Sunday, January 27, 2013

Can't photograph Pi

I'm not sure why I checked my email just before I walked out the door at work at 3:00; it was fortunate that I did since there was news that Tim had found a Varied Thrush at the Whirlpool cherry trees.  I drove straight over (obviously sans the camera).  The next county lifer would make 314 (= Pi) for me.  After about an hour and a half the bird re-appeared in the sleet.  Without the camera it was back to the bad ol days of sketching an unusual bird.  I added a little color on the computer...
The face and cap isn't dark enough, the breast band is too blue, the body is way too bright of blue, and it was just too far with bins to really figure out what the pattern in the wings was that was causing a more chevron'ed appearance.  I forgot to note the bill color.  Somehow the shape is way off, the neck should be thinner and the back shouldn't grow straight into the back of the head.  While I was watching it the bird held the tail above the level of the wing tips, different from the robins.  Here's the unedited sketch:
Security there isn't always consistent.  I've encountered them at night while unsuccessfully owling and received the usual permissive bemusion that a person typically encounters with various security and police forces.  When I was there for the Bohemian Waxwings a few years ago the attitude was more of a barely restrained hostility.  Today the representative talked to the other car of birders and then returned about 20 minutes later after consulting with his supervisor saying it was ok for today as long as people were gone by 5pm.  Who knows.  If all the snow melts it may be academic anyway since the bird probably won't be coming in to the ornamentals if has access to a natural food source.

Hopefully weather will permit some time at Tiscornia in the morning.

No comments: