Rain, rain and more rain - Maree

 

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

It has been raining solidly, every day, for over two weeks now and the landscape is saturated with water, forming large pans of water everywhere. Some days my rain gauge overflows, meaning more than 120mm in just a few hours! My chooks are bedraggled and wet, choosing the safety and dryness of the coop. While all this water is excellent for our ground water tables, it has caused massive flooding and damage in large parts of South Africa. I think we're getting a spin-off from all the ice storms and flooding in the Northern Hemisphere, because this is most unusual weather for us.

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Sketching in Nature

Sketching in Nature, a group on Flickr.

Trying a new way to share our slideshow since Flickr no longer allows embedding in frames.  But...this isn't a slideshow, and not sure how to find what we need...

Black-headed Oriole - Maree

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm 

The Black-headed Oriole (Oriolus larvatus) is a frequent visitor to my garden (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa) and I’m always thrilled to hear his liquid call, upon which I rush out to refill the oranges and apples, which seem to be his favourite fruit.

The Black-headed oriole is common and widespread, occurring throughout sub-Saharan Africa, from East Africa to southern Africa. It is quite adaptable, occupying a variety of habitats, including savannah, woodland, parks, farmland and gardens. It eats a variety of invertebrates, fruit and seeds, often foraging in mixed species flocks in the tree canopy. The nest is a deep cup of woven old-man’s beard strands, moss and grass, placed between stems of a fork in a slender tree branch. It is usually placed between the stems of a fork in a horizontal branch, often far from the main tree trunk, usually 6-9 metres above ground.

Bright yellow in colour with black head and black flight feathers, it has a flesh-coloured beak and grey feet. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Golden Oriole is bright yellow with black wings.

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CUP OF FLOWERS

 

I collected a few spring flowers from my garden, Mimosa, Daffodils, Primroses and Celandine to put in my pretty pottery wine goblet.  Such lovely shades of yellow complementing the mauve glaze on the cup.

Barn owls - Maree

Ink sketch and W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

I've been so lucky this past summer in having the barn owls in our blue gum bush again and I've had plenty of sightings during the day and been thrilled by their screeching at night. I've mostly spotted this one particular pair and I was so hoping to see babies but I have no idea where the nest is.

Barn owls are most commonly monogamous, although several reports of polygamy exist. Pairs typically remain together as long as both individuals live.

Courtship begins with display flights by males which are accompanied by advertising calls and chasing the female. During the chase, both the male and the female screech. The male will also hover with feet dangling in front of the perched female for several seconds; these are known as moth flights.

Copulation occurs every few minutes during the nest site search. Both sexes crouch down in front of each other to solicit copulation. The male mounts the female, grasps her neck, and balances with spread wings. Copulation continues with decreasing frequency throughout incubation and chick rearing.

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Mildred Knaipe Ranch

Mildred Knaipe must have been a grand old gal.  She never married and loved the land she inherited from her father, plus she added a significant amount of acreage.  When she died she asked to be buried in her bib overalls and gave her ranch to the people of Douglas County, where I live.  Her peacocks still run free at the ranch headquarters.  It's a wonderful place to sketch, hike and even ride horseback.

An Impressive Tree

A large bur oak stands in a section of forest where I am fortunate to routinely work. In 1926 a state forester called this tree the "Monarch of the Woods" - I must say I agree!  It is estimated to be nearly 400 years old!  Here are a couple of quick field sketches of the tree.

If you want to read more about the Monarch of the Woods and see current and historical photos please visit www.buroakbotanicals.blogspot.com