Smew Time

Caught up with the Smew wintering on the River Calder today. Managed to get close enough to sketch and paint it but it was soooo cold. My hands were freezing and the brushes got a bit crackly with frost in the NE wind. It was worth it though. I usually photograph these birds but drawing from real life is much harder and a lot more rewarding.
The problem is that you can't trade your hand in for a new and better model when it won't draw properly like you can a camera or lens-yet!!!

My Studio

I've got this plush studio to work in at the moment. It's got a window, a roof and a howling NE wind, but at least its under cover. I've been learning how to draw with gloves on (not easy).

Bought a Moleskine Watercolour sketchbook and its the best I've ever used.

The reserve my studio window looks out on is part of a country park in Wakefield. It's been graced with a Ring-necked Duck for a few weeks now. This yank bird is a bit of a 'Jack the Lad' with the ladies but got his come-uppance yesterday when he displayed to a female Pochard who instantly jumped on him and gave him a good beating-up!!

Pugneys hobble

Managed to hobble to Pugneys Country Park hide now and spend a lot of time sketching any bird thst comes into view. We have been blesses with a drake Ring-necked Duck for a few weeks now and managed to sketch it a time or two.

The Goldeneye have started their fantastic display but remain at range. I love drawing what I see through the scope but it's not easy as the birds have a habit of moving!! I used to draw from my photos but I now find that sketching and painting from real life is more rewarding - and harder.

What's afoot!

Since damaging my foot I've been unable to carry the heavy photography kit so I've got the sketching kit and telescope out again until it gets better.

I fastened the hide clamp onto the windowsill and can sketch birds at the garden feeders. Not done much drawing for a year or so so I'm very rusty.

The view from my garden includes an ash tree and it's surprising the different birds that land on it . 50x magnification gets me into the tree with them That's the beauty of a telescope.

Laid up

After damaging my foot in the summer I've been unable to carry the photo gear at all. Put my foot down a rabbit hole while carrying the full monty - 50lb+ of gear and a 10lb tripod- ouch. The ligaments did not take too kindly to this treatment and trying to walk or drive is very painful and will take a long time to recover. Never mind, I've re-discovered my sketchbook and will use my time productively sketching through a telescope which I love.

Squirrel Time

Just come back from the Lake district with some nice shots of wild Red Squirrel. Had to use my old camera as my normal one developed a loose strap lug. First Nikon fault in 40 years!! It took them 13 days over Easter to get it back to me - well done Nikon!

One Flash Good, Two Can be Better

I've been experimenting with flight shots this winter and as the light is so poor I've used balanced fill-flash to improve things. This shot used a Nikon D3 with 600mm f4 lens and two Nikon SB800's with the main flash to the Left of the bird and the fill flash on the camera. Getting the right balance of flash to background light was interesting and seems to have worked. Photographing birds in flight is not easy. Wait untill the Swifts arrive!!!