I felt inspired by the blue tits living in the gardens to do a little 4×4 inch oil painting. They’re really busy starting their families and they regularly come to my window feeder for a snack, so I get a close look at them. Such pretty little birds. I love their bandit style eye masks and their cheeky, confident attitude.
Starlings are such gorgeous birds, those iridescent feathers shining in the sun! I watched a small flock of starlings at Camden Lock in the summer, picking up scraps that the tourists by the canal. It’s a lovely place to be on a hot sunny day for both humans and birds.
This starling was a juvenile who seemed to be part way between his brown baby plumage and his fabulous adult coat. He was a glorious mix of colour.
We used to think of them as pests here in London, years ago. There were so many starlings and house sparrows in those days, yelling nosily in the trees with big flocks of starlings flying overhead in the evenings, heading for their beds. We thought they’d always be there. But we were wrong. We lost our sparrows and starlings and the skies were silent for many years. It’s true, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.
Recently the starlings have started to come back to the centre of the city and we’ve even see a small flock living not too far from the house. They’re back and it’s wonderful to see them again. Maybe the house sparrows will be back one day too.
The goldfinches have been around all morning, feeding in the trees and singing from the rooftops. Such a pretty song and such pretty birds too. Makes it feel like spring. :-) So here’s a little sketch of one of my visitors….
The Great Tits and Blue Tits have been really busy feeding the kids. They quite often do it on the window ledge right in front of the feeder, so I get a great view. So do the cats! :-) But with the mirror film on the glass the birds can’t see the cats and are undisturbed.
Here’s a little sketch of a blue tit on the wall outside my window.
I’ve been watching the blue tits and the great tits coming to feed on my window feeder. They are so entertaining! The blue tits are cheeky balls of yellow feathers, new fledglings, full of energy, squabbling over the nuts and seeds. They perch on the wall just outside the window and look carefully around for danger. They can’t see in because I’ve put up mirrored film. Just as well as there’s usually and excited cat on the other side! Then up onto the nuts for a good feed. They come so often I’m getting to know the differences between each bird. This one seems cheekier than the others and he’s much rounder too.
Here’s a little bird painting. I watched the jackdaws in the park working the picnic area like real pros! they are such interesting birds, quick and clever. So for one of my daily paintings I decided to try and capture a jackdaw in paint. Here he is.
I have just finished this painting of a curious hen. This girl is quite a character, always to be found in the thick of the action and with an endless curiosity about whatever the humans are doing! Always on the look out for something nice to eat or somewhere interesting to perch.
This was a commission to paint Naomi, a black swan and her court of ducks on their home pond.
It’s a large painting, a 24×16 oil painting on stretched canvas.
In the background the household cats sit in the sun and watch the birds swim by.
