street from my home), there only seemed a tiny bit of activity.  But soon enough, I saw there was lots going on.  From tiny winged bugs of some sort, to a large vulture flying overhead.  And I was very surprised to see a huge snake curled up in the lake grass quite near me.  Didn't even notice it at first.  I think it's a rat snake.  I look forward to being better at identifying what I am seeing.  Most of the birds I did know.  We're lucky in this part of Michigan to have sandhill cranes.  They were calling out while I was sitting there.  A very fun time!

The picture actually looks better on paper than in the photo.  But I hope to get better with detail and proportion.  The good thing is, that by doing this sketch, I'll be looking at more detail the next time I spot a yellow warbler.  This actually came out better than I expected!