Our friend Renee Taaffe came by the Raptor Ranch to choose an art piece to include for the traveling Art Mobile of Montana, and she chose "Peregrine Cliff Redux." My etching will join 21 other works by contemporary Montana artists for the Art Mobile, 2- and 3- dimensional pieces. Renee is the teaching artist and hits the road in October, visiting more than 50 schools across the state. Glad our Peregrine will be on board!
A sneak peek of my presentation today , and two Sandhill Cranes hanging in front of the house.
Tomorrow is our big day on the east cost...via ZOOM Webinar! Our friend Paul Roberts had me as a speaker ten years ago and asked that I return for the 50th Anniversary Celebration. Instead, by computer and I have a nice PowerPoint, then joined by Sibley and Owen. Raptor Lovers far and wide!
Ian at our display at Missoula's Book Exchange right when you walk in. Our Falcons of North America Second Edition was the featured Book-of-the-Month, and I just signed a bunch yesterday. I also have a box in my car!
Our young Bald Eagle, presumably one from the nest across the river, is always around here somewhere, and no, we don't feed her.
What a day at Seeley Lake yesterday, another visit to the Double Arrow Homestead Pavilion with Alpine Artistry, Sibley's third trip there. She did a flight display for the audience about 10 years ago, this time with Maizee, Owen and Simon, all on their best behavior. It was outdoors, a big line for book signings and a couple hundred people all told, including my assistant, sister Betsy. The last one of these for a while, COVID cautious, the Bird Of Prey Festival in Kalispell cancelled.
See you tomorrow at Seeley Lake, falcons, owls and books! Starting at 1 pm at the Double Arrow Homestead Pavilion, signs directing you from town. Psyched! And an Osprey from last night....
What fun yesterday, spinning jazz discs for two hours in Montana Public Radio with Jon Jackson, a walking encyclopedia of musical knowledge (and cuisine- "The Food Guys" with Greg Patent.) We even jammed to the 15 minute-plus Gil Evans classic, la Nevada, a record Jon said he'd listened to about a couple thousand times, or something like that. Right at the end I found a Radiohead CD that had been lost for months, hiding in the Pat Martino case. I told Jon that I loved jazz and Radiohead, and he announced, "I love Radio." HA!
I will be back hosting Jazz Sessions on Montana Public Radio, this time with my absolute hero Jon Jackson! Thursday, 2-4 pm MST. Left of the FM dial at 89.1 in Missoula and streaming live across the planet at MTPR.org. Maizee is helping me choose the CD's we will feature - Monk, Brubeck, Ahmad Jamal, Weather Report, Freddie Hubbard, Jimmy Smith, Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino, ..lots of live recordings and we usually "wing it."
Hey Sonora! Could you please imitate that Bald Eagle/Kestrel photograph for us?
Great, thanks.
I am now out of wall space, Sonora on the door perch alerts me. The big White Gyrfalcon is a print by Richard Sloan, 1977, love it.
Today Maizee caught her first quarry. A grasshopper flew in the car - nailed, engulfed and devoured. Two tufts of down remain on her head and flight training begins.
A natural, Maizee's first ever Pea Green Boat on Montana Public Radio, host Annie Garde's pal already. She recalled having Sibley in a laundry basket in the studio when she was first starting as PGBoat Skipper. Eighteen years ago!
Maizee had her very first program yesterday at Ninemile Community Center, packed 'em in there after a rain storm so inside and standing room only! She and Sibley, Owen and Simon were the stars. So tomorrow her debut is on the Pea Green Boat, Montana Public Radio and Skipper Annie Garde, 4 pm MST - 89.1 FM in Missoula, left of the FM dial and on mtpr.org around the globe.
Flies Away,
And see you at Nine Mile Community Center at 2 pm tomorrow (Sunday) for a Raptors of the Rockies program! Everyone is welcome, books for sale
A week ago our friend and neighbor Allan Foss delivered this young Red-tail that was stuck in his fence, and what was crazy was what has hanging from her mouth. She was choking on a desiccated Columbian Ground squirrel skin, lodged way in her throat and hanging down 12 inches! She had maggots forming at the gape and was starving, so it had been a while. I ended up cutting it off far back in her mouth and hoped that peristalsis would work its magic. She had the most awkward posture I've ever seen (check it out) for days, but eating that evening, digestion eventually fine, fattened up and released this morning at Allan's. Bye-bye and don't do that again; an example of the reason for 65% mortality in first year raptors.
Maizee spent her first night out in her enclosure instead of the playpen, so scrub and vacuum day. I say day because that seems like how long it took!
Join us at Nine Mile Community Center on Sunday at 2 pm for her Debut! Along with Sib and two owls.
My new print, Sibley the Peregrine on a cliff in the Blackfoot River. 13" x 9 1/2" etching on plastic, printed with the blue sky rolled in with brayers. Then painted with gouache paint and Arteza Brush Pens. "Peregrine Cliff Redux" and plan on an edition of 8. Always do 8 for some reason.
Maizee has lost nearly all of her down feathers...all over the house. Where I shake out her blankets from the playpens, the lawn looks like we had snow flurries.
She will join us a week from today at Nine Mile Community Center for her first program!
Posts
All Comments
