[buzzard12]

Pallid Harrier was a tick at Hjälsta in May, two in three days, heres a 2nd Calender Male, quick sketches..

[buzzard12]

Angarn received a visit too, another wetland inland to the north of Stockholm. Got myself a small Windsor and Newton field watercolour box, small, compact and handy..

[buzzard12]

Landsort also got a few days in May, went down with John Costello and we had a cracking few days packed full of birds...

Common Gull, Oystercatcher, Whinchat and Wheatear...

[buzzard12]

On then to Dublin for waders galore, it is probably the best place I know for fieldsketching as you get so close to the birds here. THis site holds 12000 waders in winter, still 2000 about when I was there, some resplendent in summer garb..

Dunlin and not here watercoloured in the field quickly and also a biro Sanderling, stunning birds in summer and very variable, this was a grey type with red ear covert's..

[buzzard12]

A few more here from Dublin, Sanderling and Whimbrel..

[buzzard12]

Then to Gran Canaria where I hoped for one of four seabirds, I got three and reckon I saw the fourth, Barolo's Shearwate, though just too distant to be 100%, a good reason to go back, which I certainly will..

Hundreds of hours I have sat and watched irish seas from various headland, how many times I dreamed of Bulwer's Petrel. Finally I got one, and then three more...

[buzzard12]

Enigmatic and very stunning; White Faced Storm Petrel. I saw at least nine, full account of these pelagics on the blog..

Madeiran Petrel, what can you say, another holy grail for seawathcers, three birds seen...

[buzzard12]

Great Spotted Cuckoo was a lifer and what a bird it was too, a highlight on land for me..


Lest I forget, Fulmar from Howth Head in Dublin...


There is more, but think thats enough for now...

[colleenc]

what a treasure trove to catch up here, simply superb

[solitaryVSong]

Originally Posted by colleenc

what a treasure trove to catch up here, simply superb

An incredible collection. I almost feel like I was there with you seeing all of these. Though they're all quite striking for some reason the third shearwater and second cuckoo seem particularly appealing. Looks like you must have had a wonderful time.

[colleenc]

simply beautiful

[U Q]

You can convey the jizz in very few lines. Not many can do it. Great stuff!

[buzzard12]

So, the latest weeks work from the baltic island of Hällägern, a womderful place, there is a full write up with photos on my blog for those interested...

Arctic Terns were the predominent species and great birds to draw...there was a brief Oystercatcher.

[buzzard12]

Temminck's Stint a highlight of the week, max. of five birds present..

Also some more Actic Terns...

[buzzard12]

More pencil here..


Common Gull

Wood Sandpipers(lots migrating)

Greenshank

[buzzard12]

And more still..

Greenshank roosting

Common Gull juv

Garden Warbler

Temmincks Stint, juveniles this time..

[buzzard12]

More Sterna terns here, bredding colony on the island..these done last day there...

[buzzard12]

Last pencil here of a juv Black Headed Gull...

Then two watercolours, a sketch at dawn and another painted in the field of two juv Common Terns begging for food...

[buzzard12]

Lastly...

Some watercolour fieldwork that resulted mainly from forgetting my pencils on one ocaasion, so a few of these have no lines as such...

That's the lot for now...

[buzzard12]

One more, almost forgotten...

Adult Temminck's Stint...

[solitaryVSong]

A wealth of beautiful, sure and incisive sketches!

[colleenc]

Super ....even on iPhone

[mattybohan]

you have been busy! These really are great.

[mark richards]

Fantastic!!!!!.

[timwootton]

WOW - I've only just looked at these last studies - incredible. The pallid and whinchat drawings are very beautiful, but your colourwork with the waders is out of this world. Mate - these are so fabulous, it's difficult for me to find the words. The dunlin coloured pieces are among the very best field studies I've ever seen - terrific work.
Some superbly observed flight shapes in the petrel drawings and the terns and the gulls and the lbj . . . . . and then these coloured tern studies. All are splendid, but the morning sketch shows such mastery of form and light; a brave piece which evokes a real sense of being there (the water is also handled expertly, too).
All in all, a fabulous wealth of art and fieldwork, imminently publishable and saleable; more work here than I've produced in the field for over two years!!! and the consistant quality. . . amazing. just amazing.