missing wildlife

Someone has abducted Baby Jesus. Over the weekend, extra cat food cans started appearing next to his dish (a plastic tupperware lid), and I cleaned them up so I could keep track of how often someone else was feeding him. Yesterday he was gone, and no more cans have been put out. One of the secret nighttime cat ladies has nabbed him, I think. I hope. I know she exists, but I don't know who she is. A couple of times, I came by after dark and got out of my car to find myself surrounded by dozens of glowing eyes, with all the fat glossy strays gathering around the walkways, waiting for their dinners. I have read Millions of Cats enough to know how this kind of thing ends, so I ran for it.

(Nearly all of them have notches in their ears, because Night Feeder also takes them to the Neuter Scooter like a good citizen.)

Today was going to be rescue day. We worked with the university vet tech program to arrange free treatment, and I have the humane trap in the trunk of my car, but he has vanished as suddenly as he appeared. I'm worried about him, and hope he's getting the care he needs. I'll keep checking for him.

Meanwhile, I have been getting weird about birds. DLNR announced their annual wildlife stamp competition, and I started thinking about painting an entry, which got me reading about endangered forest birds, which led to researching how scientists measure populations, and then getting mad about disruptions to albatross nesting grounds. Watched a video of researchers photographing a bird that hadn't been seen in 140 years, and now I feel like grabbing my camera and charging off into the woods to find all the extinct little birds that may still actually be alive. It gives some hope.

 love this

My sketchbook is filling up with birds. I might not paint a contest entry because I'm just trying to keep up with my painting-a-week project (progress on instagram), but I'm enjoying the birds.