Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owl (RUBO VIRGINIANUS) 1950 edition Audubon print, with commentary on the reverse by Roger Tory Peterson. Printed in the USA, slightly larger than 9"x11". Rescued from a church bazaar, the page has a slight yellow patina, to be expected after 60 years

According to Peterson: “Its wide yellow eyes and the ear tufts (which have nothing to do with its real ears) give the bird a cat-like look – in fact, in the foggy forests of Newfoundland, lumberjacks call it the “cat owl”. Distributed widely, it thrives from Labrador and Alaska to South America and varies from near-white at the edge of the Arctic to dusky in more humid regions. It is a resident of every state in the Union….”

Summer Tanager

Summer Tanager (PIRANGA RUBRA) 1950 edition Audubon print, with commentary on the reverse by Roger Tory Peterson. Printed in the USA, slightly larger than 9"x11". Rescued from a church bazaar, the page has a slight yellow patina, to be expected after 60 years.

According to Peterson: “In the South there are two “red-birds”: the “winter red-bird” (the cardinal), which remains all year, and the “summer red-bird,” shown here. The only two birds in the eastern states that are ALL red, they are easily recognized, for one has a crest, the other has not… In Latin America four hundred species of tanagers, garbed in vivid shades of red, blue and yellow, vie with the parrots and trogons in making the tropics gay. Why, out of all this gorgeous galaxy, only two tanagers should be adventurous enough to cross the Gulf of Mexico is one of the many mysteries of migration.”

Bachman's Warbler

Bachman's Warbler (VERMIVORA BACHMANII) 1950 edition Audubon print, with commentary on the reverse by Roger Tory Peterson. Printed in the USA, slightly larger than 9"x11". Rescued from a church bazaar, the page has a slight yellow patina, to be expected after 60 years.

This bird has not been seen since 1961. According to Peterson: “Discovered by the Reverend John Bachman near Charleston, South Carolina, in 1835, it was described for the world by Audubon. For fifty-three years the little fugitive dropped from sight before it again turned up, this time in Louisiana, but during the succeeding few years, just before the end of the century, hundreds were found. It seemed to be common throughout the river swamps of the south, living in tangled places where trees stood knee-deep in the stagnant pools. Then, before anyone noticed, it again faded away.”

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker (SPHYRAPICUS VARIUS) 1950 edition Audubon print, with commentary on the reverse by Roger Tory Peterson. Printed in the USA, slightly larger than 9"x11". Rescued from a church bazaar, the pages have a slight yellow patina to them, to be expected after 60 years.

According to Peterson: “It has the habit of drilling rows of holes, as evenly spaced up and down “as corn on the cob,” and from these pits it gathers the tree’s oozing life blood, sapping it up with its brushlike tongue. Downy woodpeckers, squirrels, hummingbirds and butterflies patronize the sapsucker’s wildwood bar, and sip the stolen brew when the bartender is away.”

Mourning Dove (ZENAIDURA MACROURA)

Mourning Dove (ZENAIDURA MACROURA) 1950 edition Audubon print. Printed in the USA, slightly larger than 9"x11". Rescued from a church bazaar, the pages have a slight yellow patina to them, to be expected after 60 years.

Audubon himself wrote:"On the branch above, a love scene is just commencing. The female, still coy and undetermined, seems doubtful of the truth of her lover, and virgin-like resolves to put his sincerity to the test, by delaying the gratification of his wishes. She has reached the extremity of the branch, her wings and tail already opening, and she will fly off to some more sequestered spot, where, if her lover should follow with the same assiduous devotion, they will doubtless become as blessed as the pair beneath them."

Purple Finch

This weekend we went to a book sale. One of the finds was a portfolio of 50 bird prints from 1950, designed by Audubon. I've had fun scanning them.

Purple Finch (CARPODACUS PURPUREUS)

"Purple hardly describes the rosy hue of these attractive finches which Audubon has shown dangling from the tips of larch twigs."