Ken Januski Birding and Drawing

Ken Januski - Birding and Drawing Notes

Please go to Ken's blog for updates to this site.

This site began for a number of reasons. First I realized I had a free hosting site available to me, second I wanted to have a place to show small sketches that I'd done, third I wanted to be able to publish some writings on art, birding, possbibly programming, and fourth it seemed like a good opportunity to explore a different programming language than the one I use on my primary web site.

I suppose it's most analogous to a sketchbook or notebook. At some time it may mutate into a blog but at the moment I don't want to be tied down to timely updates. Though personal computers and the web have brought a wealth of tools to individuals they can also become harsh taskmasters. Do I want to spend time birding, sketching or whatever or would I rather cut down on some of that time so I can update a database with my sightings, possibly write about them, scan and edit the sketches, and publish then on the web? My preference is to use the pc and the web when I feel like it.

One undercurrent that you'll find is an apology for drawing and painting from photographs rather than from life. I have no doubt that much is lost in any art work that is derived from photographs. But sometimes it's just very difficult to sketch, let alone, paint a fleeing Blackburnian warbler. It's often a choice between just viewing such a striking bird, losing that moment of appreciation and replacing it with a hurried attempt to photograph it, or finally, making a desperate attempt to get it down on paper.

Most often I'm happy just to look. More rarely I'll try to get some photos, which will eventually be the source for drawings/paintings. Even more rarely I'll try to draw or paint it on the spot. The sense of immediacy that comes out of most drawings done from life is hard to replace. On the other hand it's often difficult to get much down on paper in the few seconds that I might view some birds each year as they pass through on their migratory way.

As time goes on I hope to show more work from life.

One other undercurrent is the Wissahickon Creek area of Philadelphia. Much of my birding and other outdoor activity takes place there or near to there, the Wissahickon itself, Carpenter's Woods, Morris Arboretum, Schuylkill Valley Nature Center.

Easter Warblers at the Wissahickon

April 8, 2007. It didn't really seem like the best weather for birding, 40 degrees when we began and winds at 10-20. But my wife and I like to take a bird walk on most holidays, generally somewhere along the Wissahickon, so we decided to head out, though with very low expectations. Our first 30 minutes showed almost no birds, just a cold, wintry sky. But when we got down to Forbidden Drive along the Wissahickon we saw more pine warblers than we've ever seen in one place at once. There were at least 12-15 of them. Most were not more than 6-10 feet off the ground. Normally when we do see a large number they are high up in pines. At that height, and often against an overcast gray sky, it would be hard to even know that they are pine warblers if it weren't for their fairly distinctive song. These were on the sand, on rocks, on low level shrubs at eye-level and some higher up. They ranged in color from the nearly gray to the brightest yellow. And most were singing so it was a great opportunity to match bird and song.

As we adjusted to them we also found at least 2 palm warblers, at least 1 yellow-rump, 2 or more golden-crowned kinglets, and 1 ruby-crowned kinglet. All were in the same area near the water. They were all our first sightings of that particular species for 2007, outside of the kinglets. We also saw 2 phoebes, first of 2007, along with a couple of wood ducks, many robins, 2 downies and some other more usual birds. It's definitely a cliche but you just never know what you might see when out birding, even on the most uninviting days.