Bird Gardens

I wasn't going to post these, but I'm having computer problems, scanner problems, network problems... so here are some bird sketches that I did on a Joburg Sketchers trip to the Montecasino Bird Gardens back in October because they're here, on this computer. A hot steamy day, it was lovely to mosey around the park splashing paint around. I was hoping for much greater results, but these dots and dashes were the results of much squinting and concentration!

The macaws were hilarious - the blue and yellow ones were huddling on their table minding their own business and the red and green ones kept going over and causing a rumpus, in between showing off twirling around on the rope and terrorising passers-by.

While I was waiting for sketchers to arrive I sketched some little ducks, and then the schoolmasterly maribou storks. They are so morose and unattractive, you just have to love them!

Brown pelicans, a lonely looking kookaburra and two shades of flamingo - sorry about the grey images, so hard to pick up the watercolour washes if I whiten the paper. Wish I had my old scanner back!

Parrot Party

We've decided to postpone our trip down to the coast... it's just too far, a 14 hour drive in horrible long-weekend traffic, to spend four days before the great trek home again. I hope it won't be too long before we can go for a reasonable amount of time.

So, I will dwell a bit longer on our short Aussie visit - and the weird and wonderful birds that abound. I photographed the white parrots above, that were hung like bits of rag around a pine tree at Cottesloe Beach, where we were looking at the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. It was a surprise to see the photo zoomed in - they look like they're having such a party, with their funny, smiling beaks and their eager, greedy eyes!

I didn't get close up in any way to the bright little lorikeets (I think - the Perthians call them by another nickname, which I've forgotten, as they're a bit of a pest), so this is the vaguest impression of the flashing brightness of them as they dart through the dark Norfolk pines in great flocks, and making a huge din as they settle down for the evening.