Kingfisher Fun

Nice picture, but what are we looking at?


Look! It's our friend Mr. Kingfisher!


Isn't he cute? Well, actually he was more interesting than cute.
I hope everyone gets the opportunity to watch a Kingfisher's antics. I spotted this one above a small lake at Spears Woods. For you locals: From the parking lot, take the black trail to the red, turn left. When the red trail ends take the yellow trail south....only a few yards and you'll see the lake on your right hand side.
Mr. Kingfisher is amazing to watch! First, he perches himself on a tree branch and watches the water. What he is doing is trying to spot fish under the water. Next he flies above the water in one spot and hovers. He really hovers! In one spot! Then, the exciting part.....he dives head first into the water and disappears for a few heart stopping moments. If he's lucky, he flies from beneath the water with a fish! If he's unlucky, he tries again. Lucky for me, cause I get to see it again!

Oh how much fun I had watching this!

Here is the lake he was trying to fish at:


and this is just a really cool picture. Composition rocks, this may become a painting one day!



I love that yellow, whatever you call it, weed or wildflower! Yes, I see a painting in the making!!!

Nature KICKS BUTT!!!
YEAH!

Peek-A-Boo

On this glorious Memorial Day, I decided to take a hike through Spears Woods, part of the Palos Trail System. What a beautiful day! It was supposed to rain all day but I got lucky, no rain, only cloudy skies and 82°F.
Last night we had a thunderstorm with heavy rain for over an hour, so today the forest was filled with a strong earthy aroma, oh how I love that smell!

Anywho....I slightly went "off track" and found this really cool handmade birdhouse. I could appreciate the time it took to spray paint all those polk a dots and attach a wire perch. Very creative! I don't know who made this birdhouse nor who placed it here, I assume it was a restoration club of Spears Woods.

Who lives in here anyway?
I found out......


Why it's a tree swallow STARING RIGHT AT ME!!!
Do you love his white chin and belly? So do I. Even better, he has this metallic blue back that is something to see in person!
This is a zoomed in picture, I didn't actually get this close.

How lucky I was to have seen the occupant of the artistic birdie residence!

If You Love Color...

Do you remember this photo?
I took this last month when I was walking in Tinley Creek Woods. I really love this spot which actually came as a surprise the first time I spotted it. I couldn't see the creek nor hear the creek until I was on top of it. Now, I'm not even really sure this is the official creek of Tinley Creek Woods, because the area is so large.


Inspired to paint this picture, I had a very large dilemma...there is NO color! The scene is very monotone on a cloudy afternoon. Well, I'll just have to create my own color. That's where the fun begins!


Using Wallis Museum Grade pastel paper, I decided to make an under-painting wash to set the mood. I usually block out shapes with pastel and then with a brush and turpenoid (a turpentine without smell), move the color around once wet. Today I decided to make a watercolor under-painting instead of a pastel under-painting because watercolors have such a mysterious look when allowed to do their own thing and I wanted this to show through the final painting.

©2008 Christine Kane Art

Here is the final painting which is titled: "Deep Forest Secret" 16x20 Pastel.
Can you see the watercolor drip marks on the bottom left corner of the painting? That is the watercolor paint showing through. I love it! These drip marks can represent a physical thing like tree roots, or it can convict a feeling like mystery or an oddity, which is what I was aiming for.
I used oranges and pinks which are clashing colors to represent excitement and that is exactly what I felt when I discovered this creek. Now, as you can tell by my photo, I had no color to start with. As an artist you can make up whatever colors you choose. They don't have to be realistic! What's your mood like at the time? How were you feeling? Were you happy, excited, depressed, sad? Let those colors set your mood...it's fun!

"Deep Forest Secret" will be matted and framed and made available at ChristineKaneArt.com in a few weeks.
Hope you enjoy.

Towhee I Tink

Check out these photos:
Is that an eastern towhee? It was making it's presence known! He was pretty loud.
From my view I almost thought it was a junco, but it was much larger, especially the tail and I clearly saw red around the flank area (under wing but before breast).


Could it be?


Not that an eastern towhee is all that unusual around the Chicago area, but I've never caught one on film.
This little fella was flying in Teason Woods watching me pass on the trail. He was "barking" up a storm, which made me stop and look up in hopes of spotting him.
Spot him I did as well as get his photo!

To be a towhee or not to be a towhee...
I'll let you be the judge!

Springtime Wildflowers

Oh lovely little yellow (I don't know your name) wildflower, how the odds are against you! Choked by those rocks, you would much rather be by the others in the grass. Don't worry, I will step around you as not to do you harm and wish you some luck!
This wildflower/weed growing against the odds gives me strength as I understand it's hardship. Beautiful things come from struggle. I have to remind myself.


Look your friend, Mr. Purple (I don't know your name either) wildflower is having a swell time in his pebbly surrounding, you two have something in common!

If any wildflower/weed specialist can give us a name for these two, it would be like receiving a present! I always appreciate people who are smarter than myself (and there are many of them), to help educate this site!
Thanks ahead!

Duskywings

Isn't he beautiful and so kind to spread his wings for this photo!
After searching in my Butterflies of North America book by Brock & Kaufman, I discovered that this fellow is the Juvenal's Duskywing, typical in the eastern oak woodland. He is definitely a male because the female is much lighter and they typically fly in the spring.
Notice his little white spots on the top portion of his wings. They look exactly like my field guide!

We will name him Duke. Duke Duskywing.
Duke was fluttering on the ground near the steam of Teason Woods (tons of oaks are here). He's quite large, about 3 inches wide and was not shy around me. As you can tell, he let me get quite close!
Thanks Duke Duskywing, hope to see you again!

Because Monday Sucks So Bad

Yes, I know how you feel.
Monday is the worst day of the week, so to help with the pain of playing the rat race once again, we interrupt your stinky day to bring you these lovely pictures and video of Teason Woods, part of the Palos Trail System of the Chicago Cook County Forest Preserves.
Here is the best part of the yellow trail (all trails are labeled by color):


I just had to step off trail to get this cool profile of the bridge over a running stream. Oh how much fun I had! It never ceases to amaze me, just when I think I'm on a boring trail where all I see is the same thing I stumble upon something really cool and exciting. I love how the red contrasts against the spring green colored leaved in the background.


Here is what the other side looks like. At this spot I found many wildflowers, heard a frog (I don't know which kind), heard strange bird calls (I didn't recognize and couldn't see), and saw two butterflies.

To sit by a creekside in silence and just let it speak to you is something of which words will always come up short to describe.
So here is a little one minute video!



Hope you enjoyed even though it is still Monday!

Beauty Never Ends

Look at how nature never seems to run out of breathtaking moments! This is the amazing scene that greeted me just before sunset a few days ago. That large tree you see is dead. Dead but beautiful, especially as a silhouette in front of a dramatic sky. Up close in person, you can see many woodpecker holes and large chunks of bark lying at the base of the trunk on the ground.
This I can promise, will be a pastel painting one day...probably one day soon because I'm so excited about it!
:)


Here is another favorite picture taken about a half hour earlier from that same path. What caused this creek to become so deep? Could it be just a small amount of water eroding the path over several years? Did this creek have a lot of water rushing though at one time? Is the soil too sandy? These are some of the unanswered questions I ask myself in my head. After I get tired of thinking so deeply, I just say, "Look at those cool roots!"
Cool Beans.

Just a Bit Loon-y

OH BOY guess what!!!
Today I saw my first Common Loon, (Whooooo Hooo!) thanks to my bloggie buddy, Dave...whom I met the other week! Dave emailed me a message saying some loons were spotted at Maple Lake in Willow Springs, IL. I read my emails on my lunch break at work and knew what I had to do...

After work, I jumped in my car, blasted my classical music and raced....in a dramatic fashion....through snow, sleet, rain, and then sleet again to Maple Lake (well, not really raced, but I was excited). The weather condition was nasty, but that didn't stop this (never seen a loon) gal!
Here is what awaited me:


WHAT'S THAT!?! What is that? Let's zoom in.....


Why, it's my first loon! Not only was I blessed by the beautiful sight of 6 loons, but I actually heard one call! I heard it!!! Now, all you nature lovers out there that had the benefit of hearing a loon call, knows exactly why I'm so excited! That beautiful sound!
I watched them while standing in the sleet for several minutes with only a spring jacket on because darn it, yesterday was so warm!
The loons were looking for food by diving underwater. When they dive underwater, you expect them to pop back up in the same spot, but they don't! They swim as they dive, for a very long time and pop up somewhere else! It was very fascinating to follow them and guess where they were going to appear.


Here are some pictures of the area. This is a great spot to fish. The Cook County Forest Preserve District did a great job building this area up and creating an area where fisher people can sit, for it use to be just a shallow shore of marshy reeds.


Well, I have to say the loons picked a great spot to rest during migration. The loons do not live around here, but they are migrating to Canada to spend the summer. I really don't know how long we are going to have this terrific opportunity to see them.
I am just so fortunate to have had the chance.
Thanks Dave!

Because We Love Snow

Oh lets enjoy a few more pictures from the Bullfrog Lake area, part of the Palos Trail System!
This picture was at the beginning of my trail and the snow reminded me of sand from the Indiana Dunes, with weeds growing here and there. That's exactly how it looks, except I visit the Dunes when it is much, much warmer!


Do you see that water pump? I don't know why it is there. I wonder if during the warmer months it even works? I saw several of these on my hike. A close up of the pump with trees in the background might make for a nice painting though.


This picture tells a story. Can you tell?
If you follow the shadows, you can see evidence of a steep slope. The left side of the slope is in complete shadow, away from the sun. The right side has trunk shadows riding uphill. I love how shadows follow the contour of the land. It is very clear against the snow. I am facing north in this scene, so you know it must be close to evening because the sun sets in the west and the shadows are casting towards the east. There is one tree that still has snow along its side. That proves that the snow storm was blowing from the south to the north...evidence all around us!
I love how much information you can get from a simple picture.

Bullfrog Lake Frozen

Feeling time slip and the snow melting as we speak, I decided to head out to Bullfrog Lake, just to enjoy winter a few more hours before the impending warm up.
As I walked the trail by the lake I came upon this stunning scene, which will soon be made into a painting. Sparkles shimmered in the sunlit snow and my eyes followed the tracks into the distance, suddenly three crows began to "caw" at this very spot and followed me to the lake which was at the end of my trail.
It was an exciting moment.


Here we see the beautiful Bullfrog Lake in its frozen state, part of the Palos Trail System, located in Willow Springs, IL. In the middle of the lake are serious ice fishermen with tent gear and all, and across the lake we see many sledders enjoying the day. On this photo you can see animal tracks near the cattails and skier tracks on the lake.


And here we have a giant Chicago Nature Lady print, brushing back the snow, stepping on the ice of the lake and later having to touch it with her hand!
"Strange human," said the crows, "Strange human!"

Still Holding On

Who loves nature?
We do! We do!

This is a picture I took at Tinley Creek Woods when it was much warmer and the snow had melted. What did I love about this scene? Many things:

First, this picture was taken this January, notice all the trees in the background have lost their leaves. This little guy held on to his. I stood there and thought about all the wind storms that came through this winter and I'm pretty impressed with the tree's strength, especially because he's standing in an open field all alone. Perhaps it is because of his youth that he is able to hang on or maybe the background forest is his shield, a row of soldiers. Maybe the forest is looking out for this little guy? The tree probably is still holding on to it's leaves because that's just the nature of an oak tree (boring), but it's much more fun to think of all other possibilities. I'm sure there's a life lesson in here somewhere.

Secondly, the detail in the trunk made me say, "Ooooo." I love it's "arms" reaching out near the bottom, searching for all possibilities in life.

Thirdly, warm colors in the dead of winter rock! My interpretation exaggerates this feature...I'm just whipping out my artistic license here.

Here is my translation of what was actually there. My main goal was to keep this little guy the focal point and not get him lost with a busy background, notice the blue forest (represents distance) and is shorter that actual photo.
I had a super difficult time attempting to draw any trees in the background, it was just shades of blue. I really thought I was going to ruin it by painting trees. Gary, who is a wonderful teacher, challenged me and said, "Do you always want to be stuck at this level?"
WOW, no I don't...growth is good!
Gary taught me to turn the painting upside down and get loose with the background. Dandy! It worked!

This pastel took a total of 5 hours to complete over a period of 2 days. It will be made available in a few days at www.christinekaneart.com

Hope you enjoyed!

My Bartel Grasslands Field Trip

This last weekend I met up with a whole bunch of passionate birders to seek out the short eared owl and the Norther Harrier at the Bartel Grasslands with birdie leader, Dick Riner, which was sponsored by the Chicago Ornithological Society.

OH BOY! Here we go, we are walking to the Bartel Grasslands located in Tinley Park, IL. Look at these professionals with their really cool equipment! I had binoculars, a baby camera, and hand warmers...that was the extent of my equipment!


Here is out destination.... right behind these pines lay a mound where birders can set up their scopes and have a magnificent view of the grasslands.


The goal of this trip was to witness short eared owls and or northern harriers. This trip was scheduled for late afternoon which made it perfect for our subjects to put on a show. Unfortunately, the owls never showed, but boy did the harriers make and entrance! Northern harriers are hawks that fly low to the ground in search for prey such as mice, small birds, rabbits, etc.

It was about 30 degrees with a strong biting wind. Such a strong wind that the harriers were able to hover and glide in the same spot for several seconds, real low to the ground. It was really amazing. I witnessed males and females which both dove towards the ground, but I failed to see them rise with prey in their mouths.


This grassland has several metal posts which are strewn about. The owls, I was informed, like to perch on the posts. Not today however, but a female harrier did perch on one for about 5 minutes straight! It was exciting to watch her scope the ground in anticipation for an unsuspected rodent.


As evening quickly approached, we began to retreat to our cars. This scene made me stop and I don't know why. Sometimes I see a scene and think...oh, this would make a good painting, but not this time, it was more like.... maybe there's a story behind here, or maybe it was just the misty sky partnering with some massive oaks (notice the scale of the car, bottom right).


At the end of the evening it began to flurry. It has been a successful night of mostly female and some male northern harriers which gracefully skimmed the grasslands while ignoring us gawkers. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a picture of any harriers because they were too far for my camera to grasp. I guess I'll just have to paint a picture of it!

I hope you have enjoyed this field trip to Bartel Grasslands.

The Big Thaw

From zero degrees a few days ago to....


To a record high today of 61 degrees officially recorded. 61 degrees!!! Is this winter? Wait, is this spring? What season am I in?

Do you see all of the pools of water on the ground in this picture? That's the 4 inches of snow we had last week. All gone. The problem is, tomorrow (Monday) and Tuesday we are under a flood watch due to such high temperatures, we are going to be pummeled by heavy downpours and even thunderstorms with a continue record high temps!!!

Isn't this January? The beginning of it?

Chicagoans: Prepare your boats!

Mossy Mushroom

This is a picture I took of a decomposing log when I went hiking at Country Lane Woods last week. The green caught my eye right away. I didn't realize that despite the cool temps, moss can still thrive. I think these are a type of polypore mushrooms (growing off of wood) I don't know exactly which kind but I've seen them before. I've seen them many times before but they were brown. These mushrooms have green in them. Does it have to do with the moss? Are they taking on the color of the moss? Very strange. This is a question for supermushroom-man or woman! Unfortunately that's not me.

Very interesting web site on mushrooms: David Fischer's American Mushrooms

Very interesting posts on mushrooms: Winterwoman's A Passion for Nature

Go shrooming around!

Afternoon Walk

Today I went back to Country Lane Woods to burn off some Christmas cookies. It was a perfect day for a hike, a mild temperature of 45 degrees and very little wind with a sunny sky.

To my surprise early on, I ran into a gentleman walking his horse. Now horses are not uncommon on this trail, but people are usually riding them. His horse was gently grazing on the side of the trail.


Meet Breezy. He is a 24 year old retiree. Too old to be ridden so his owner lovingly walks him everyday. I asked if I could pet him which the owner allowed, but was warned about the mud on Breezy's back from rolling around. Rolling around! That's what I'm going to do when I'm a retiree, too old to go to work but never too old to enjoy life rolling around!


This is Cranberry Slough. What's a slough? A slough is a muddy, marshy, swamplike region. There are many in this area. I had to walk just a little off the path to get a good picture. Cranberry Slough is surrounded by millions of oak trees. I kept walking around the oaks looking for owl droppings or a pellet. How neat it would have been to dissect a pellet. I will keep on wishing for one.

You can see the evening clouds have arrived. It is a peaceful picture of a peaceful afternoon. Much needed after the holiday stress. I know this is where I belong...far, far, far away from a mall with crowds of people. I belong with the trees.

Maple Lake East

Have you ever watched the movie, The Lake House? With dreamy Keanu Reeves (aaahhhhh)....oh yeah and Sandra Bullock? Well, I'm going to take you to the very site where Hollywood came to town to shoot the movie. Hollywood received permission to construct a temporary house on Maple Lake for filming. I once saw the pier and foundation for the house after it was said and done, but all has been taken down. There is another pier now but it is not the same. Here is a link to the movie's site where you can watch a clip of the movie and actually see what I'm talkin' bout. Click here.


OK. Maple Lake East is region 6 of the Cook County Forest Preserve System. At the end of the parking lot you will find this short trail that will lead you to the lake. Can you see it in the distance? Oh how beautiful the snow looks on the forest floor, FINALLY we got some snow! Enjoy it while you can for tomorrow will be 46 degrees :(


Here is Maple Lake. Notice the tree all the way to the right of this picture? When you watch the movie clip, near the end of the clip you can see Keanu sit under this very tree. Oh how I wish I were a bird sitting in that very tree looking down on Mr. Hotty Reeves.


This is a picture I took while standing at the end of the pier. Barren but beautiful. Sort of romantic in a way, even without Keanu.


This is a really neat shot of oak leaves trapped under a thin layer of snow on the lake. It just stopped me in my tracks. It is located at the shore or where the pier begins. My camera was getting all wet because the snow changed to ice/rain due to a slight temperature warm up. I decided to head home before the roads were completely iced over!

I hope you enjoyed viewing the site from The Lake House. I liked the movie, corny as it was with an impossible ending and all, but hey the actor was GREAT!