bird watching

I have been doing a fair amount of bird watching recently both in the garden for birdwatch weekend and elsewhere. After the disappointment of putting feeders up in the garden last year and not getting any birds I bought another multi feeder and sited it in a different place and quickly the birds have started coming, with more arriving everyday! I've also been to Keyhaven Marshes, Blashford & Lower Test. Here are some of the many photos. The turnstone was a bird I'd never knowingly seen before, also the snipe at Lower Test was a first. It's exciting for me to have siskins in my garden, six weeks ago I'd never even seen one. Also, although I've seen a nuthatch before, yesterday was the first time I'd managed to photograph one.

A little more drawing

The next stage of my robin, just a little more done - deepening some colours in some areas and beginning on others. Again the light is poor today and half an hour was enough to give me both a headache and backache. I can't say I'm happy with him at present but will continue plodding on in the hope that he will improve!

A little work on my robin

Just a quick post to say I have begun the robin at long last! Not much, the light has been dreadful today and an hour was enough to give me a bad headache - I really must get the lighting situation sorted or I can see me giving up again. I'd also like to know if anyone reading this has any experience of optivisors (magnifiers which you can wear over your eyes). I have been thinking of one for a while but good ones are quite pricey & I don't know if one will help me. I do know that many crafters and artists use them but that's about it. Meanwhile here is the little robin after todays effort, obviously still a long way to go.

So here we are.............

.......in 2008, Christmas has been and gone and I am feeling very flat after all the festivities. I'm really hoping to get back into my art - I got some new pencils for Xmas - Derwent Coloursoft, so I'm eager to try them out. I've also ordered some drafting film, I've been keen to try this for a while. Just have to decide on a subject!
Had a couple of nice walks recently and also popped up to Hatchet Pond where we were surprised to see three swans (two adults & a juvenile), two cormorants and a pair of grebe. Only the swans were in photographing distance though. Also will post a couple of pics from our last visit to Blashford, where I saw my first siskin & was lucky enough to get a pic of that and also of a great spotted woodpecker. Although I took the woodpecker through glass, it has come out well.