Biomimicry Conference

Yesterday was an arduous journey to Seeley Lake for a program with the Biomimicry Institute. My friend Nancy Brown drove with her sister up front, me in back with the birds and should have been an hour and a half drive. Instead - a fatal car wreck between Florence and Missoula, crawling along, then terrible traffic, then road construction, stopped for 20 minutes, then bridge out, detour for 20 more minutes. I was way off to start with in the Powerpoint, but came around and the birds were brilliant: Sib, Sonora, Little Billie and Portia. Saints all. Two slides from the program and Brown's Greenhouse Rules! They will be open for another month here in Florence, the best plants ever and and check them out:

Woodpile Doggies

 

Muskrat for Dinner

 Not much left of it, but surely a big muskrat looking at that tail!

Chief Charlo Elementary Excursion

Forth grade kids here then down to Lee Metcalf NWR to see the waterfowl...and owls! Mr. Cashman is our favorite teacher. Okay, a few more but years and years of fun.

Nice Stick, Dude!

 

Past PGB Hosts

The Bill Harley concert yesterday afternoon and I got to sit with the past Pea Green Boat Children's programming skippers,! On the left, Germaine Conrad started the show 50 years ago with Jazz Sessions host Terry Conrad, FIFTY YEARS! Then Marcia Dunn for 23 years, Annie Garde just retired. 100 Raptors programs on Thursdays (mostly) an hour of live birds on the FM dial! Happy Birthday Marcia and I handed her a "Birds Are People, Too" book with Bill Harley's wonderful review on the back cover -"it's a riot."

Travelers' Rest State Park, Lolo

Tomorrow, Saturday a return to our favorite park. I'll mix it up a bit and talk about the history of falconry with Sib and Sonora, and do the TED Talk with Jillian and Little Billy. This time they are limiting the number of attendees (as we broke records...and fire codes last time.) Free starting at 12 pm, and reserve a spot.

That is a Mountain Lion that I mounted that resided on my Mom's piano for 20 years plus.

Yesterday!

Briefly four Ospreys flying together, then three yesterday. The ring of feathers like a "necklace" usually indicates female, looks like two here. And a male kestrel hunting on a utility wire. And "our" Bald Eagles, the 3 chicks very camera-shy and the nest increasingly hidden by cottonwoods as they leaf out, oh well.

Woodduck Feeder

We had 10 of these at the feeder today!

 

Mose Rocks!

 

New Etching

The latest drypoint etching and what an experiment (again.) Inspired by a female hummingbird in the yard, this Rufous is painted with iridescent gouache paint on the rufous and green. It glows! And some weird background colors that seem to fit a hummingbird. 12 by 9 inches, hot off the press (in the office) and now on the wall, and painting the edition of 5.

One Year Today

May 4th and knee surgery last year was the worst experience of my life. Sick for months, the pain has taken over so that I am awakened several times a night. Next week I'll see if another surgery can fix this, knee popping and limping, pain and no fun. AND is this eagle close enough, full frame shot? All the action as I was heading home!

Enough Eagle Photos?