Ad hoc thoughts from the field.
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Two days after returning to Anchorage I went to Spenard Crossing to see what species of ducks had also arrived in Anchorage. Spenard Crossing is an ideal location for early migrant birds. It is a small pond and one of the first bodies of water to melt out. This means concentrated numbers of birds in a small space... super fantastic for birders!
Read MoreCommon Ravens are everywhere here, making observations of them as easy as choosing which parking lot to position myself in. As a highly intelligent animal, they learn and adapt their diet and shelter requirements to the situation in front of them. Being a talented tool user is a super skill, too.
Read MoreI have been fixated on trees this month. Secret: I love trees as much as I love birds. You can read a short piece about why in this month's blog post titled Reciprocity.
Read MoreEver since I moved to Alaska I've been intrigued with the light... how much there is in the warm months, how little there is in the cold months, how the shadows are always at an angle no matter the time of year. Why?
Read MoreIt never occurred to me that one day I might travel as an artist and writer. Indeed, until 1991 I never imagined I would travel that much at all. I can remember as a young kid possessing a strong urge to see the country. I actually thought being a truck driver might be a path for me so that I could see the country.
At 15 years old there’s some logic to that, right?
Read MoreDo you ever come across something so unexpected when researching? I recently did.
While researching organizations or individuals that seem a potential fit for collaboration, I came across a post on “nature connectedness”; the connection humans have, or do not, with nature.
Read MoreFor a long time I’ve considered the month of February to be the real beginning of spring. The days get noticeably longer. The birds know it. The trees know it. I know it. It triggers a response that makes our spirits rejoice.
Common Ravens (Corvus corax) feel it.
Read MoreNature replenishes my spirit in so many ways. Clean air and water. The simultaneous serenity and thrill while standing on the edge of millions of acres of public lands. Sunshine warming my face. The sound of rain on my rain jacket. Watching a bee fly; toads, deserts, murmuration.
Read MoreThe shortest day of the year, or the longest night of the year as some think of the winter solstice, is notable anywhere you are. Cultures all over the world have special celebrations on this day. Most cultures associate the winter solstice with agricultural patterns and the return of light to the earth.
Read MoreLifers. A term usually associated with prisoners who are incarcerated for life. Also a term birders use. Not for caged birds, though. What qualifies as a “lifer” for birders?
According to National Audubon’s Dictionary for Birders - yes, this is a real thing - “a first-time sighting of a particular species”.
Read MoreWhen I arrived in Anchorage in May, one of the first birds I noticed as I began to explore my new surroundings is the Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea). A relative of the gulls, this sleek bird was dressed in breeding plumage of white and light gray with a head soaked in black from the forehead, over the crown and nape.
Read MoreI am in Alaska. Not as a tourist. Not on a temporary basis like last time. I live here now. I am an official resident of Alaska with an AK driver’s license and plates to prove it to myself. Who’d a thunk this would be my future? Definitely not me.
I’ll tell you how I feel about this: at once intensely excited and scared.
Read MoreAs a Natural Science Illustrator, Artist & Instructor since 1992, almost everything I know about the natural world comes from observing and taking notes in a sketchbook. Nature Journaling is one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to discover the wild plants and animals around you.
No special skill is required to start a nature journal. With only a pen or pencil and a sheet or two of paper anyone can begin journaling on their own.
Read MoreSoutheast Alaska receives an impressive amount of water, from about 27” (in Skagway) up to about 400” annually (southern Baranof Island) depending on location and elevation, with Juneau receiving about 90” annually (7.5’). Unlike the northern parts of the state, Juneau is a temperate rainforest.
Read MoreI never imagined I would find myself in Alaska. It always seemed so far away and so far out of the realm of my reality that I never considered it a possibility. But there I was, wandering around Juneau in an exhausted, stunned frame of my mind.
This was a very unexpected adventure.
Read MoreTwo artist/naturalists I have recently become familiar with are Christopher Marley and Chris Maynard. These two artists create incredible and unique works of art using materials from nature. Think Andy Goldsworthy but vastly different.
Read MoreWhat is art worth to you? Another way of asking this question: What would you pay for an original work of art?
Pricing one’s own art work is a personal process. It can be an exhaustive exercise where self-worth comes in to play over and over again. One has to consider subjective factors such as size, medium, whether or not the piece is framed. Objective factors such as skill and experience, personal connection to the piece and understanding your market weigh into the process.
Read MoreBuilding a website is a massive job for one who knows so little about how websites are designed. Creating an attractive website requires a good deal of behind-the-scenes effort. Even with the oh-so-helpful DIY website-building companies, there is still so much to think about: aesthetics; functionality; primary purpose; short-term and long-term goals; balancing "wants" with technical obstacles.
All of this and more guided me in creating a new website for Birchtree Studio, and forced me to dig deep to envision what this business could be.
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