Sketching the Pandemic Year 2020 Week 18

 

Sketching the Pandemic Year 2020 April26-May2 Week 18

Staying home during the pandemic, I spent many hours watching  high flying, cruising birds. Mostly I resorted to hoping and waiting for them to get closer and  within the binoculars view.  We live close to an Air Force Base. So I am aware of ‘GIS’  short for ‘General Information and shape’ - fighter pilots’ and airplane enthusiasts’ way of spotting and identifying planes by their silhouettes, sizes, shapes, etc rather than insignia. On a whim, wondering if such a system existed for birds, I decided to google flying wing shape silhouettes for hawks and raptors. I had seen Osprey, Bald eagle, Black and turkey Vultures as well as  different sea gulls in the skies around our yard and in the neighborhood but never could tell them apart way up high! Knowing the silhouettes and shapes really helped. I have not come across any Red tailed hawks or Northern Harriers around here but I am a little better at identifying Osprey, Bald Eagle and vultures :)

The bronze and gilded Chariot shaft ornament in the form of the dragon head pictured on the Engagement Calendar 2020 is from c.400-300 BCE Late Eastern  Zhou Dynasty in China.  It was found at a royal burial ground. I wonder if the dragons ferrying the dead royals on their journey to the other world encounter any of these majestic raptors ! 

Raptor Silhouettes ink by Meera Rao