Rainy days

hickson's
Originally uploaded by wherethewolvesare.

After checking my nature journal, I see that it's rained here on nine consecutive days, and no forseeable end to the wet weather yet. A while to go before we reach Noah proportions but it's no surprise to see bits of minor flooding in the surrounding areas, like this bit at Fairburn Ings RSPB Reserve. The sketch shows the south-western edge of the reserve, a pool known locally as just Hickson's. The water's edge is normally well before the hedgerow shown.

I daresay that, annoyingly, the rain will have been heavy enough to wash out some early wetland nesters along the Aire Valley but nowhere near enough to stave off water shortages in the summer.

On a more positive note, Fairburn Ings is a great example of the nature's powers of recovery, given the chance. The Ings are the result of mining subsidence and slag heaps, with the flora and fauna allowed to colonise the area after the cessation of mining operations.

Daft about daffs

daffodils
Originally uploaded by wherethewolvesare.

The daffs are out good and proper now, it must be spring! I'm not really too bothered about individual daffodils, although I do like the miniature tete-a-tete variety, if that's how you spell it. This said, daffs do put on an impressive show just when you need it, when it feels like it's been winter forever and spring seems to have been just round the corner for almost as long. It's like coming up for air.

I'm interested in the phenomena caused by microclimates, and I think that daffodils are one of these. As you'd expect, daffs in the city (on roundabouts, etc.) were out before those in more countrified areas but I've noticed that daffs on east facing verges are out before west facing ones, virtually without exception. Also, the difference between daffs on north and south facing verges, which I thought would be easier to explain, is much more variable. Anyone got any ideas?

Morning flight

geese
Originally uploaded by wherethewolvesare.

As I drove to work on Monday morning, I'd just set off when these five Canada geese flew over.

This is just the sort of thing that lifts my spirits.

Cruelty

I copied this sketch from a drawing by Dave Nurney in ‘Birds in England’, about the state of the wild bird populations in England. I hope that by crediting the original I’m not breaking too many copyright laws, I wouldn’t normally copy a picture to put here on my blog, but I just found this such a striking image. Especially so in the week after reading ‘Peak Malpractice’, a report by the RSPB on the persecution, and resultant lack, of birds of prey in the northern part of the Peak District (Dark Peak), a place particularly close to my heart.

It brought to mind this quote, which I suppose could apply to so many other injustices as well:

Cruelty must be whitewashed by a moral excuse, and pretence of reluctance.
- George Bernard Shaw

Greedy Greeny

greenfinch
Originally uploaded by wherethewolvesare.

Greenfinches are just plain greedy. They park themselves on the feeders and proceed to empty them virtually single-handed or should that be single-beaked. They drive off the other garden birds to get a bigger share. Oh yes, and they won’t win any prizes for singing either. Don’t you just love ‘em? I do…really!

Being such conspicuous birds, you’d think they’d be easy to draw but I find them so difficult. I struggle to capture that sort of scowling look they have around the eyes and the bullish head and neck shape. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve tried and failed. This weekend I persevered, and I know the Tate Gallery won’t exactly be knocking on my door, but I feel that this is my best effort to date.

What’s funny is that although I drew from life, just looking out the back window at the feeders, I got so engrossed in scribbling and splashing paint about, that I didn’t notice what a field guide pose I’d drawn. This is a rather to frequent occurrence, I think I must have spent so much time looking at field guides that my subconscious wants all bird pictures to have all of the identifiable features of the species.

Next project – abstract greenfinch in flight. Watch this space.

TGI Friday

Thank goodness it's the weekend. These sketches are of a couple of points along my drive home. They're both on my favourite part of my drive, once you get out of the Leeds conurbation and less than 10 minutes from home.

In the last month, red kite, kestrel, lapwing, grey heron, grey partridge and pied wagtail have been the most notable birds I've seen on this part of my journey. Quite a diverse little group.

Diversity not improved by a housing development being built on farmland, on the edge of Scholes which is nearby. I know people need houses but there are so many less pleasant places that could do with some quality housing built on them. I just hope they appreciate the view.

Fly a kite

It snowed in Leeds yesterday. By our recent standards there was loads of it - about half an inch! Nowhere near enough to cause any problems (or to build a decent snowman) but just enough to cover the ground and make everywhere look very pretty.

As a result, this morning we drove to Otley through Wharfedale, in order to admire the snowy scenery. The drive out was very impressive, Christmas card views, but the sun was so strong that by the time we drove home, the only surviving snow was on north facing slopes and in the shadows of hedgerows and walls. Nevertheless, the warm sun had obviously created some thermals and the journey was made remarkable by the eight red kites riding the aforementioned thermals, within a 2 mile stretch of road.

Wharfedale is a good spot for red kite because nearby Harewood House was the site of a recent release scheme to re-introduce red kites back into Yorkshire. None of the birds I saw had wing tags, so were either long-surviving birds from the scheme or the offspring of the released birds. Anyway, my eight wasn't a bad count but the warden once reliably informed me that his personal best was an amazing twenty seven birds, all in flight together over one of the winter roosts. Wow.