Jomo's Sketchbook (18 Viewers)

[nickderry]

Hmm, I don't seem to remember recording any shenanigans at the time. But looking at it, it's quite obvious: the lower bird is now his biatch.

Dirty birds! I think the top one would look great with reins in its beak, riding 'his biatch' like a horse.:t:

 

[timwootton]

Absolute unadulterated b100dy filth - I love this Forum!!!

 

[ARTHUR BISHOP]

just love these sketches

 

[spizaetos]

This Rose-breasted Grosbeak is awesome!
Not to mention all the others , so many fabulous,life like, real bird-drawings!
I admire your ability to sketch birds from various angles!
That's rare indeed!

Paschalis

 

[Woody]

More tiny, delightful warblers and a kingfisher to boot! Super fieldwork as ever Jo. Send me one of those pronothoter... pronthont... Yellow beauties will ya?!

Mike

 

[Rahul Parekh]

excellent drawings & paintings Jo. Love it. Keep Going....

All best wishes,

Cheers, Rahul

 

[jomo]

Headed out to Grass Lake yesterday, great spot for grassland birds. I'll have to go back again next weekend for more time with the bobolinks, as they're easy to get close to here. I managed to spot the cranes as well. Very distant, although I heard that later in the morning they moved closer to the road in a nearby field, the chick visible this time (drat!).

A couple of casualties picked up during the drive down as well -- waxwing and a juvenile robin.

 

[mark richards]

very nice, jomo...mark

 

[timwootton]

Cor! These are absolutely brilliant Jo - the cranes have got the lot; great angles and shapes and taking the watercolours into the field has paid handsome dividends - gorgeous study. These postmortem studies are elegantly simple, unpretentious and totally beautiful.

 

[buzzard12]

Cor! These are absolutely brilliant Jo - the cranes have got the lot; great angles and shapes and taking the watercolours into the field has paid handsome dividends - gorgeous study. These postmortem studies are elegantly simple, unpretentious and totally beautiful.

Not to mention that bobolink, seen these once in the Ontario shield region, wonderful birds in display. Brilliant work Jomo, Cranes full off life....

 

[nickderry]

another batch of wonderfully observed sketches, Bobolink is definitely on my wish list now! The post-mortem studies are incredibly delicate.

 

[Peter C.]

Hi JOMO,

I like that "Mr." Bobolink particularly - I find that including the habitat adds so much. Can't get over how hard some people (thinking here of photogs. more than artists) work to exclude it.

Here's hoping you find the Crane chick this weekend - while it's still cute and fuzzy! (Don't know how fast they mature, but it'll grow into a gangly adolescent far too soon, no doubt).

Cheers,
Peter C.

A.H.O.R.B.

 

[ARTHUR BISHOP]

Super sketches Jo

 

[jomo]

Hi JOMO,

I like that "Mr." Bobolink particularly - I find that including the habitat adds so much. Can't get over how hard some people (thinking here of photogs. more than artists) work to exclude it.

Here's hoping you find the Crane chick this weekend - while it's still cute and fuzzy! (Don't know how fast they mature, but it'll grow into a gangly adolescent far too soon, no doubt).

Cheers,
Peter C.

A.H.O.R.B.

I did manage to track them down on Saturday, free as I was from your meddling influence . They were along Beke Road, probably the same location you saw them. Will post sketches when I get some time.

 

[Woody]

More superb fieldwork Jo.

Mike

 

[jomo]

Whew! So much breeding bird activity to check out, follow up on, chase down ... I'm not complaining, but it would be nice if they'd save some for the rest of the season! Some recent raptor families: Red-tailed Hawks (very neat location on a church ledge) and four LEO chicks in what was practically my back yard growing up.

 

[jomo]

...

 

[nickderry]

absolutely wonderfully observed, so much form and expression.

 

[Peter C.]

Whew! So much breeding bird activity to check out, follow up on, chase down ... I'm not complaining, but it would be nice if they'd save some for the rest of the season! Some recent raptor families: Red-tailed Hawks (very neat location on a church ledge) and four LEO chicks in what was practically my back yard growing up.

I just saw a bevvy of LEOW chicks yesterday, I imagine they are the same ones as Jo was sketching. They're fantastic things to watch!

I don't have a photo or sketch to show for it (never, in my life, have I so much regretted not having brought the camera along!), but I do have a mental image that will stay with me for life:

The rain has just stopped, and the sky is still overcast. Three of the four siblings sit, crowded together, on an angled piece of timber - the remains of a (mostly collapsed) split-rail fence. They are in the open, just at the edge of a pine plantation. The fence borders a narrow area of tall grass - a farm lane, much overgrown. The smallest of the three decides to attempt a short test flight over to a fairly substantial-looking stalk (last fall's mullein) in the middle of the grassy area. He makes a perfect landing - and the mullein, utterly unable to bear his weight, gently collapses into the tall, sodden grass. The chick disappears from view, not emerging for some minutes.

Oh, the embarrassment.

Peter C.

A.H.O.R.B.

 

[Woody]

My father-in-law and wife's stepmother live in Cambridge and she sent me an article about these red-tails. It's a small world isn't it!

The photos in the article aren't as good as your drawings though! Nice job on the LEO's too. I recently went to see three tawny owl chicks in a London park, despite being told where to look it took an age to actually locate them.

Mike