Spring in San Luis Valley, CO

A visit to the San Luis Valley in Colorado is always a unique experience. The landscape is extreme — a flat valley filled with greasewood, wetlands, agricultural fields and sand dunes, bordered east and west by saw-toothed peaks and extensive wilderness areas.

This time of year the valley comes alive with migrating birds. The Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge is well known for supporting  Rocky Mountain Sandhill Cranes (Grus Canadensis) as they stop over to rest and replenish before continuing to their breeding grounds in northwestern Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah. Their throaty calls fill the air and their 6′ wing span surely create a current all on their own.

Since the cranes number in the thousands, their presence can often overshadow the variety of other birds at the refuge. A kaleidoscope of ducks, geese, and song birds find food and protection from predators among the shallow ponds, bulrush and cattails. The baby blue bill of a male Rudy duck, contrasts with the golden reeds. Rusty-brown, iridescent green and white patches of the Northern Shoveler reflect in rippling water while straining food through its signature long, flat bill. Male American Coots appear to walk on water in pursuit of females during courtship.

The signs of spring always inspire me. It generates hope as my heart and mind travel on beating wings toward unknown destinations.

Photo-sketches by Claudia Strijek for book

I have been an artist all my life and I have used many mediums – graphite, watercolor, wood, clay etc. However, photography has been my greatest passion and the best way for me to capture the landscapes, wildlife and time spent in the wilderness. Now I am transforming some of these images and adding  to them to illustrate the stories I am writing for my book. With the aid of a digital drawing tablet, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, I can combine photos and drawings in a way I have never done before. My goal with this artwork is to add visual appeal and ask the reader to see and feel the moments I am describing.

The sample image posted here is of a dear friend of mine on the best fishing trip we ever shared on the Arkansas river during a caddis (an aquatic insect that trout go crazy for) hatch near Salida, Colorado.

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Hail the Moose

Hail shoots to the ground — perfectly round pea-sized white ice. In minutes the grey cloud that was spitting icy pellets gives way to sunshine that cuts through the wet forest. From my sheltered tree hollow I observe how the radiant beams reach the ground and cause vapor to rise from the summer earth like miniature geysers.

A cow moose has moved out of the thick timber to an open meadow. All the hair, except the stiffer and longer strands of mane that are standing straight up, is plastered to her body. It makes this already gangly creature look even more awkward. She gazes at me with an almost embarrassed look as if I caught her half dressed. There is steam rising from the ungainly creature as the sun continues to dry its inky body. I emerge from my cover and quietly walk past the meadow to let her regain her dignity.

Nature Writings

I am in the process of writing a series of stories inspired by my experiences in nature. This collection of short hybrid writings will eventually become a book. All the stories are meant to capture a moment, a feeling, an event, in a poetic and creative manner that reflex the influence and power nature has on me. I hope those who read the excerpts and the ensuing book will find inspiration in the words to go find their own connection with the natural world.

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Birding

I came to birding — the art of watching wild wings — late in life. Yet there linger images deep from my past.

  • A snowy owl, whose midnight beak, gold eyes and cast shadow were the only things separating it from the white landscape it mastered over.
  • A lone bald eagle perched on a rock mid-river, fiercely pinning a fish beneath its deadly talons.
  • The kestrel hovering humming-bird style over a grassy meadow while hunting in the early morning light.
  • White pelicans floating on a lake that reminded me of canvas sailing ships.

Now I do more than note their existence. I see their struggle to survive, admire their strength, and recognize their fragility. Like a nosy neighbor my presence is not always welcome and frequently ignored as songbirds serenade each other and woodpeckers drum out messages in bird Morris code. They leave feathers on forest floors for me to discover and tuck into my cap. Their aerial life is one I envy and can almost fully experience in my dreams.