Cooper's Hawk along the Little Miami...and the value of a field journal...

I often see Cooper's Hawks in my backyard, but I saw this fellow along the Little Miami River. I see him regularly in the same spot in a tree about 20 feet off the bike trail. The first time I saw him there was October 9, 2007 (since I've seen a Cooper's Hawk in the exact spot many times since then, I like to think it's the same bird, but who knows, maybe it's just a popular branch!). From my field journal:

Thursday, October 9, 2007 (1:30 p.m., 85 degrees)   A breeze sweeping through the over-dry trees—leaves falling in such fast succession it sounds like rain (not beautiful, colored leaves, but brown, crispy leaves, victims of the drought). The trees are still green—odd to see and hear falling leaves. Wow! Three or four steps further I am eye level with a Cooper's Hawk. His back is to me—blue-gray feathers, three black bars on his tail. When he turns his head, I see a fierce red/amber eye. He knows I'm there. He flies away.

Cooper's Hawk along the Little Miami River and bike trail.

I'm so glad I've kept a field journal over the years. I've learned a lot from observations, and I like being able to go back and check on dates. When I saw this fellow a few days ago, I wondered how many years it had been since I first saw him claiming that branch. I was thinking three or four years...turns out it's been almost seven years! Cooper's Hawks live an average of 12 years in the wild, but according to Cornell, the oldest known Cooper's Hawk was 20.4 years, which means this could very well be the same bird, and I might see him on that exact branch for many years to come!

A beautiful Cooper's Hawk surveys his territory in the woods along the little Miami River. 

I'm going to be volunteering at the Biggest Week in American Birding warbler festival (on Lake Erie near Toledo, Ohio) this May. On May 12 and may 15, I'll be teaching a class for beginners on basic field sketching and nature journaling techniques. If you're there and want to learn how to start sketching in the field and the importance of keeping a field or nature journal, sign up for the class. I'd love to see you there!

(...on the other days I'll be roaming the Magee Marsh boardwalk watching the amazing phenomena of spring migration along Lake Erie. If you want to see warblers and other neotropical migrants, come to Magee Marsh in May. The trees along the boardwalk literally drip with birds as they rest and fuel up for the last leg of their journey across Lake Erie to their nesting grounds up north). Click here for registration information.


...and in other birding news...
Little Miami, Inc. has a new name! They are now the Little Miami Conservancy, which is much more fitting since they have been involved with river conservation since 1967!

Click here to learn more about the Little Miami Conservancy.

Click here for a pdf explaining their mission and history.

Click here for their Facebook page.

I'm going to have another post soon about everything they do. If you're looking for a way to volunteer and help protect the Little Miami River and its riparian corridor, check them out!

...people love to paint birds!

Matty and I had a blast today teaching bird lovers how to draw and paint birds at the Little Miami Scenic River and Trail Center. I had no idea there were so many people who wanted to learn how to paint birds! We were swamped with artists of all ages all afternoon. I really enjoyed watching everyone's interpretations come to life on paper. Here are just a few of the artists and their creations...

...this dad had no idea he could paint. It was his first time to pick up a paintbrush!
I love this painting...a very cool rendering of a female Northern Cardinal. 

...focus and concentration...this little girl knew exactly how to bring her eagle to life.

...using the "two circles and a triangle" method made it easy to draw birds! 

...love these deep, rich colors. This little girl had a sharp eye for design.

...a software developer checked his analytical self at the door and got his art on. He opted for the "circle and triangle" bird drawing method and created his own design of a black-capped chickadee (this was his first time to paint and draw!). 

...and a mechanical engineer created this gorgeous Blue Jay by sketching out her own design too. Circles and triangles go a long way with birds. I love all of the shading and dimension.

These girls really worked hard and created beautiful paintings...while laughing and having fun too!

...diligently mixing paint to get the exact color. This young artist really enjoyed creating custom colors. She totally nailed the olive green that shows on a Hooded Warbler.

...sweet, sweet paintings. I love the way these sisters created their paintings of a White-breasted Nuthatch and a female Northern Cardinal. Beautiful!!!

All of these bird-loving artists took part in the free bird painting workshop Matty and I hosted at the Little Miami Scenic River and Trail Center on Sunday. Click here for yesterday's post to find out what it was all about and to learn more about Little Miami, Inc. (LMI) and the Little Miami Scenic River and Trail Center. I'm going to put another post together soon showing all of the cool stuff in the center and explain more of how LMI protects the Little Miami River...and some of the people behind the organization. More to come...

A free bird painting workshop along the Little Miami River...

If you are in downtown Loveland, OH this Sunday, July 28, stop by the Little Miami Scenic River and Trail Center and paint a few birds with me! Matty and I are volunteering this weekend to teach kids and adults how to paint birds...and it's free...

Paint brushes, acrylic paints, pallets, and water buckets all add up to fun in the park! 
(Matty and I went crazy buying all the supplies. There's plenty to go around!)

Because not everyone likes to draw, I've created a lot of coloring book style bird templates and patterns you can trace or copy and then paint. In other words, you don't have to be an artist to have fun painting!    Here are just a few of the bird patterns you can use...

                            Coloring book pattern of a Blue Jay

                        Coloring book pattern of an Eastern Bluebird

                  Coloring book pattern of a male Northern Cardinal 

                  Coloring book pattern of an American Bald Eagle 

I'll also show you a few tricks to draw birds quickly and easily...

Steps to draw a Black-capped Chickadee

Two steps to draw a simple bird shape

Class time and description
The workshop runs from 1:00 - 3:00, but it is not a structured class. We're going to follow a drop-in format...drop in any time, paint a few birds, and leave when you feel like it. You don't have to be there for the duration of the workshop, because we're just painting birds for fun.  No experience is necessary...kids and adults are welcome! 

The Little Miami Scenic River and Trail Center is located in downtown Loveland next to Nisbet Park along the bike trail. It is part of Little Miami, Inc. (LMI). LMI was founded in 1967 and has been the driving force behind protecting and restoring the Little Miami River. LMI owns over 100 nature preserves along the Little Miami and several of its tributaries. You can become a volunteer if you want to help protect the Little Miami River, or you can donate to the cause. Click here for more information on LMI. 

Little Miami Scenic River and Trail (LMI) Center

211 Railroad Avenue

Loveland, OH 45140

Hope to see you there!
Kelly Riccetti