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Sketches and ramblings of a legendary nerd

Bison Facts FAQ

20/8/2017

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bison buffalo USA North Dakota North America, wild, wildlife photography rockeman 4dogarts
Do not give this guy a lift in your car. They make terrible hitchhikers.
Picture bison buffalo mammals hump rut tr national park information
Hello, ladies!
bison buffalo wild bull rutting male USA North Dakota Rockeman free picture image rockeman
Do not approach the bison. They are very delicate.
Picture bison wildlife rutting season North Dakota Montana wild wildlife Jessica Magnus-Rockeman
Bison rutting season. You know when your friend is about to make an arse of himself, but you let him do it anyway because he just needs to get it out of his system? It's kind of like that. But he's a bison. And has horns.
It's that magical time of year when we rework some things around this site. Which will make it much easier to find whatever your heart desires. Did your heart desire bison today? Well, you just won the jackpot. 

Out in North Dakota/Montana/Other places that the buffalo roam, it is the rutting season. That's when bison, (often called buffalo, but we know what you mean,) turn from rather boring creatures into hulks of manly testosterone spraying bull snot all over the countryside. You may think it's silly to wallow about in your own wee to display your strength and vigor. You may even think it's ridiculous to go stomping about and making a fool of yourself. To which we all say, "Then you've never been in love."

The rut season for the bison makes for great wildlife watching. If you are lucky enough to enjoy the spectacle of hormones, please be safe and live to tell the tale. For the sake of the public, here are some handy facts about bison for tourists that we just made up.

Bison Facts FAQ:

How fast are bison?

Faster than you. 

When is the rut?
Depending on where you are, the rut generally runs from late July through August.

Why do bison have that hump?
They wanted to be camels.

No really, why the hump?
The hump is a huge bunch of muscles supported by long vertebrae. The bison has no trouble plowing snow in the winter with his face. He can tap dance on your skeleton if he decides to, and technically speaking, the bull bison is not exactly a "deep thinker" in the animal kingdom. Especially when he has "the ladies" on his mind. Seriously. Stay in your car and do no approach the bison. 

How big is a bison?
Bison are the largest mammals in North America. Bulls (males) are often around 2,000+ pounds/900+ kg. 

Aren't they just like big cows?
Ha ha. No.

​
I am one of those people who loudly insist that the term "buffalo" is incorrect because "TRUE BUFFALO" exist on other continents than NORTH AMERICA. 
Shut up. These people are easily identified by using ALL CAPS and should not be invited to barbecues. 

They don't look like they could be that fast. Are you sure?
They are quicker and more agile than they look. Which is partly why bison rut season watching is so much fun. Stay safe out there on your adventures! Cheers!

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7 Tips For Photographing Raptors In North Dakota

8/7/2017

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Picture hawk-northern-harrier-female-underside-from-below-overhead-feathers-north-dakota-images
Female Northern Harrier Hawk. Probably taking a second look to see if we're worth the effort of eyeball removal.
Picture hawk-northern-harrier-female-wildlife-photography-jessica-rockeman-4-dog-arts
Female Northern Harrier Hawk, North Dakota
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I see you!
Picture hawk-northern-harrier-female-north-dakota-bird-watching-hiking-trails
Soaring harrier hawk
Picture hawk-northern-harrier-female-wildlife-photography-jessica-rockeman-4-dog-arts
What bird is this? It's a hawk. Northern Harrier.
Picture hawk-northern-harrier-female-wildlife-photography-jessica-rockeman-4-dog-arts
Stunning hawk!
Picture hawk-northern-harrier-female-wildlife-photography-jessica-rockeman-4-dog-arts
Low Ri-Der. Sing it!
Picture hawk-northern-harrier-female-wildlife-photography-jessica-rockeman-4-dog-arts
She's got something in her sights.
Sometimes people get in their heads that summer programs are just for kids and since we are polite around here, allow us to practice the priceless art of fake smiles. Summer has been full of programs where fledgling nerds of all ages develop their inquisitive wings and finally find a group of friends that appreciate their nerdy sense of humor. 

So what makes a bird a raptor? Take a quick inventory. If the bird is equipped with a hooked beak, sharp talons, powerful eyes and built to take your face off, then it's a raptor. 

There are always different ways to approach your subject, but Jess is definitely the "Walkabout" variety. If you like to set up a shot in a hide, that's cool, but Jess can't sit that long. Along the hike, you can take in plants, geology, or even a little star gazing if it isn't cloudy and Jess goes on too long. Which she probably will. In her defense, we were lucky enough to see loads of animals and honestly, when was the last time you walked through a petrified forest? 

Here are 7 tips from Jessica Magnus-Rockeman to help you take wildlife photos of raptors: 
  1. Take the camera. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. 
  2. Know where to look. Eagles build some famous nests, but MANY raptors don't. Harrier hawks like it low-they hunt low to the ground, they nest on the ground, they perch on low trees. They have a fear of heights apparently. 
  3. Know when to look. It sounds simple, right? But it's easy to miss. Family season for many animals is a short, open window. If you miss it, well, there's always next year. With these ND hawks, they build a next site in usually about a week in the grass, and the incubation can be over a month, but their nesting period is only about 14 days. Timing is everything. 
  4. Watch the lighting. Wildlife loves to not sit in the right spot. They are helpful like that. 
  5. Be respectful. That one seems obvious, but sometimes you see people that push beyond the line. Having a camera doesn't give you special privileges-harrier hawks can take off, but other animals, such as bison, could tap dance on your skeleton. It's never a good idea to stress your subject. Be nice. Life in the badlands is tough enough.
  6. Harriers are a great subject because they are fairly common in North America. And the females have this brilliant, owl-like face markings. In winter, you won't find them in Canada/North Dakota. Go slow. 
  7. Ask. Wildlife photographers are usually a pretty fun bunch. Stop in the visitor centers, such as the one in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Wildlife sightings/locations are updated there daily. 

​Keep your sense of humor out there! Cheers!
PS: All photos by Jess, but you probably knew that already.

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Jackrabbits Demand Memes

12/4/2017

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Jackrabbit in North Dakota, bunny meme, wildlife, animal, nature photography, Jessica Magnus-Rockeman, 4 Dog Arts
Warning! The rabbit puns are coming!
Jackrabbit in North Dakota, bunny meme, wildlife, animal, nature photography, Jessica Magnus-Rockeman, 4 Dog Arts
If I make a rabbit pun, would anybody carrot all?
Jackrabbit in North Dakota, bunny meme, wildlife, animal, nature photography, Jessica Magnus-Rockeman, 4 Dog Arts
Every bunny was kung-fu fighting!
Jackrabbit in North Dakota, bunny meme, wildlife, animal, nature photography, Jessica Magnus-Rockeman, 4 Dog Arts
Sometimes you all you need is a friend who is all ears!
Mark Twain. Ernest Hemingway. Hunter S. Thompson. One thing you’ll notice about these authors is that they’re all dead. They also wrote a little about rabbits.

The jackrabbit is a hare and to people you hope you are never next to at dinner parties, yes, there is a difference between a rabbit and hare. But nobody cares. The jackrabbit is sometimes said to be mistaken for a coyote, although, I suspect, only by people who have never honestly seen a coyote before. Or quite drunk. Which Twain, Hemmingway, and Thompson certainly were most of the time.

In fairness, these rabbits are probably larger than you’re used to if the only sorts of rabbits you see are in petting zoos or eating your front garden. Those bunnies are bred to be cute and photograph-able. The jackrabbit is larger and leaner. About the size of a small dog. When they stand up on their hind legs, their height is definitely noticeable. 

There are 4 or 5 different varieties of jackrabbits out there and I’m fairly sure that this is a white-tailed jackrabbit. The odds are pretty good even if you can’t see the details due to the fact that we were in North Dakota at the time and North Dakota is a favorite stomping ground of Lepus townsendii campanius. They turn white in winter in a halfhearted attempt to not be eaten by everything that walks and flies between Canada and Mexico.
 
Fun facts:
  • We call them ‘jackrabbits’ as a quicker, more kid-friendly version of their original title: Jackass Rabbits. People saw a similarity between the hare and donkeys’ ears.
  • The jackrabbit can hit speeds of 40mph/64kph
  • Females are larger than the males.
  • If you take a photo of a rabbit, does anyone out there carrot all?
Photo credit: Eva the Great!
Jackrabbit in North Dakota, bunny meme, wildlife, animal, nature photography, Jessica Magnus-Rockeman, 4 Dog Arts
Rabbit beer has a lot of hops.
Jackrabbit in North Dakota, bunny meme, wildlife, animal, nature photography, Jessica Magnus-Rockeman, 4 Dog Arts
Now you're just some bunny that I used to know.

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American Cougar - Because Being Lost Is My Superpower

21/1/2017

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Painting of an American Cougar by Jessica Magnus-Rockeman of the 4 Dog Arts Studio North Dakota
Somewhere inside you roar.
This week will go down as one of those which are rather full of anxiety and I know a lot of people out there are wondering what is going to happen to them. Are their fields going to fallow? Their livestock whither? Their nonprofits unfunded? Their septic systems backed up? Their favorite TV shows canceled? 

You don't have to be on one side of 'the pond' or the other to feel a little lost right now. I've been lost before. Lots of times. You know how some people can curl their tongues or remember a ridiculous string of Pi numbers... being lost is my superpower. You find your way out. And here's the best part: you don't have to do it alone.

Here's a real conversation I had with Rocko this week:

Rocko: What are you doing?

Me: I'm posting a painting tutorial about how to paint the American Avocet. It helps take my mind off things.

Rocko: I'd grab them by the legs and dunk. That would give you an even base-coat.

And then I died.
Which means my mind wasn't on my worries, so in a way, I was totally proven right.


To the huddled masses - roar.
​Roar intelligently.
Be quick to forget insults. 
​Turn the pain into jokes.
Be patient and educate.
Bad days have chemistry. I don't always understand people, but I understand wine.
Keep moving.

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How to paint the Biggest Jerkface Shorebird Bird on the beach, the American Avocet

15/1/2017

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American avocet jessica Magnus Rockeman How to paint diy birds how to paint birds watercolor tutorial
You know you want to.
Just to prove that we can kill it with keywords at the 4 Dog Arts blog, a tutorial on how to paint the American Avocet. Google may not even be able to handle the traffic. Try to keep up, Google.

These shorebirds are usually found in treeless, shallow areas, away from pelicans or gulls. They are also notable because we have rarely gotten a photo of them without being a set of totally territorial nutjobs. Avocets are like the mean kids you knew in high school who thought the whole freaking school was theirs. If by school, you mean shallow pond filled mostly with muck. 

It's a metaphor.


art supplies
Art supplies. You can never have too many.
  • Watercolor paper
  • gouache & watercolors
  • Prismacolor pencils
  • Sharpie
  • Micron pen
  • Mechanical pencil
  • Pastel chalk pencils

Step 1

How to paint birds, shore bird tutorial, step by step, easy
Quick bird sketches
Sketch  a rough outline of your birds in pencil. 

Step 2

How to paint birds, shore bird tutorial, step by step, easy Picture
Wet. Then start adding paint.
Mix a little red and yellow together to get the right orange. (Text the color on a scrap piece of paper first if you're not sure.)

Wet the space you'd like to paint with plain water first. Then start to lay down paint. 

Step 3

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While first color is still wet, add in yellow.
Start to paint in some yellow. I like to work fast so that the yellow and the red-orange have a chance to bleed together in the painting.

​I also have no patience. 

Step 4

How to paint birds, shore bird tutorial, step by step, easy Picture
Legs.
I now pay the price for my eagerness.

Use a little blue or purple with a little sepia black. Dilute it with water and it becomes a great gray for painting bird's feet.

If you can wait until the body is dry, you won't have to pretend the bleeding of the colors is what you meant to do.

Step 5

How to paint birds, shore bird tutorial, step by step, easy Picture
Paint shadows and bird's beaks.
Use the same blue/purple/sepia mixture to paint strong shadows and texture onto the legs. 

While I am waiting (See? I learn my lessons.) for the legs to dry, I paint the beaks with the sepia paint. I then paint the red orange over the tops. 

Step 6

Picture How to paint birds, shore bird tutorial, step by step, easy
Paint the back-up bird. I have also added a strong shaddow to the belly and legs of the front bird because I buggered it up at the beginning.
Now we'll paint the back-up bird. Avocets seem to like being jerks in pairs.

Use the same colors, but dilute with water. We want the bird in front to look more impressive. 

Step 7

Picture How to paint birds, shore bird tutorial, step by step, easy Picture
Mix blue, purple and sepia to paint the black feathers.
Everyone looks good in black, so we will put some on our avocets. 

Mix equal parts of blue and purple to sepia to get that swank black feather color. 

Highlight the feathers with blue. I only have a bright "almost-kind-of-sort-of cyan" left in my paint box, so that's what I'm using. You can use any sort of blue you like. 

Step 8

Picture How to paint birds, shore bird tutorial, step by step, easy Picture
Ta-da! I don't get to say "Ta-da!" alot.
Break out those Prismacolor pencils. It's detail time!

Take that sweet blue/purple/sepia and dilute it with water. A lot of water. That will make our shadow and tails on both birds. Then we finish with some pencils to make the feathers and eyes stand out.

Ta-da! 

Avocet Bird Painting Video

For those who prefer the video version, oh yes. We've got that!
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Happy Halloween 2016!

31/10/2016

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Happy Halloween! Now go get some sugar. 

Want to check out last year's spooky owl? Of course you do. Because owls are the best.

​

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Giant Canadian Geese in North Dakota

10/7/2016

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Canadian goose swimming honking 4dogarts wildlife photography free images
Giant Honker!
Canadian geese, or Branta canadensis, are not what you would call a "rare bird." Both male and females have black heads, bills and necks with white patches on the cheeks. They migrate, but will winter in places like North Dakota provided there is open water available. They eat grasses and crops and can nest about anywhere that catches their eye. It could be said they are not the most delicate of birds.

​




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Birds are Black Holes

12/5/2016

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Sorry I haven't had time to internet lately. If this post seems ridiculous and slightly more random than usual, blame birds. I like birds. I really do. But their personal care and well-being is next to the definition of impossible. They are black holes that will drain all your time and resources and should come with warning labels because I pay taxes, darn it, and my government is totally dropping the ball.
American Robin bird songbird rescue Jessica Magnus-Rockeman 4dogarts.com
American Robin with NO government warning.

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How Do Pronghorn Antelope Stand Up?

24/4/2016

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Great question! Take a look at how the antelopes lay down. Some with legs stretched out, sometimes with legs tucked in. ​Pronghorn Antelopes have a similar anatomy to deer.
Pronghorn Antelope North Dakota anatomy 4dogarts.com Jessica Magnus-Rockeman
Pronghorn antelope laying down in North Dakota.

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Great Plains Toad

13/2/2016

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"What sort of toad is that?" Fair question! Toads are like the "Ninjas of the prairie", only less assassin-prone. 
Great Plains Toad lookin' fierce!
Great Plains Toad looking fierce!
The Great Plains Toad, (Bufo cognatus), inhabit the grasslands of North Dakota. They are accomplished burrowers in loose soil and are found at night along roadsides, ditches, or anywhere else insects are plentiful. Similar to the Canadian & American Toad, these wee beasties can be distinguished by their dark, symmetrical blotches on their backs. They are not spotted underneath. 
Picture
This toad is very fond of holes. Their species enters water for breeding purposes, but not for much else. It breeds in rain pools, flooded areas, and ponds and can frequently be heard singing the song of love. The males erupt in a chorus after it rains, announcing a wave of toad-hormones, which I suspect the the lady toads don't care for, but are too polite to actually tell them, "Hey! Yeah! That song sounds amazing when you croak it." is something the lady toads have to say all the time.
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Toad singing his song of love
And deep down in his little toad heart, he knows it's a lie. Which is why he always looks like this.
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There are many toads you might encounter through the year in North Dakota. UND has a handy-dandy-cheat-sheet on toads. I recommend. 
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