Steam Punk and Starry Night

For the Summer Pick-a-theme I decided to do a poll in my Facebook to determine which picture I would draw next. The options were:
A; Still Life with Glass
B; Steampunk Guy
C; Tropical Fish
D; Dionysos (the Greek God)
E; Guy with horns

B came out the Unanimous winner. So I did it first. The rest will come - with time!
This was photoreferenced from this fellow here but doesn't really look like him. With obligatory vehicle and smog!

I've done my own take on Van Gogh's "Starry Night" I think four times now - over Hungary, over Aztec Ruins, over Slovakia - it was high time I did it over something in my own country! Gives me more excuse to try drawing architecture too. Good practise, even if the proportions are slightly off. The Chalice was tricksy!

Fancy a shag?

The term "Shag" actually refers colloquially to cormorants that exhibit a crest. So I would like to introduce you to one of our endemic Shag species - the Spotted Shag or Parekareka:

Why is it called a Spotted Shag? I'm not sure - surely "striped" shag would be more appropriate? Whilst it does have a slight haze of speckles in its grey-white chest and a few brownish spots on its wings, this handsome fellow is not what I would describe as "spotted". So I shall henceforth refer to him as Parekareka instead.

Parekareka is a coastal shag, preferring to make his home on rugged, rocky coastlines and not delving inland like some of his non-shaggy Cormorant Cousins. He builds his nest on craggy ledges . But before that, he must put on his finery and find himself a mate. In breeding season, adult Parekareka colour up - their facial mask deepens in blue-ness, their crests grow larger and more erect, the spots on their wings (aha!) more pronounced. Their black feathers grow in glossier and blacker, the white grows in more pure with a touch of blue-green. White filoplumes adorn their wings. And now, in their fine attire, they seek their mates.

After the nest is built, the plumes fall out, their crests moult away. As the eggs are laid and the incubating commences, the vestiges of beauty and courtship are cast aside. When the eggs hatch, the parent birds go forth and bring them back mouthfuls of half-digested fish and crustaceans, which the youngsters greedily bolt up.

Outside on the rocks, the gulls wait.

After the parents have departed, aggressive red bills sometimes fly to the nest, bullying the youngsters until they disgorge their meal. Upon which, the vicious pirate scoffs it up! This nasty procedure continues until the young shag exceeds the gull in size and dominance is no longer possible.

When the youngsters are fully fledged, large parties of them, accompanied by their parents, make long journeys up and down the coast. Here they learn to fish and feed for themselves.

The Bear and the Bees

Bear was hungrily hunting for berries in the forest when he stumbled upon a rotting log. Nosing at it, he scented the rich, tasty scent of honey. Now, honey was Bear's favoruite food. Carefully he nuzzled the log, trying to see if the stinging inhabitants were home. At just that moment, a Worker Bee buzzed in, returning laden with nectar. Upon seeing the bear and realising its intent, she sacrificed herself by stinging him sharply upon the snout, warning him to be on his way. At this Bear flew into a dreadful rage. He ripped at the log, breaking it open with his sharp claws. Immediately the bees swarmed out, furious with him, stinging and buzzing and stinging some more. Bear fled, stampeding through the forest until he found a small pool of water and dove in.

It is wiser to bear a single injury in silence than to provoke a thousand by flying into a rage.

A fable by Aesops. The Bear is a Sloth Bear from Asia. This postcard is going to Uganda, of all places.

Merino

The Merino sheep is a breed of sheep that is famous in New Zealand. It is a great, shaggy sheep producing a goodly quantity of warm, thick wool. One sheep in particular made headlines a few years ago. Named "Shrek", this castrated male sheep evaded mustering for six years, living in a cave in the high country. When they found him he was a great, big, shaggy, matted mess of wool. He was carrying around 27 kgs of the stuff! If he lived anywhere but NZ he probably would have been eaten by wolves or otehr predators, if they could find him under that wool. Only in New Zealand can a sheep become famous just because he lived as a hermit for 7 years. Shrek has retired from the limelight now, but is currently touring NZ to make a new book. If he was not a media-love, he would have been turned to mutton. So, go Shrek!

PS: This is not Shrek, as I drew it with horns, Shrek doesn't have them - presumerably because he's castrated.

A Tiny Immigrant

This diminutive birds (shown here about life-sized) came to New Zealand the hard way - on their own. They are one of our later immigrants, arriving around 1856 and making the Chatham Islands their home. After this, they moved to the mainland and are now wide-spread across the country, and also a fairly common sight in the urban environment. So how did this little bird make such a big journey? Flocks of them were swept across by powerful winds. These winds only blow from Australia to New Zealand - there was no chance of them being swept back. How such a small insect-eating bird survived such a long journey just goes to show the tenacity and strength of this tiny fellows.

Silvereye are a member of the Zosteropida family, which are widely distributed across a number of continents and islands. Their favourite foods are insects, nectar and berries, and the former made them popular in orchards, where they snack on the pesky woolly aphis. Of course, they also enjoy the fruit! They travel in small flocks, making distinctive rapid warbling conversation and flashing swiftly through the trees. In spring and early summer, they pair off and build cup-shaped nests which resemble hammocks. In these they lay their eggs and raise their offspring.

Some declining Natives

Once the Kakariki was a common sight in New Zealand's native forests. Large flocks would flutter through the trees, chattering loudly as they foraged for fruit, seeds and shoots. Whiteheads (in the north) and Yellowheads (in the south) would hang around the flocks, snatching up any insects they disturbed. Now, however, their chatter is silenced. They are still there, in our more undisturbed forests, but you'd be hard-pressed to find them. Like many of our natives, the Kakariki were damaged significantly by the introduction of mammalian predators. Rats would steal their eggs and chicks, and stoats gobble up the adult birds. Like most parakeets, Kakariki are hole-nesters, and this makes them vulnerable to a visit from Mr Stoat. Kakariki is the Maori word for "green" - specifically THAT shade of green and there are three distinct species - the yellow-crowned, the red-crowned and the somewhat more controversial, orange-crowned (more recently proven to be a species, NOT a hybrid of the two).

The New Zealand Dotterel or Tuturiwhatu is another of our natives that was once widespread and is now in decline, thanks to the European invaders. However, in this case the damage is mostly due to humans themselves. Dotterel live, love, breed and feed on the coastal shores. They are easily disturbed - especially in breeding season, by dirt-bikes, dogs, curious humans and of course the introduced mammalian predators. As the eggs are laid in a hollow on the sand, they can easily be crushed by a dirt-bike, horse or unwitting human. If a predator comes near the nesting bird, her partner puts on a bit of a show, pretending to be mortally wounded. Dragging his wing, flopping helplessly, he lures the predator away from the nest site. Once he is a safe distance away - or the predator gets too close, he flies off, making a high pitched chip-chip call and, of course, away from the nest.

More Native New Zealanders

Not a lizard, but a reptile harking back from the time of the dinosaurs, the Tuatara is another relic of New Zealand. The adults are nocturnal, the youngsters diurnal. This is a survival mechanism because tuatara are not particularly picky eaters - but they do eat meat (eggs and ubsects), and they don't turn their nose up at eating smaller members of their own species. They are long-lived - some known species are approaching 100 years old - or older, and slow breeders. For example, Henry, a famous captive tuatara, has now beconme a father for the very first time. Aged 111. They only reproduce every 2-5 years, if that. This makes them vulnerable to predation, as they don't breed fast enough to restock the population. Also they are affected by temperature changes - the higher the temperature, the more males are hatched, so if climate change is on the rise, then the tuatara will be on the decline. Through captive breeding, this ratio can be somewhat monitored and controlled. Tuataras live in burrows, coming out at night to forage. They have been known to share with burrowing petrels, although whether this is of benefit to the bird is uncertain. Since tuataras do like meat, and are partial to eggs, it is probably not the best living arrangement and the petrel would be best to move out and find a new home.

The Kaki or Black Stilt is a very rare wading bird. Once widespread across New Zealand, it is now limited to only one breeding ground - in the riverbed near Twizel. Conservation efforts have meant that a large fence has been erected around this area, allowing the birds to fly in and out but keeping the area clear of mammalian predators. At present there are not many more than 7 breeding pairs, captive breeding is involved to help boost their numbers. As there are many more make black stilts than females, the male Kaki will often seek out a Poaka - a pied stilt, for breeding. These hybrids are fertile, but have low survival rates. Kaki prod around the riverbed rocks and in the mud for tasty invertebrates to gobble down. They are solitary breeders, and when the young hatch they are precocious and active, swiftly able to hunt for themselves, under the watchful eyes of their parents.

The Kotata or Fernbird, as it is named, is a diminutive, reclusive fringe forest dweller. More often heard than seen, it is not uncommon, but yet one of our lesser known species. Named "Fernbird" for its distinctive droopy, fernlike tail, rather than its habitat, it lives and breeds in sedge, near water. Inoculous, and relatively small, it prefers not to fly and will hop along the ground to travel. Not that it tends to move far from home, at any rate. It nests close to the ground, making a little cup nest. This is of course vulnerable to rats, and the Kotata is also threatened by habitat destruction. Maori revered this wee chap as an oracle and interpreted its calls to decide whether their daily ventures would be succesful or fail. They have also used them to portend disaster. I have been on several fernbird hunts, including a most noteable one in Totaranui (where I stumbled upon them accidentally) and find them charming fellows.

Hector's Dolphin - Tutumairekurai

The Hector's Dolphin is one of the smallest in the world and rather rare. It is found only down and around the South Island of New Zealand, with the pods near Akaroa being well frequented by tour boats. They prefer shallow(ish) water and are rarely found far out to sea. They are opportunistic feeders, prey limited more by size than anything else, favouring fish and cephalapods. They are occasionally predated by sharks and orca, but the biggest risk comes from humans - namely the fishing boats, and there have been several reported Hector's Dolphin deaths due to fishing. Indeed, if you do a google image search for "Hector's Dolphin" one of the first things you will see is a washed-up corpse.

They have a number of Maori names which refer both to them and the closely related Maui dolphin - tutumairekurai, aihe, papakanua, upokohue, tukuperu, tūpoupou and hopuhopu. Maori traditionally used to watch dolphin movements to predict the weather.

Tawaki - Fiordland Crested Penguin

This handsome chap is a Fiordland Crested Penguin, known also as the "Tawaki". He can be found along the Fiordland coast and on Steward Island. Although they forage in the ocean for squid, crustaceans and tasty fish, they head inland to make their nests in temperate, coastal rainforest. The form monogamous pairs, although sometimes will nest in groups, nesting under overhangs, in caves, or under tree roots. Although they lay two eggs, generally only the first one hatches, and even if two chicks do break free, there is a day or two between them in age and the younger usually fails to compete with its sibling for food and dies. The male guards the chickat first, whilst the female feeds it, but after a few weeks the chicks are creched together and both parents forage. These birds are quite shy and among the rarest of our mainland penguins.

This fellow is my second "Official" postcrossing postcard (which means to say that the recepient ahs been chosen randomly before sending) that I have made by hand. This time I did not make it because I wanted to "conquer" the country (it's headed for the US), but because I really felt the lady would appreciate it. I am looking forward to her response!

Morepork (Ruru)

Our only extant native owl, the Morepork is related to the Australian Boobook. It is a small, compact owl with a distinctive two note call - "ruuu-ruuu" (or "mooor-poooork" depending on your imagination). Like most owls, Morepork are nocturnal, coming out at night to hunt for grubs and insects - also the occasional bird or mammal. They inhabit forested areas and avoid areas that are too dry.'

This fellow is going to wing his way to Finland.

Our Flightless Icon

The Kiwi is a real Natural Oddity. It may be a bird, but it fills the niche of a mammal. Its body temperature is lower than most birds, and its feathers are made of loose fillaments, not interlocked ones, like most birds. It cannot fly - doesn't even have wings to speak of. it prods with its bill in the leaflitter, searching for bugs and grubs, clearing its nostrils by snuffling. It is the only bird with the nostrils at the tip of its beak. Kiwis are monogamous, and the egg is the largest in proportion to any bird*. Once the female has laid the egg, she goes off to eat (she's had to eat a lot to help the egg production and then fast towards the end because her stomach is compacted due to the egg) and the male does the incubating (in almost all the species). The chick that hatches is a miniature kiwi, almost ready to fend for itself.

* In Port Douglas the guide there declared this particular "claim" true of the Brush Turkey of Australia . It's not. Brush Turkey eggs weight 180 gms and the average weight is 2274 gm (less than 10% - 8% to be precise). However, the Brush Turkey can lay more than 3 times its weight in eggs.
The brown kiwi on the other hand, lays one egg weighing 450 g, whereas she weights around 2800 gm (making the egg 16%).

The Taniwha

The Taniwha is a beast of Maori Mythology. It is a Guardian of deep ponds in rivers, dark caves and the ocean. Closely interlinked with the land, it punishes any who dare to break Tapu (taboos) and has been used to defend land from development. If one has interacted with a taniwha in their life, then it is possible that they shall become one after death. Likewise, some woman have been known to have relations with male taniwha and produce taniwha offspring.

Llamallamallama!

Postcard of a Llama. For Redlynx in Russia.

Out of the Ordinary

Don't you hate it when you've finally finished a challenging piece and you scan it and realise the errors?

It's a 1965 MGB. Whatever that means! Destined for Sri Lanka, if it's good enough...

Topsy Turvy Tui

The Tui is a New Zealand Honeyeater, related to the Australian species. He sups the nectar from flowers - like these purple fuschias, pictured here. Also known as the Parson Bird, ebcause of his white bib. He is an extraordianry mimic, and has a most musical song often interspersed with cellphone noises, car horns and sirens when he lives in an urban environment. They have also been known to mimic human voices.

This fellow is destined to make the looooong flight to Kazakstan.

Le Petit Prince

The Little Prince waters the arrogant flower.

This postcard is destined for Iran!

A new chapter in the "Aesop's Fable" collection

The Wolf and the Stork

Wolf was always a bit of a greedy eater, and one day he bolted down his dinner so fast that a bonoe became lodged in his throat. He choked and coughed, but it failed to come out. A passing Stork saw his distress and stopped by to help him.
"Pray hold your mouth open," she instructed, and the Wolf did, although it took great restraint. Using her long bill, she plucked the bone from his throat and tossed it away into the bushes.
"Now," said she, " what is my reward for saving your life?"
"Reward," scoffed the Wolf, feeling rather better now that he could breath. "You do not need a reward. You have stuck your head into a wolf's mouth and survived - that is reward enough." He then pounced at the Stork, who flew into a neighbouring tree. She glared down at him.
"Be warned," she said, "should I ever come upon you choking again, for such kindness shall never be repeated."

This one is going to the Netherlands. Probably.

Weirdness to end the month...

Almost finished my pieces for the "Per the Profile PAT". I only had TheMuppet left to go, and Sarah is delightfully demented.

I have made her these:

Beware the Platodyle (4x4)!
He's decpetively cute, but not only is he deadly - he's also POISONOUS.

The Flight of the Toasters (6x4):

And the pieces I left in Australia, now returned to me:

Wedge-tailed eagle (4x4):

Bird Twinchies (2x2 each):

Brush Turkey, Masked Plover, Rainbow Lorikeet
Cassowary, Rainbow Bee-eater, Helmeted Friarbird

These six were inspired by Ludo Collingwood's work in Kuranda.

All aboard the Sugar Train!

Inspired by our Honeymoon in Queensland.

Starry Night over an Aztec Temple

Because one never gets tired of plagerising Van Gogh!

This piece will go to Turkey.