Bachman's Warbler Carving 110, part 2

While creating my last post I was going through some of the images of the birds I've carved and came across another picture I took of the Bachman's Warbler I made before it was attached to its stand.

Right now its winter and if any of these warbler are left they'll be in Cuba enjoying the cooler and dryer season we have in this part of the world. Historically, there are a few scattered records in Florida, which is true of its relatives the Blue-winged and Golden-winged Warblers.

Bachman's Warbler - Vermivora bachmanii, Carving 110

In scrubby lowland habitat, which it would be found in winter. 

In the spring, while taking this picture there was a singing male Northern Parula, 

which paid no attention to my Bachman's Warbler. I was hoping for some kind of 

reaction, but Im sure the Parula has never seen one either, and/or my warbler is not realistic enough. 

Thanks for reading! 

David Kramer

Pond Cypress Studio

Bird Carving Checklist

I wanted to share a list I’ve been keeping of my carvings, for collectors or reference. I do have a book with more details on each species like: date it was completed, materials made out of, where I saw the bird, and any other important notes. 

I would like to post photos of all the ones I still have too, but I think I’d have to change to a different website format to do so effectively. Here’s the list in chronological order starting with the birds I made in Texas. I (almost) always make birds I’ve seen, usually where I am living, and put where the bird was seen next to the species name. 

Bird Carvings:

1- Ruby-throated Hummingbird

2- Prothonotary Warbler 

3- Ruby-crowned Kinglet

4- Carolina Chickadee

5- Mourning Dove

6- Ruby-throated Hummingbird

6- Indigo Bunting (VA)

8- Carolina Wren

9- Tufted Titmouse

10- Common Ground-Dove (FL)

11- Ruby-crowned Kinglet

12-16 Ruby-crowned Kinglet

17-19 Carolina Chickadee

20-21 Tufted Titmouse

22- Palm Warbler (FL)

23- Eastern Bluebird (FL)

24- American Coot

25-Ruby-throated Hummingbird

26-Piping Plover chick

27-Piping Plover sleeping

28-Piping Plover 

29-Orange-crowned Warbler

30- Carolina Wren

31-Black-chinned Hummingbird

32- American Goldfinch

33- Sanderling

34-Least Sandpiper

35-Black-bellied Plover

36-Northern Shoveler

37-Razorbill (FL)

38-Rufous Hummingbird (f) 

39-40 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

41-46 Least Sandpiper

47-Ring-necked Duck

48-50 Yellow-rumped Warbler

51-Orange-crowned Warbler

---move to FL, started FL species

52-54 Northern Cardinal 

55-58 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

59-60 Cuban Emerald 🇨🇺

61-Yellow-throated Warbler

62-Bee Hummingbird 🇨🇺

63-65 Common Ground Dove

66-67 Northern Parula

*2015 (22)

68-Least Sandpiper

69-American Redstart

70-Black-and-white Warbler

71-Pine Warbler

72-74 Painted Bunting

75-Dunlin

76-Western Sandpiper

77-White-eyed Vireo

78-Wood Duck duckling 

79-Mottled Duck duckling

80-Black-bellied Whistling duckling

81-Wood Duck duckling 

82-Yellow Warbler - Golden 

83-Ruby-throated Hummingbird
84-Anna's Hummingbird🇨🇦

85-Pectoral Sandpiper (AK)

86-Yellow-throated Warbler

87-Prairie Warbler

88-90 Least Sandpiper (3)

*2016 (10)

91-Buff-bellied Hummingbird

92-93 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

94-Black-throated Blue Warbler

95-Semipalmated Sandpiper

96-Common Yellowthroat FL

97-Pine Warbler

98-Northern Parula

99-Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

100-Eastern Screech Owl (Brown form)

*2017 (8)

101-Black-throated Green Warbler

102-Black Skimmer (chick)

103-Ruby-throated Hummingbird (chick)

104-Pine Warbler (fledgling)

105-Red-keeled Flowerpecker 🇵🇭

106-Olive-backed Sunbird 🇵🇭

107-Copper-rumped Hummingbird 🇻🇪

108-Pygmy Swiftlet 🇵🇭

*2018 (6)

109-Western Sandpiper

110-Bachman’s Warbler (Extinct)

111-Blue-winged Teal

112-Bachman’s Sparrow

113-Least Tern

114-Bahama Woodstar 🇧🇸

2019 

115-Merlin (Prairie ssp.)

116--Least Grebe 🇧🇸

117-Red-bellied Woodpecker (S. FL ssp)

118-Snowy Plover (Cuban ssp.)

119-Cape May Warbler 

120-Roseate Spoonbill hatchling

121-Brown-headed Nuthatch (FL ssp)

122-Ruby-throated Hummingbird (f)

123-Seaside Sparrow (juv.) 

124-Blue Jay (S. FL ssp.)

125-Red-necked Stint 🇹🇭

126-Warbling White-eye (JP ssp.) 🇯🇵

Thanks for reading. I hope it was helpful or interesting!

Sincerely, David Kramer

Pond Cypress Studio 

Warbling White-eye Carving 126

Before traveling to Thailand, we stayed in Japan for very eventful 8 days. 

Japan was amazing, and exceded all my high expectations I had of the country. It was very clean, organized, fun, and just all around very beautiful!

Before the trip I did research on birds to see there, as well as doing research of common or popular birds. Though Japan has a lot of iconic birds such as: the Mandarin Duck, Red-crowned Crane, Japanese Large-billed Crow, and Japanese Pheasants to name a few, I decided to go with a common residential bird: the Warbling White-eye, formally known as the Japanese White-eye. 

While carving I thought that I would make its feet open so I could attach it to any branch and be able to take a picture of it in a natural setting, and thought it would be cool to do it with a nice Japanese temple on the banks of a pond in the background. 

Warbling White-eye, Zosterops japonicus ssp. japonicus, Carving 126

at Fushimi Inari Shrine, in Kyoto, Japan.

You can see its little legs and feet, which are slightly flexible with wire inside. 

This is where I saw the Warbling White-eye, aka, Japanese White-eye, warbling around the 

trees right above the thousands of tourist and visitors walking up the shrine. 

Warbling White-eye, Zosterops japonicus ssp. japonicus, Carving 126

at Fushimi Inari Shrine, in Kyoto, Japan.

Sitting in a sapling Japanese Cedar. This forest around the shrine was 

full of all sorts of birds.  In one spot there was a narrow pond and a Gray Heron in it fishing. 

Some people clapped loudly at it, but Im not really sure why or what the meaning is. 

Warbling White-eye, Zosterops japonicus ssp. japonicus, Carving 126

at Fushimi Inari Shrine, in Kyoto, Japan.

This was along a nicely wooded trail heading up the side of the shrine grounds. 

It was really peaceful here.

Thanks for reading and visiting as always!

David Kramer

Pond Cypress Studio

Red-necked Stint Carving 125

I recently got back from vacation to Thailand and Japan. It was wonderful and both countries were very unique and interesting. In preparation for the trip I did lots of research on birds that I could look for while there, and I thought of doing a carving for each country.

The first carving I made was for Thailand. I wanted to visit the salt pans south of Bangkok and look for shorebirds. A wide variety of shorebirds can be found here, including the very rare and critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper. I stayed in Bangkok for a few days and did see a lot of new birds, especially by the river and in a fruiting fig tree by my hotel. After that we traveled to Phuket and I did get a chance to be near the beach and look for shorebirds. The first few days I was only able to find Common Sandpipers, and even though I looked in appropriate habitats wasn't able to find any other species. Before going back to Bangkok we stayed in a hotel near Sirinat National Park. It was pretty much a standard tropical beach and I didn't expect to find any shorebirds there. Fortunately at the beach hotel we were staying at there was a coral sandbar that extended from the sandy beach and stuck out into the ocean. During high tide the sandbar, which was actually just massive amounts of broken coral fragments, was cut off from the beach and much smaller. This was perfect because a large flock of about 100+ Lesser Sand-plovers rested here. Among the Sand-plovers I was able to find some a few Common Redshanks, one Ruddy Turnstone, and one Sanderling. Also, very happily, a few Red-necked Stints. I was really worried I wasn't going to be able to find any!

Here's a bunch of Lesser Sand-plovers resting on the coral sandbar. During high tide it seems they would come here to rest until low-tide comes and they travel to exposed areas to feed. Oct 2019.

A close up of one of the Red-necked Stints I saw. They were easy to pick out among the many Sand-plovers because they are constantly moving, and the Sand-plovers were quite still. Oct 2019

Another shot of the Red-necked Stint. Its so tiny and very cute, they're also very active. 

Feeding and running, and then taking off and flying back to the sandbar. They could 

be described as "hyper". Oct 2019

Most of the island is made up of these broken coral branches as well as 

large plate corals and other broken chunks of hard coral. 

My Red-necked Stint - Calidris ruficollis, in the habitat where I saw them. 

This one I painted in the winter plumage with a few worn summer feathers. 

I also made the base to resemble the sand and mud from the salt pans. It has bits of clear/white fine glitter to resemble crystalized salt on the sand. 

Red-necked Stint - Calidris ruficollis,  Carving 125, a view of its back with a single summer feather. 

You can see all the broken pieces of branching corals that the birds feed and peck around during high tide. During low tide I think they travel to the shallow mudflats and river deltas.

Red-necked Stint - Calidris ruficollis, Carving 125. Standing on the coral sandbar. 

All around the sandbar there's a beautiful coral reef, full of coral, fish, and marine invertebrates. 

The water was crystal clear as well and thankfully not too much trash on the beaches here. 

While watching the shorebirds an interesting thing happened. A Peregrine Falcon swooped down on the shorebird flock. They had all taken off just a moment before the falcon got to where the shorebirds were resting. It chased them fiercely and the shorebirds formed a tight and winding flock over the ocean. It was pretty amazing!! The falcon returned back to the island and rested for a moment on a coral boulder. It had failed to catch any of the shorebirds despite its incredible speed! 

Blue Jay Carving 124

In South Florida, we have a subspecies of Blue Jay, that is smaller and has a slightly different coloration. These birds are common all around South Florida, even in busier parts of the city. They feed on insects, at bird seeds, and fruit like mangos! They usually travel in small groups making a lot of noise and imitating Red-shouldered Hawks.

This summer during mango season by friend in the Miami Lakes area sent me a video of a Blue Jay eating a mango from his tree. The mango had a large hole from the Blue Jay pecking out chunks of the fruit and swallowing it. The mango looks about the same size of the Blue Jay and I'm sure weighs more!

Here's the original video, sent to me from my

 friend Alfredo Hernandez in Miami Lakes, FL.

The video was taken July 6, 2019. 

Blue Jay, South Florida subspecies - Cyanocitta cristata semplei.

I made a stand to resemble and older dead mango branch 

with a few cracks and drops of sap leaking out. 

David Kramer - Pond Cypress Studio 2019

Blue Jay, South Florida subspecies - Cyanocitta cristata semplei.

A closer look, in a habitat which I usually see these Blue Jays.

 Lots of live oaks and other fruiting trees with a canal in the background, in Hollywood, FL.

David Kramer - Pond Cypress Studio 2019

Heres a video of my Blue Jay taken next to my townhouse bird feeder. 

You can see the Blue Jay come down to get some black sunflower seeds and when it goes to the feeder it takes a few glances at my carving. It doesn't seem to mind it. 

Blue Jay, South Florida subspecies - Cyanocitta cristata semplei.

David Kramer - Pond Cypress Studio 2019