Mike's conservatory (2 Viewers)

Woody said:

What to do next? The barn owl or maybe a wheatear....

Mike

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Tricky choice. So do as I do when faced with lager of vodka - do both!!! :t:

Agree with all who commented before me.
This Wren picture is a winner Mike!
It's not the easiest in the world to set such a tiny bird in a picture, with landscape in background, and make it look so natural!
The most artists are completely confused with the perspective!
My warmest appreciation to your achievement!
By the way, tomorrow I'm off to Greece for ten days to sketch birds.
Please cross your fingers to have success!

Paschalis

Fabulous work Mike - the wren landscape is phenomenal...and I have to agree that the peregrine pair are superbly done...sketches brilliant as always...

Elmley was cold (bitterly) and a bit grey on sunday morning but the snow didn't really start to come down until we were on the way home. Redshank courtship is obvious at the moment and the little blighters are at it all over! The wigeon seem to have departed as I didn't see a single one on this weekend's trip. I spotted a bird shape on a distant post and first thought was kestrel, the resident poser. However, the bird flew off before I could focus the bins and it just didn't have the kestrel jizz somehow. Peregrine? Nah, too small and pointy. Hobby? Nah not pointy enough and very early in the year. Merlin? Maybe, but a bit late in the year for Elmley. Kestrel seemed almost certain, but I had my doubts. I wrote it off anyway and figured I'd never know for sure. Quite a bit further on and on a different fencepost, there sat a female merlin. That's my bird then! One quick sketch and a couple of blurry record shots later she shot off high and fast towards the Swale pretty soon becoming a barely visible dot. We had a quick walk as far as the old schoolhouse but the wind was biting and the snow was stinging. Now I'm not a totally soft southerner but this was definately a time to do our birding from the comfort of Andy's new car!
The trip out was uneventful, no sign of the wheatears this week, and just a couple of sleeping mallards to take my fancy for the sketchpad. Andy's been taking snaps again, I know it looks like I'm asleep, but I was sketching, honest I was!

A songthrush has taken to singing from the silver birch tree behind my garden and he has visited the garden more than a few times over the last couple of weeks. I had noticed that his left leg was black, shrivelled and useless and now I cannot see it at all, perhaps it has fallen off. It hasn't deterred his singing though and he loudly proclaims his territory from high in the tree. When the wind blows strongly he has trouble keeping his balance and he often has to give up and flutter down into cover until the wind subsides. I hope he finds, or has found, a partner and that he survives through the year, his song is a thing of beauty which is a joy to listen to and I'd hate to lose that.

Snow outside for the rest of the day but I stayed warm in the conservatory watching the busy sparrows clustering around the feeders and working on the wheatear couple from last week. Although the female holds a dominant position in the confines of the picture, I wanted the male to be the main focus, just as he was in the field.

Mike

The wheatear couple;

"illuminating" - just gorgeous!

Another cracker! :clap::clap:

A super couple Mike, lovely work

Great picture, cant see this one hanging around toool ong...

Great account Mike - tremendous drawings and fine portrait by Andy (I assume it's been through Photoshop several times, too )
Love the wheatear pair - haven't had any yet myself, but they're sure to be here soon, if not already. Lovely design.

Really love wheatears. I like the composition of it also. And I love the backdrop colors.
I don't believe you weren't sleeping. You look cozy enough for a nod-off in mid sketch.

Great account Mike - tremendous drawings and fine portrait by Andy (I assume it's been through Photoshop several times, too

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.....Sorry Tim, he really does look like that, no amount of Photoshop will change him...He just looks relaxed in the new Car. Must say that hes motivating me to start sketching again, after some 26 years, Ive picked up the pencil and began to Re Learn all that i thought was lost many years ago. May even subject them to Birdforum .....:smoke:

Although I find it hard to recognise the knackered old bloke in Andy's pics, I guess it must be me!

After a bit of a frustrating saturday afternoon's sketching in the conservatory with a very low hit rate of anything worthwhile, it was great to see clear skies for the sunday morning Elmley trip. On the way in we spotted the first yellow wags of the year, they're beautiful and colourful little birds and it's a delight to welcome them back. The little owl was resting in the sun on a lower branch of his tree. It looks like they'll be breeding in the owl box again this year so it's certainly worth keeping eyes peeled for youngsters later on. A brisk walk out to the first hide revealed the sound of the first sedge warbler in fine voice, summer isn't far away. The scrapes are full with avocets, sleeping, preening and doing the dirty with each other. Andy and I spent a very pleasant, quiet hour sketching and soaking up the atmosphere. On the way out I had just remarked that we hadn't seen any marsh harriers when, as if on cue, a female floated by at some distance. I spotted a falcon ahead which when viewed properly turned out to be a female merlin, I must say it seems late in the spring for her to still be around here, I hope she's part of a breeding pair that have decided Elmley is a good place to raise youngsters this year...

Mike

the rest...

Hi Mike ,loved the day out at Elmley with you.
Cant wait to see the little owl in colour and as for the avocets , so alive.

wonderful selection of sketches here, love the bold form of the avocet, and I suppose we're due another fine little owl (I certainly hope so!)

I've got to go off for a training course in a bit so there's no time to write up the weekend's activities properly yet. Here's a couple of sketches in the meantime.

Mike

superb angle on the collared dove, great energy in the blue tits and if that yellow waggy doesn't become a painting then there's something wrong with the world - achingly excellent composition.

Crilkey - I cannot believe I haven't commented on the last few posts!!!!!!! I have looked at them hundreds of times with huge admiration and not a little envy, then just spotted that my responses are absent - many apologies and I shall try putting the record straight.
Well, as if it needed saying, the blackbird is one of THE drawings of the forum - shape, structure, jizz and life all contained in silky linework - totally divine. The avocets I have returned to time and time again and there's always something new to enjoy - about the bird and your portrayal of it. I'm very taken by the delineation of the shadowed areas - very classy piece of drawing. The little owl you have just about made your own - even if I did ever see another - I may draw it, but I doubt I'd post the results here .
And then the collared dove with bluetit. Collared dove we have plenty of - b-t not so and these sketches remind me of these wonderful little guys - superb stuff and I'm in total concord with Nick re the dove.
Great stuff, looking forward to the next bunch.

Thanks Nick, Tim.

Glad you like the composition of the waggy Nick, I thought he composed himself very considerately!
And Tim, thanks for the encouragement. Because I'm out mostly in the early morning I do get to sketch the birds in lovely low sunlight mostly. I try to get some of that effect down as it adds something magical I think, especially to 'white' birds. One day I'd like to be able to capture the effect even half as well as a certain Mr.Jonsson!

Mike