Thank You from the "Live From the Nest" Chat Room Gang

I am having the above Photo Collage made into an 11 oz. coffee mug.  This will be a gift to send to Andy, Emily, John Blakeman & Dr. Sexton as a way to say "Thank You" from all of us who have come together through our wonderful experiences with our Hawk family, Particularly since this is the inaugural nesting of Bobby & Violet. This is a simple way to thank four very special people for putting up with our endless questions and concerns and to thank them for generously giving of their time, knowledge, and office window! .

If you would like to contribute to the cost of the mugs ($10  each plus$3.95 shipping & tax) please feel free to do so through the PayPal Donation button on the right. Any donation will be welcome since I am donating my paintings. If you do not have a PayPal account, you can contact me directly at: Cheryl Kingston, 730 Central Drive NW, Concord, NC  28027-6022

If you, personally, would like a mug for yourself, you may also order it through the Donation link or contact me directly. Cost is $13.95. Just be sure to include your name, address and Chat name!

I am NOT making any money off this mug. The price I gave you is the same price Walmart is charging me.  Well, they charge $10.97 each plus tax  ***For a bit of fun - next up in Pip paintings will be "The Art of Slicing"

The "Post Prandial Stupor"

The first time I actually observed the face first flop that followed a full crop, was on May 20th when Pip was just two weeks old. It wasn't long after that that John Blakeman explained to us that the "face flop" was actually known as "Post Prandial Stupor" and this is an actual biological term!

Pip would flop down (sometimes, her crop was so full, she couldn't quite pull off her "face plant") and Violet would finally get some much needed "me" time -- which she used to continue to try to incubate the unhatched eggs.

Bobby was always such a good provider! He brought mice, voles, rats, squirrels and even the occasional squab!

Rain or shine, Violet was always there for her darling baby girl! Even in the midst of a "Post Prandial Stupor" when she was unable to crawl under Violet for protection from the rain, Violet was ever the vigilent, protective, and nurturing mother!

Once Pip fell into her Stupor/Slumber, Violet was finally able to get a little flight time away from the nest. However, while Violet was away, Bobby was always close by watching over Pip!

Who can ever forget the day when Bobby got mad and smashed a hole in Dudley #1? We all speculated that he was tired of Violet continuing to try to hatch the eggs ... but Pip took it as a sign that the eggs were there for her exclusive use ... as furniture!

At just over three weeks old, Pip was starting to look a little shabby with new flight feather growth ... but she was still our little darling girl! And she could still do those awesome face plants!

The bigger Pip got, the more Violet would take her naps standing up on the edge of the nest. We all dreaded the day when she would no longer sleep with Pip ...

Bobby was real good at getting rid of leftovers and scraps of unedible prey! He'd often carry it off and we would all try to guess who would get the leftovers dropped on their head! We all thought it was funny -- of course, we were watching it from a computer screen, so we knew it wouldn't be dropped on our heads!

It broke our hearts when Pip turned one month old because that, it seems, was her signal to begin taking her meals al-fresco, on the ledge, out of camera range. If she was still doing her "Post Prandial Stupor" act, we weren't able to see it ... of course, we were very glad that she didn't decide to do a face plant off the edge of the ledge ... but there were a few times that she actually had us worried!

But that's another part of the story!

A Month of Attitude

In "A Month of Attitude" I wanted to give a glimpse of the many "faces" our Pip showed us during her first month in the nest! Yes, sir, that's our baby --- and ain't she grand!?! This was painted as six separate paintings and then put into this chronological collage! Talk about memories! WOW

The Ultimate Defender

Bobby defends the nest against any perceived threats while Pip naps and Violet takes a much needed break.

***I felt that Bobby was too monotone in the original post, so, I completely repainted him adding feather distinctions and colour variations. Hope you like this one better!

I Love You, Mommy

Of all the screen shots I've taken over these many weeks, this one is still my favorite. May 19, 2011, Pip was 13 days old. Notice how her wings are already beginning to change colour and just the wee bit of tail is beginning to come in.

I must confess, I left a lot of the nest "decor" out of this painting as I didn't want it to detract from the moment of maternal love and bonding between Violet and Pip.

Daddy, I'm Hungry!

Our little girl wakes up hungry and calls to Daddy for a food drop! She's ten days old today!

Poor Mommy doesn't look like she's gotten enough sleep! Violet continues to sit on the two unhatched eggs.

May 6, 2011 A Star is Born

A day that many said would never arrive, just has! Amidst miscalculated lay dates and fear of unviability, a miraculous event has occurred on this beautiful Manhattan Friday! One of Violet & Bobby's eggs has finally hatched!
What a wonderfully jubilant day this is for us all ... after all these weeks of anticipation; all these days of stead-fast hope, despite the nay-saying of so-called "experts" the newest member of the 2011 Bobst family has finally arrived on the ledge!