Since I have been seeing such a wonderful response to my drawings that I put in my posts occasionally, I thought I would do a little summary of what has been happening in my sketchbook! Thank you all for the encouragement, I appreciate it:)
First sketch here is featuring one of the most prominent, seaside birds here in WA – Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae). I remember that this was my very first sketch in WA this year and first sketch in a while. I always find myself shifting between being a lister and being a proper observer. I can either try and see as many birds as possible and submitting them on eBird or be sitting on a field between kangaroos and observing Red-capped Plovers for 2 hours. I guess balance is key!
Next sketch features the Red-capped Plover (Anarhynchus ruficapillus), a White-breasted Robin (Eopsaltria georgiana) and a little in-flight sketch of a Western Rosella (Platycercus icterotis). All of these sketches were made near the town of Horrocks, WA. There was a very calm period of no wind, which meant no windsurfing, so I packed my camping gear and went on a little camping trip to the beautiful campsite of Little Bay. My tent was practically on the beach, so when I woke up the next morning, these plovers were going about their business just a couple of meters away. The landscape at this place was stunning, with a beautiful, long beach and this steep cliff right next to it. Robin also was cooperative and hung out right next to my campsite, catching insects midair in between the bushes.
Next photo features a male Red-winged Fairywren (Malurus elegans), an unidentified species and some Hooded Plovers (Thinornis cucullatus). I was very excited to observe the plovers on a beach near Cape Leeuwin where they were being very cooperative and posed for a nice sketch. These birds are classified as Near Threatened with population estimates of 5350-5500 individuals (2024), and are in a declining population trend. Habitat destruction, invasive species and domestic animals pose the biggest threats to these beautiful shorebirds. So, make sure to keep your dog on a leash if you are walking on the beach during nesting season and watch out for these guys running about!:)
I have been residing in the city of Perth for a while now and have found some birding spots within the city that I enjoy very much. Thomsons Lake has to be my favourite so far. An absolute heaven for birds right in the middle of the city! Hundreds of ducks, waders, and birds of prey soaring above. These Pied Stilts (Himantopus leucocephalus) are present in huge numbers and they are one of the scariest birds to sketch. Those long legs combined with the poses that they pull off, make for an interesting but difficult subject.
Next image features the already mentioned Pied Stilts, an immature male Splendid Fairywren (Malurus splendens) and a Yellow-plumed Honeyeater (Ptilotula ornata). The honeyeaters are an absolute joy to sketch, they are present in numbers here in WA, have very intriguing colours and there are a lot of different species of these guys.
A very, very packed page this next one. The gorgeous Rufous Whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris), Silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis) and the beloved Red-capped Plovers. Although very small and fast moving the silvereyes are so fun to sketch as they provide a great array of shapes! These were sketched up in Perth Hills right before I went looking for some Double-barred Finches (Stizoptera bichenovii), which seem to have established an isolated population here in the southern part of WA. I did find them, unfortunately no sketches… They are beautiful!
This last image features some poor attempts at capturing Whistling Kites (Haliastur sphenurus) in-flight, Crested Pigeons (Ocyphaps lophotes), Mulga Parrots (Psephotellus varius), a White-browed Babbler (Pomatostomus superciliosus) and a Black-faced Cuckooshrike (Coracina novaehollandiae). The parrots and babblers were an absolute joy to observe, they were picking seed that had been dropped by road trains on the side of the road. Unfortunately, as it was getting late and I still had to drive to camp, had no time to colour these guys in, although I am not sure it is even possible to capture all the colours that the Mulga Parrots posses. The babblers were going crazy in the roadside bushes, causing a ruckus and acting like an out-of-control group of kindergarteners. Definitely a species I would like to observe more and jot down some proper sketches!
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