From Tim Wootton's Studio (1 Viewer)

[birdpotter]

Those Kittiwakes are fan-freakin-tastic. I absolutely love the movement and the seemingly little effort you've put in them. The eider is lovely too. I find myself drawn to sketches like that. Perfect for a frame. Someone will be very happy.

 

[timwootton]

Cheers folks!
Took a bit of time out to day to do some birding! Showed a friend the delights of the old isle (South Ron) as I had to drop off the eider pic and collect some dosh for it. at Hestily. The breeze was stiffening as we walked through the scrubby site and the first bird I had ws a little green thing which whizzed away in a blink. It took us ten minutes to relocate it and confirm its id - yellow-browed warbler.
Then met Paul (Higson -Mr 199-on-Mainland-Orkney-Man) who, with the swift addition of our y-b warbler (which had now transmogrified into 2 of these splendid little birds), immediately became Mr-200-Man - a feat never before accomplished. The addition of TREECREEPER!!! was a huge highlight for the day (don't forget - this is Orkney, and we had greater-spotted woodpecker last week too).
Popped by to see Andy (Mitchell - owner of Hestily, top birder and ringer and all round top bloke) just in time to help in the ringing and recording of a splendid adult female sparrowhawk.
Had to drop in at Kirkwall on the return trip to bank TWO cheques (effing eck!) and swooshed across the county to Stromness for fish and chip supper.
Quite knackered and ready for beer and bed.

 

[Woody]

Nice birds, nice sketch. YB warblers, treecreeper and two cheques as well! Sounds like a good day.

Congratulations to mr Paul-200-Higson too!

Mike

 

[nickderry]

sounds like a very happy day! wonderful sketching.

 

[EliS]

Ooooh, a yellow-browed warbler! That's special. Pretty little bird, and pretty sketches.

Elina

 

[desgreene]

Sounds like a great day all round. Lovely sketches of the Y-b.

 

[timwootton]

Back to reality today - no birding just working. However - eldest child wished to take advantage of the fabulously warm and still weather we've had the privilege of enjoying recently and wanted to take the inflatable out. Youngest also jumped aboard and this required me to be on lifeguard duty on the pier. So, accompanied by tin of lager, I dragged the scope out and scribbled a few sheets of stuff, mainly from a range of 250 metres.
A pleasant way to spend a Thursday evening.

 

[timwootton]

. . .

 

[nickderry]

as John Busby would say, wonderful collection of shapes on the shags, plus more fantastic kittiwakes - oh and look, a tystie, another black and white bird that doesn't exist!

Lifeguard duty with a can of lager! tut tut ;-)

 

[timwootton]

- oh and look, a tystie, another black and white bird that doesn't exist!

Touche! Although the tysties are more mucky gray and white now - they change into winter pl. so quickly, it seems.

Lifeguard duty with a can of lager! tut tut ;-)

Well Nick - I've seen Baywatch and all the lifeguards on that programme had six-packs.
I'm no different - 'cept I left t' other five in t' fridge!

 

[PWG]

wonderful set of sketches, with a pulse and feathers too..

 

[PWG]

Just curious, anyone know what happens when this thread gets up to 100,000 views does the column shift left to make more room or does it just go back to zero. Is this part of the forum the first to ever find out?

 

[timwootton]

Never picked up a pencil today. Actually that's not entirely correct - I did quite a bit of measuring and marking because I had to strap and line a wall in the kitchen for darling wife.
After walking mad ball-less dog for half an hour had to prepare for eldest child's 'Band - Comp' at the academy (a sort of stars in their eyes, guitars and singy kinda thingy) - she was very good (One Way, Or Another, I'm Gonna Findya, I'm Gonna Getcha getcha getcha getcha getcha . . . - always did like the Harry girl's stuff). Back home and after all this culture and 'normality' I needed a wilderness fix. No walking on the cliffs at 10:30 pm for me (not today anyway) so hit the 'puter for some images.
Now, one of the events I had planned for this summer was to crew a mate's yacht to the St Kilda archipelago. What with one thing and another- mainly having nowhere to live - it never happened and I will be eternally miffed if I don't get out there at some point, it having been a yearned-for destination for over 30 years. So I went there instead. http://www.kilda.org.uk/frame8.htm I go 'virtually' quite regularly and tonight was particularly rewarding.
But not just for the awe-inspiring cliff and seascapes, nor the heart-wrenching stories of the end of human habitation on the islands, but - strangely enough - because I was suddenly transported via the foaming oceans and gale-force winds to a vision of absolute beauty and wonder.
Now, it may be late - and this is a birding website. But if you read the smallprint in the first post of this tedious thread, it warns of 'this sorta ting' (as Father Ted might say).
Therefore I present - "A St Kilda Opera"
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm10Bx-3KfA&feature=related
And if that don't do it for ya - yer've got no pulse.
'Night.

 

[Woody]

Wow! I've never seen anything like that afore! Those guys have a lot of confidence just to put on a performance like that in that 'situation'. Bravo I say!

Good to see the littl'uns on stage isnt it. We're eagerly awaiting the DVD of Beth's show especially her solo; 'Castle on a cloud' from Les Mis. Not a dry eye in the house for 13 shows!

Mike

 

[birdpotter]

Wow is right. That was wild. Of course, during the whole thing I was thinking of all the horrible things that could happen to them. I think my worrying became more accentuated after the boy was born. Motherhood.

 

[AStevenson]

Ha Tim - that brought back memories - I was involved with that through work, I thought someone was taking the p when they first contacted me about it - you wanna do what!!?? - The 'extreme dancing' was by some very mad and fit French folk - I'm not actually sure where they performed, I recall there were issues about health & safety to start with as they thought they could 'perform' on the high cliffs, but even they realised the 1400ft of Connachir was a bit of a challenge!

You have to do your yacht thing - you won't be disappointed - have managed to spend about a fortnight there through work in the past (and never drew a thing apart from a ring-billed gull I saw! took lots of pics mind) - just remember the photographers always use wide-angle lenses which make it look much flatter!! and careful view selection to leave out the MoD base in the Village on Hirta.

I remember a story from one of the base technical staff that he had to inform the RAF that their big radar up the hill had 'got bent' during one of the more memorable storms - I forget the weight of it but it was in tonnes!

If you like cliffs attached is another good Hebridean one.

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[timwootton]

Brilliant Andrew (I'm very interested to know what your job is!) and thanks for the cliff. As you know we have a few around here, too. We almost moved to the Western Isles (moved to Orkney instead). Besides the awe-inspiring landforms (Harris particularly) and the solitude and quiet of many parts, another lasting memory was after a house-viewing. The old bird who showed me around could barely walk and, as I turned to get in the car I heard a scuffle in the grass. Out darted an effing mink and ran straight between me and her. I never saw her move! Within 2 milliseconds she had grabbed an old stiff long-handled broom, brought it down on the mink and killed it outright (absolute truth!). I can only guess at the strength needed to do that in one action.
She clearly didn't like mink.

 

[timwootton]

Still getting to know my new local patch and just last week I 'found' a field pond which seems to attract a nice collection of stuff. I haven't approached any closer than from the road but wigeon, moorhen, tufties and mallard are evident. It also seems to be a favoured loafing place for herons. Last week I counted 13 and today was a sedge (siege) of 8 - adults and juveniles.​

 

[nickderry]

mmm, very nice, wonderfully loose watercolour technique on the colour sketch, tightened up nicely with the strong forms of the herons' sinuous curves. You got more sketched than me today, I fell asleep in the sun and ended up with sunburned lips.

 

[timwootton]

It's been a while since I made a watercolour painting, or approached a 'portrait' such as this, so it felt quite refreshing to make this piece.
Whinchat - 30cm x 36cm, watercolour and conte pastels.
And a slightly reworked drawing from yesterday.