Learning a lot and having a blast hanging out with other raptor enthusiasts in the Audubon Society's California Raptors Class, led by Eddie Bartley of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory.
On Sunday's field trip to Rush Ranch and Jepson Prairie near Rio Vista, spotting scopes set up on tripods gave me a great opportunity to sketch from live birds. The most exciting moment was discovering the Great-horned Owl (snoozing with one eye open) above our picnic table lunch at Rush Ranch. He sat there for hours.
Later in the day, saw my first Ferruginous Hawk sitting on the ground in the sunshine and two Burrowing Owls hanging out at, and in, their ground burrow. I sketched in waterproof ink onsite and watercolored later at home at the kitchen table.
