Mocking Beethoven

"Mocking Beethoven"
Original Clay board Engraving ©Amanda Brannon

I'm in the process of engraving state birds. Since I live in Tennessee, I chose the mockingbird to do first. One of the joys I get from doing different birds is that I learn about them in the process. Also, once I research and go through the process of engraving a bird, it becomes part of me forever—always recognizing it when I see it.

In learning about the mockingbird, I learned that they like to sing during a full moon! Also, around the same time, I learned that an artist friend of mine teaches her resident mockingbirds songs, including "Beethoven's Fifth" and "Dixie"! That is what inspired my engraving "Mocking Beethoven".  What songs would you teach the mockingbirds in your area?  I'm going to teach mine "Amazing Grace".

Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival

Whew! I just returned from the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival in Titusville, Florida and boy, was that a wonderful time!  Although the weather was chilly, the bird & wildlife watching opportunities were plentiful!  Roseate Spoonbills, Scrub Jays, Wood Storks, White Pelicans, Yellow Legs, Snowy Egrets, Herons, Pileated Woodpeckers, Barred Owls, Red Winged Blackbirds, and bobcats were checked off my list of things I hoped to see!  The only bird I didn't get to see was the Painted Buntings...maybe next time! 

Also, what made this festival particularly wonderful was the wonderful new friends we met. Their hospitality was over-the-top. If you ever hat the opportunity to visit Titusville, Florida and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, I highly recommend it.

Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers

Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers
Original Clayboard Engraving ©Amanda Brannon

I'm loving woodpeckers right now! Every morning, the local woodpeckers come to my back deck to get their share of the peanuts before the greedy Blue Jays get them all. I find their markings and also their call very charming.

This recent engraving of mine depicts both female and male Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. Notice that little red spot on the side of the male's head?  Rarely visible, except perhaps during the breeding season and periods of territorial defense, the male has a small red streak on each side of its black cap called a cockade, hence its name. The common name came into use during the early 1800’s when 'cockade' was regularly used to refer to a ribbon or other ornament worn on a hat. The females lack the red cockade. Juvenile males have a red 'patch' in the center of their black crown. This patch disappears during the fall of their first year at which time their 'red-cockades' appear.