Two Books Ready!

“Combining lives of adventure and fun with a dedication for some of the best public-spirited nature science investigation in the history of America, Frances and Frederick Hamerstrom pledged their all to accomplish great things.  Stories of the appropriately wild lives of the Hamerstroms, which included work that saved the Greater Prairie Chicken in Wisconsin from going the way of the dinosaur, fill every corner of this marvelous book...  The hand-crafted tales in these pages bring these brilliant, charming people back to life again, in all their natural elegance, gentle kindness, knife-sharp precision and ultimate glory.  As someone who knew them both and loved every moment of knowing them, I couldn’t be more joyful that the memory of Fran and Hammy has been kept green by their family and friends.  Now you can “know” them, too.

--- Mark Scarborough

author of “There’s No Place Like Rome,” and Wisconsin journalist.

Last December I wrote in my blog that I was immersed in two book projects, both involving my parents.  What I didn’t realize at the time is that it would evolve into three book projects. Two of them are done!  The third, a book for young readers by Susan Tupper to be published by the Wisconsin Historical Society, isn’t really my project.  I helped with editing for content and gathering of visuals; now that project is in the waiting mode.  

My two books projects also involve my parents.  If you don’t know much about my parents be sure and read my December post:

http://elvafieldnotes.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-projects.html  

Briefly --both my parents were ornithologists who spent their career working on prairie chickens for the State of Wisconsin.  They also made a significant contribution to raptor research.  My father was one of few who earned his Phd under the famed ecologist, Aldo Leopold, and my mother was the only woman to get a degree under Leopold, a masters.  

After my parents died, Deann De La Ronde, a dear friend of my parents, helped me collect an anthology of stories about my parents.  I self published it as, “Hamerstrom Stories” in 2002.  Now, just over ten years later I’ve granted permission for a new edition which includes ten new authors.  The 336 page book is being released by Golden Sands RC&D Council Inc, a non-profit organization that works to preserve Grasslands in Central Wisconsin -- where Wisconsin’s prairie chickens still live.  Books ordered directly from R. Schneider, Publishers will have most of their cover price go to 

Golden Sands.  Books ordered through Amazon.com with have a much smaller portion of the profits go to Golden Sands.  I have directed any monies that I might receive go to Golden Sands.  

The gentle stories ... in this book combine to produce a book of rare appeal and quality.  Alan and Elva are lucky to be the children of exceptional parents.  Instead of going to bed early when the moon is full the boy and girl explore the magic night on treks with mom and dad.  During all four seasons, the family becomes a part of the natural world and its wonders.  They make friends with deer they espy by leaving apples for the animals to find; they discover that some flowers stay wide open at night while others close in sleep; ....  

-- taken from the Publishers Weekly  review that followed my mother’s original publication of “Walk When the Moon is Full.” I’ve deleted the references to the original art.  

“Walk When the Moon is Full” by my mother, Frances Hamerstrom, was first published by Crossing Press in 1975.  The little book stayed in print for about 25 years!  There was still some demand for the book so I limped along for a few years making copy-machine copies.  When the Lora Hagen was formatting the new edition of Hamerstrom Stories, I suddenly found out Lora ( part of R. Schneider, Publishers ) and I could put out a new, beautiful edition of “Walk When the Moon is Full.”  I had the joy of creating the illustrations for this edition.  

Either book can be ordered through Amazon.com or through R. Schneider, Publishers.  Remember a much larger portion of the purchase price of “Hamerstrom Stories” goes to supporting grasslands if you order directly from the publisher.  To do that:

Walk When the Moon is Full --  $8.95@Hamerstrom Stories -- $29.95.  If you live in Wisconsin, add 5.5% sales taxShipping and handling is $5.00 for the first book, $1 additional for each additional copy of ‘H Stories’ and 50 cents additional for each additional copy of ‘Moon’.  Combined orders welcome.  
Mail orders WITH YOUR ADDRESS and check or credit card info to:  
R. Schneider, Publishers
312 Linwood Avenue
Stevens Point  WI  54481

I’m not the one sending the books out, so I won’t be able to autograph them for you.  

A nest full of great horned owls -- one of my illustrations in 

"Walk When the Moon is Full"

Herbert's Pond: Part II

Note this is Part II.  Part I should be read first.

I did read go home and read about wood duck behavior on Cornell’s “Birds of North America Online” (http://bna.birds.cornell.edu    subscription required).  I suddenly realize I have been watching more courting behavior than I realized.  They seemed to be the thirstiest ducks  imaginable, but all that bill dipping is one of the behaviors.  I saw a lot of that!  The other behaviors happen very quickly.  I think the video is a really good idea.  

Maybe if we arrive at the pond early, they’ll be even more wound up.  But, for some reason, we just can’t get out of the house as early as I would like.  I write in my notes:

“Haven’t started and we’re late already.  8AM.  The sun is actually shining  -- visible!  Of course it always shines -- somewhere.  In winter it is a rare morning that we wake up to sunshine.    We’re just heading out the driveway and I’m wishing we were already at Herbert’s Pond.

We arrive.  Quiet.  Don’t even see a wood duck!  Have they left, flown to their nesting territories?  Then I find them sleeping amongst a tree that has fallen into the pond.  Some on low limbs, some in the water.  This is what we scrambled for!”

Before long some of the wood ducks head our way.  A little chick scratch (corn) thrown onshore helps to convince them we are some of those ‘good humans.’  The corn is soon gone and the ducks get back to paying attention to each other.  

Bill dipping is happening all the time.  It looks like a quick sip of water, but they’d be as big as watermelons if they were really drinking all the time.  When I watch carefully I see a hen bill dipping.  

Another frequent behavior is a quick chin up, usually by the drake but I saw a hen do it too.  

We also watched mutual preening.  A hen and a drake snuggle up next to each other and nibble at each other’s long head plumes -- very tender.  Really quite sweet to see.  

I start videoing.   Last summer I first dared to push the video buttons on my CANON 7D camera.  I still haven’t shot a total of an hour of video. Shooting video is a challenge.  By the time the duck actually does something, it is way too late to push the button..... so I watch for birds that seem fairly engaged, start the video and hope something happens.  As we often say, “It’s only pixels.”  What we don’t want can be erased.  

I get so lucky!  I’m filming a small cluster of wood ducks bobbing about, bill dipping,  when suddenly one does the head flick, that ever so quick head fluff / rear up that happens so quickly I wasn’t sure quite what I had seen when I first saw it.  With the video I can slow it down and see the exact sequence of movement:  head fluffed the drake dips his head down then rears up and flips his head back in a flash.  Back to normal. It takes about a third of a second!

The beautiful display catches the hen's attention.

I keep watching the trio of woodies -- two drakes and a hen.  Usually a drake is on each side of the hen, but every so often one swims in front and fluffs his crest.  There is a reason a wood duck drake has all those iridescent colors on his head.  What a show off!  Suddenly he turns broadside to the hen and flashes her -- another of the ‘behaviors.’  First he bill dips, then raises his crest, quickly shakes his head, and then, ever so fast, he reaches back as if to preen his underwing.  In the process he flashes his wing, showing a blaze of iridescence.  Wow!  With my eyes I just thought it was a quick preen.  After reading about the different behaviors and actually catching it on video, I am so impressed.  He knows how to show off his beautiful feathers. 

Soon after, I see that the hen is ready.  She lays flat out in the water in front of one of the drakes.  He approaches, grabs the long feathers on her head and mounts her.   

.... and during all this duck watching, did Dale get some good photos?  Oh, Yes.

Herbert's Pond: Part I

Feb 15: ....We pulled into Herbert’s Pond on our way home from Grants Pass..... wood ducks!  Usually wood ducks are all too private.  They ease off as soon as we get anywhere close; but these are sharing a small pond with a gaggle of ‘funny ducks,’ i.e. various shades of domestic.  The wood ducks seem reasonably tolerant.

It is almost sunset so we don’t have much time. I immediately start to sketch.

Feb 17:  We arrived back at Herbert’s Pond late morning.  Before parking I got in the back seat of the car, behind Dale, so we could both sit on the pond side of the car.  While he photographed I sketched.  

Two double-crested cormorants sun themselves on a partially submerged log.  Already their faces have turned bright yellow, but no ‘crests’ yet.  That will come closer to nesting time. 

For a moment I thought my stomach was growling.  No, just the mumblings of the cormorants.  Then “HAANNK!”  Loud.  So loud I startled.  I thought someone had come up behind me.  Then I realized it is just more cormorant talk.  Apparently he said, “Let’s go fishing.”  Both slipped into the water and have been making frequent dives.  One comes up with a fish and tosses it quickly.  Down the gullet it goes.  

The cormorant dives a few more times but soon heads back to his log.  A coot has been enjoying the log, but there is no doubt in the coot’s mind as to whether the log is his or the cormorant’s.  Off he goes.  

Just before the cormorant climbs onto the log he ruffles and shakes .. a quick splash bath before climbing up.  Water droplets pearl on his dark feathers.  After a few quick preens he spreads his wings to dry;  first he angles his breast towards the sun, then his back.  

Feb 19:  Back to the pond.  When we first arrived one wood duck drake displayed once.  I want to see more!  He fluffed and threw back his fabulous head and kicked  up his tail; but it all happened so fast!  I can’t remember the exact sequence.  Head first?  Tail?  both at once?  I watched and watched.  I see little head bobs, but no real display.  

After three sessions of pond sitting I go home realizing how little I know about wood duck behavior.  It is obvious they are pairing up before they reach their nesting territory and I think I am seeing some courting behavior.   The interesting behavior happens so fast I’m not quite sure what I’m seeing.  I’ve got a plan of action -- read about them on Cornell’s ‘Birds of North America Online’  and I’m going to try to video some of their antics so I can slow down the action.  

More to come........

Winter Hummers

I still can’t get used to humming birds in winter.  Of course our winter isn’t all that harsh, but I still think any sane humming bird should go to warmer climes.  Our winters are green and soggy.  Snow fall on half a dozen days is a lot;  freezing nights are few.

When we first moved here, over thirty years ago, a humming bird in winter was an unusual occurrence. I subscribed to the philosophy I should take down my humming bird feeder in late summer and nudge the little sweeties on their way.  What I didn’t realize is that our common summer humming bird, the rufous hummer, is a smart little creature.  They go south.  Seeing one here in the winter would be very unusual.  The hummers we do get in the winter are Anna’s hummingbirds.  They aren’t in my yard in the summertime, only in winter!  

I still don’t feed in the fall, but, as soon as the weather turned and I caught sight of of an Anna’s, my heart melted and I rushed to put out a feeder.  Later on we had a cold snap.   For over a week either Dale or I got up early to put the feeder out at first light.  We took it in every night so it wouldn’t freeze.  When it was just getting light enough to sort juncoes from white-crowned sparrows, there he would be, waiting for us.  He’d even sneak a few sips while I reached to hang the feeder!  Have you ever been tickled by a hummingbird?  

Most of the winter our regular visitor has been an immature male Anna’s, but when the weather was its nastiest we suddenly had four hummers! Big, wet snow flakes drifted down and there sat four Anna’s hummingbirds, all fluffed up.   It was as if it was too cold to argue.  They perched and bickered and mostly inhaled our sugar water.  As soon as the weather improved we were back down to one pugnacious immature male and a second who’d sneak in when the coast was clear.     

I happened to be in the yard one day when a glorious mature male perched first at one end of the yard and then the other, scolding the whole while ... but he wouldn’t come close to the feeder.  

About ten days ago the tides turned.  Now ‘Fancy Dan,’ the beautiful male Anna’s is the regular visitor and the immature male sneaks in when the coast is clear.  Fancy Dan is such a handsome fellow!  Depending on the angle of light, his iridescent feathers can be almost black .... or magnificent.  

And he knows he is magnificent.  I caught him perched, puffed, and singing his pea-pick’n heart out.  The song is so soft I can barely hear it from less than fifteen feet away.  

Cut the Willow Switch!

A great blue heron stalks ever so quietly in a small pond. While we wait for a good photograph, I’ve been busy sketching --  cormorants, Canada geese, shovelers, and now a great blue heron.  

While I sketch the heron a flock of twenty Canada geese fly into the pond and set up an earful of chatter.  The heron stays focused, slowly moving one foot forward and then the other.  

Squabbling and chasing, the geese have been here for five minutes and the air is still filled with goose chatter, not the low murmur of contented geese. The raucous commotion accompanies them as they settle who gets the choice spots.  It takes another five minutes before the geese calm down.  Most are now onshore preening; three bath; others swim slowly.  While we sit, waiting for the heron to catch something, two green-winged teal come swimming along the shoreline.  The heron moves ever so closely towards us.

Drat and rats!  Dale says, “Go cut yourself a willow switch!”  

When we left the house this morning we were on our way to a meeting.  The weatherman predicted ‘cloudy,’-- not ‘partly cloudy,’ not ‘mostly cloudy’ .... just ‘cloudy.’ Silly me said, “Lets not bother taking the big lens with us.”  By the time the meeting ended the clouds were burning off.  Now that we are parked at the little pond, an otter has come out on the far side of its tiny island  --  a little far away for the lens we have with us.  Shame on me for suggesting we leave the big lens at home.

All is not lost.  The otter decides to go hunting.  The otter is underwater a lot.  Sometimes we see a tight spattering of popping bubbles and we know he’ll come up near where we last saw him.  When he decides to move quickly from one place to another, we see a wake and a straight string of bubbles.  At least he gives us a clue as to where he’ll pop up next.  A road edges much of the pond so we inch along when he is underwater.

The heron is having none of this! When the otter nears, the heron quickly climbs on shore and keeps an eye on the otter’s meanderings.  Ducks move out of the way too.  

The otter has a fish!  A good sized bass, maybe ten inches long.  He is close to us, but this isn’t a good place to eat it.  He dives and comes up looking at us ...  dives again and heads towards the little island.  He quickly climbs onto solid ground and starts eating his catch.  We’re wishing for that big lens again, but I really can’t complain.  He did catch his fish right near us.

I’m surprised how quickly he eats the whole thing, just a few minutes.  Once done, he slips back into the water for a short swim around, underwater a lot again.  Soon he is back up on the island rubbing, rubbing, rubbing.  He rubs every bit of his body ... back, belly, sides.  Over and over.  

A little scratching and some licking is in order after the long rubbing.  He even grooms the tip of his tail.  His coat is beginning to look glossy and dry, not drenched.  

The otter gets lazier and lazier as we watch.  At first he tackled grooming with vigor, but now it is more snooze than motion.  He just has to find the right position for a good nap.  Time for us to head home for our lunch.

The Perfect Sketchbook

Red-tailed hawk drying his wings.  Watercolor and ink on Aquarius II paper.

Get two sketch artists together, and usually sooner rather than later, the subject of the perfect sketchbook comes up.  The answer is simple:

There is no perfect sketchbook!

But we keep trying to find it.  

For many years I did most of my field sketching in hard bound plain paper blank journals.  My drawings hardly showed through onto the backside of the page and the paper didn’t buckle very much when I got wet and juicy.  I’m now in Volume 41.  As the years have gone by I realize the paper used to be better in these journals, plus I’ve developed a taste for even better paper. I’ve been trying other sketchbooks quite a bit during the past couple of years.  I try to have both my journal and a good sketchbook in the car ... but which sketchbook?

There is a variety of sketchbooks with lovely paper  -- many with paper far too nice for scribbled notes. Most of these sketchbooks are rather expensive.  Stillman & Birn is putting out a deluxe series of sketchbooks; Aquabee almost marries price with good paper, but still seems spendy to write copious notes on; Strathmore has some nice sketchbooks.... and many others.  On all of these I get intimidated when the sheet of whiteness in front of me costs somewhere around a dollar a sheet and and tearing one out seems sacrilegious.  Suddenly I worry about messing up a page; I don’t want to start something I might not have time to finish; I don’t want to write herky, jerky notes on that good paper.  Trying to reinvent myself as neat and tidy was an exercise in how to ruin spontaneity. My field journaling is all about trying to capture the moment, both in words and with sketches.  “Bless this Mess” is a good motto for my journal.  For more on my thoughts on journaling, please go to my post:, “Thoughts on Keeping a Journal” Feb 2011.

http://elvafieldnotes.blogspot.com/2011/02/thoughts-on-keeping-journal.html

and “Warts and all”  March 2012.

http://elvafieldnotes.blogspot.com/2012/03/warts-and-all-my-journal.html

Plein-air sketches on index.

A few weeks ago I suddenly had an a new idea on how to handle my conundrum.  I still plan to keep a plain paper, hard bound journal for most of my writing and lots of sketches; but I also plan to keep a “Inspiral Info-Bind” binder filled with my choice of paper.  (www.Komtrak.com). 

Years ago I bought a Komtrack Inspiral Info-Bind binder and promptly shelved it because refill paper is so expensive. My recent brainstorm is that I can cut up large sheets of paper and punch my own refills  .. and pick any type  of paper I want.  Every so often I can take out finished pages and insert new ones.  I had to buy a hold punch -- that cost me $50.  It’ll  be a bit of a bother to cut, punch, and insert the pages; but right now I’m excited to have a variety of paper under one cover:  I currently have five types of paper in my binder:  Strathmore’s Aquarius II for watercolor, Strathmore’s high surface bristol for fine pen and ink work, some cheap index for just sketching, some typing paper for notes, and even some ‘write-in-the-rain” paper.  

Wren Tit found along the Oregon coast.  Watercolor and ink on Aquarius II paper.

Another advantage of the Inspiral Info-Bind coil is that I can fold the book all the way around, i.e. I don’t have to work with it wide open.  I often sketch in our little car where space is limited.  

I have another Komtrak binder, one with a smooth back, but it doesn’t fold back.  I see they also offer a simpler binder which might work just as well.

I haven’t lived with my new system long enough to know whether it will stick as long as filling one hard bound journal after another has -- gee I’d have to live another 37 years for that.  I doubt I’ll be so lucky.  

A Contest!

I have a fun announcement to make:  a contest!  Some of you just might enjoy entering.   First a little introductory information is in order.  

Dale and I have a very gifted daughter, Lita Judge.  She both writes and illustrates children’s books.  I’m proud to say some of her inspiration has been nurtured while sharing our love of wildlife and the outdoors; and many of her books have a personal connection to us, mostly in the form of using our photographs for reference material.  She especially loves our grizzly photos. 

A few of her books have a very different connection.  I’ve done a considerable amount of knitting for her!  The knitting started with half a sock -- yes, just half a sock.  The clerk who sold me the wool was quite puzzled when she asked about the project and I answered, “I only need enough wool for half a sock.”  Lita needed an illustration of a half knitted sock for “One Thousand Tracings; Healing the wounds of World War II” -- Hyperion Books for Children.

Most recently I’ve been knitting red hats.  Lots of red hats. LOTS!

 The first red hats were for Lita’s book “Red Sled” (Atheneum Books / 2011), a delightful adventure book.  In it a bear borrows a red sled and ends up taking a variety of woodland friends on a wild ride.  Since the child in the book wears a red hat, Lita decided she wanted a red hat for her book jacket photo .... and she then asked for about 30 miniature hats to help with marketing.  Out came my knitting needles and I made a dent the Norwegian wool I had stored for years.  

My little hats were a big hit.  More important, the book was a bigger hit!  Lita was encouraged to come up with a sequel.  

 “Red Hat,” the sequel to “Red Sled,” will be released this March.  What mischief do the bear and friends get into this time?

Out came my knitting needles again.  This time she not only wanted another batch of miniature hats, but also a variety of unique hats to kick off a ‘Red Hat Contest.’  I’ve had lots of fun creating red hats for the initial contest site.  I put a hat on an onion blossom; cut holes in my straw gardening hat and put it on a pony; and I stared knitting weird and wonderful: one for her parrot, one for her kitty, for a goat, and for Sophie, a Scottie I know.  

Poor Sophie.  She wasn’t at all excited about wearing a red hat.  She suddenly went mournful and froze.  “Oh dear!  What on earth is this thing on my head?”  But Sophie is a quick learner and found out that subjecting herself to wearing ‘that thing’ also came with very special treats.  Pretty soon Sophie forgave me the indignity and decided to look quite cute in her hat. 

Now it is your turn to be creative and enter the Red Hat Contest.  It can be a photograph or a drawing.  You don’t need to knit a hat ... just use a hat that has been hiding in your closet or borrow one from a friend or draw it.  In any case be sure to go to Lita’s web site and enjoy her art.  More information about the contest is there too.  

Lita’s books can be found in many local bookstores and on Amazon.com <http://www.Amazon.com> .  .  Here is her website:  www.Litajudge.net