Eastern Washington Birds

The birds in the Tri-Cities area were sparse when I arrived two weeks ago, but a week later things had picked up.  I visited W.E. Johnson Park in Richland this past Sunday, and found a lot more species than on my previous visit.  Here are the highlights:

Cedar Waxwings

Pacific-slope Flycatcher

Western Kingbird

Yellow-breasted Chat

Chats are usually hard to get good photos of, so I was very happy to have this one out singing in the open.  I was even able to get a short video -- it's a bit shaky as I don't have a tripod.  Be sure to turn up the sound!

On this past Monday, I drove out to Burbank to the headquarters of the McNary National Wildlife Refuge.  It has mostly marshy habitat along the Burbank Slough.  At the headquarters building, Barn Swallows were nesting under the eaves.

There's a hide for good waterfowl viewing.

Ring-necked Ducks

Next I walked a trail running alongside the slough.  A large meadow was on the other side, over which an American Kestrel was hunting.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds were quite common.

Also saw this Black-necked Stilt:

There were several Ruddy Ducks about.

And quite a few Redhead ducks.

I also saw American White Pelicans down the road a ways, but too far away for photos.  I had to settle for this Great Egret -- not bad compensation!

Great birds, all in all.

Sketching in Richland

While visiting family in Richland (WA), I managed to get out sketching on two mornings.  On the first outing, I drove around scoping out potential subjects, and decided to try drawing a dome-shaped house and landscaping:

Next I drove to the bustling "downtown" shopping area, where I was drawn to a shop front with colorful chairs on the sidewalk:

Not far away is Howard Amon Park, where I drew part of the playground area:

On our second outing the next day, I opted to walk instead of drive.  Truman and I strolled about one mile to the bustling "Uptown" shopping center, where there is a bear statue just hanging out on a corner:

We strolled around the shops, and I found another view to sketch:

My last drawing was of the Mormon Church across the street from the shopping center:

I would have done more sketching but could only do stuff outdoors in the mornings (because it reached 80 by noon), and I had to reserve the other mornings for birding and mural painting.  More about the birds coming on Wednesday (Tuesday is a travel day).

Not a Lot of Birds

I continue to not see a lot of birds here in Richland, though I haven't exactly been out and about much to look for them.  Too busy painting and sketching, and hanging with Truman.  So I'll just post the two species that I see in my mother's neighborhood:  Eurasian Collared Doves (which seem to outnumber the crows by about 100 to 1) and California Quail.

These doves have taken over the Tri-Cities in recent years.  It was just 2012 when I saw my very first one, ever.  Now you can't walk a block without hearing or seeing one.

You don't see the quail as often -- more often you only hear them scurrying or fluttering away.  However, my mother's next-door neighbor puts out food for them, so I was able to get photos as they chowed down.

This squirrel also found the handouts enticing.

Finally, a random photo of Truman at the park by the Columbia River:

Happy Friday!

A Mural That Very Few People Will See

I've spent the past week at my mother's home in Richland painting a mural on the inside of her garage.  Since most of the time, the garage door is closed, it won't be terribly visible, but that's okay.  Mom likes it, and she paid for it, so she gets to have the most enjoyment of it!

Here are some work-in-progress photos.

This is what I started with -- the wall had already been patched, primed, and prepped with some sky and sand colors.

I repainted parts of the background colors to suit the design, and added water.

This lighthouse took the longest -- there were panels on the door with curved edges that were very hard to paint over.  I did the whole thing without rulers, and am happy I wound up with pretty straight lines.

I made some modifications to the lighthouse, and then added some headlands, with another lighthouse on the right hand one.

Next came a boat, some pilings, and a beach umbrella.

And then there were the hot air balloons...these were especially difficult, as I had to climb a tall step ladder to reach these areas, up to the top step.   Finally, I put in a pelican on a piling, and a few shore birds, and called it good.

DETAILS:

A challenging project -- glad it is done!

Retro Richland

I'm visiting family in Richland, AKA The Atomic City (due to being part of the Manhattan Project), and one of the highlights of a visit here is to check out the Uptown Shopping Center.

Built in 1949, it comprises several blocks of connected shops -- quite a few antique malls, a wonderful book/comic/gaming store, restaurants, gift shops, thrift stores, a barber, etc., plus the Spudnut Shop where they've been making donuts out of potato flour for a long, long time.

New this year are a series of murals painted in retro 1950s style.  Truman and I had fun checking them out:

The book store also has a cool mural all its own:

Always a treat to stroll around Uptown.

Truman and I also enjoy going to Leslie Groves Park, which stretches for several miles along the Columbia River.

For Truman, water = wading!

We had a lovely walk and a relaxing rest there.

I've been busy here painting a mural on my mother's garage wall.  More about that project coming later in the week.