Hoping to inspire and encourage those interested in drawing or painting to have-a-go.
Friday 19 September 2008
No longer babies
Thursday 18 September 2008
Leaving the Nest
I looked in on the nest this morning and saw .... MUM!!! Then something moved a couple of yards away, and that's when I saw the youngster. Trying to walk along a branch, moving his wings much as tight rope walker uses his arms to keep his balance. I didn't want to get to close for fear of scaring him, and climbing my usual tree would have surely done that. The blasted sun was behind him, which made photo's difficult but, thanks to Spot Metering, I managed this passable photo of the young Pigeon contemplating the height of his perch, and the hardness of the ground below.
The movie, though small and dark, shows the awkward and clumsy manner he moves around, much like a human baby taking it's first steps. Tentative mini-flights from one branch to another, with tricky landings that almost have him toppling head first off the branch. I also love the way he sits on the branch 'twitching' his shoulders up and down almost as if practicing to fly in his mind.
I could have watched for hours but I was already late to the office, so had no choice but to leave mum and her youngster to their adventures. No doubt there'll be no sign of them when I get home this evening. I would have loved to have stayed long enough to try and record his first flight, but it wasn't to be. It's been a fascinating few weeks watching this chappy grow from an egg and I feel very privileged. I intend to make a web page on my site about the Wood Pigeons to which I shall add more pictures and video
Wednesday 17 September 2008
Only One
As he/she looked out forlornly over my neighbours garden, I fired off a few shots. The result is far from good as I had to use maximum aperture (f4.5 on full zoom) and maximum film speed (ISO3200). Still, it is one of those shots I'd like to have regardless of it's quality.
Sunday 14 September 2008
Day 11
The wing feathers are now quite progressed. In fact, in the last photo, one of the fledglings moved to the edge of the nest. I thought he might be getting ready to try his first flight, but he soon moved back inside again. Seeing 'all' of him for the first time, I was really surprised at how big he is already.
Thursday 11 September 2008
Day 8.
Wednesday 10 September 2008
Day 7
From my higher perch, the second shot (into the nest) shows that the young are now too big for Mum to sit on, and she has to perch on the edge of the nest. It's also interesting to see that the 'balls of fluff' are showing a good covering of feathers already.
Monday 8 September 2008
Day 4
If ever there were grounds to chop a branch out of a tree, it must the one that stands dead-centre of all my photo's. Virtually ALL the action takes place behind that stem. Anyway, out of the hundreds of shots taken so far (God bless digital camera's), here are 5 that haven't come out too bad.
Thursday 4 September 2008
A Happy Event - Day 1
Wednesday 3 September 2008
ANY TIME NOW!!!
Stand by for an announcement very soon.
Tuesday 26 August 2008
Not long to go.
Whichever of the two Pigeons is sitting on the eggs (because I believe the two partners share the role), the other is never far away and being extremely vigilant.
A few yards from the Laburnum tree that holds the nest is a huge Pine tree that commands a masterful view of the surrounding area. The non-sitting partner can usually be seen there, standing guard .... day and night.
Wednesday 20 August 2008
An Egg-citing Discovery
Without wishing to get too close, but also wanting to know what I was now dealing with, I grabbed my camera (which is never very far away), went back up the ladder and held the camera high above my head while I fired off a couple of shots into the nest. Thank goodness for a swivel LCD screen which makes overhead shots a cinch. The resulting photo's showed me what I had feared ... two eggs in the nest.
All I could think of was to back away to a safe distance and wait. Thankfully, after a few minutes the Wood Pigeon returned. I pottered around within view but never getting too close as I tried to educate her to the notion that I meant no harm. Once she'd settled on her eggs and I'd given her enough time to get used to the idea of having me 'in the neighbourhood', I carried on with the job of digging out the old tree ... and she seemed quite happy to sit and watch.
Then I had a thought and climbed to the top of another large conifer about 20 feet away. I took my secateurs with me and trimmed away just enough of the foliage to be able to peek through at the nest a few yards away.
I dare say the Pigeon knew I was there as I'm not the most nimble of climbers, but if she did, she didn't let on. I was thrilled to now have a first rate view down into the nest. I'm far from sure I will be fortunate enough to see the chicks when they hatch, but my vantage point is prepared and I shall climb up there whenever I can to see what's going on. Fingers crossed and watch this space!!!
Wednesday 7 May 2008
A happy sad event
Tuesday 8 April 2008
Chestnut - a horse portrait
I'm quite pleased with my effort to draw him in pencil but I recognise two significant mistakes in the composition. I shouldn't have drawn the whole of his body and I shouldn't have tried to draw the straw he's laying on. The 'project' really calls for us to be loyal to the photograph, and that was therefore my first consideration, but as a portrait, artistic licence would have been better served by drawing his head and shoulders only, I think.
Friday 28 September 2007
Pencil Drawing
Dipping my toe into the world of watercolours caused me to have to sketch out, very lightly, the rough outline of what I was going to paint. Over time I began to wonder how a picture might look if I did it all in pencil. When I finally decided to have-a-go I was extremely surprised and very pleased. In many ways I feel more at home with a pencil than I do a brush, and certainly get more satisfaction from the drawing.
Soon after the loss (through old age) of my beloved dog 'Tess' I decided to attempt my first-ever drawing of an animal. Tess's coat was what they call 'Brindle' and I found it very difficult to depict the varying light and dark shades without making her look strippey. Still, I was very pleased with the end result and her picture now hangs proudly in our hall for everyone to see. What was particularly comforting was that the long periods I spent working on her drawing, so soon after her loss, provided a warm and meaningful 'farewell'.