30 September 07

Common Raven

Common raven, pen and ink Another trip to Point Reyes… the yellow warblers of last week had been almost entirely replaced by yellowrumps, which means that migration’s almost over. We did see Vaux’s swift and a number of violet-green swallows, but the day was more spectacular for mammals (elephant seal, humpback whale, harbor seal, harbor porpoise, gray fox, mule deer) than for birds.

I did have a chance to sketch this raven at the Mendoza Ranch, a tribute to the Raven King I’m reading about in Jonathan Strange Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, and nearly finishing… The bill’s way too big in relation to the head, and the tail was obscured by cypress branches, but it was fun to go dark dark with crosshatching…

Posted by at 10:30 AM in Bird of the Day | Link |

  1. I love this raven. The essence of ravenhood is that big bill and hook nose, so to speak, and the hunchy shoulders. You just get it so right! I can almost hear him grumbling.


    — dale    2. October 2007, 00:42    Link

  2. One of my favorite birds to see (or contemplate being).


    — Mary S    6. October 2007, 08:35    Link

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