Birding Braunie

Not sure when the American phrase 'Jaywalking' came into existence but it should now be called Jay-flying and be attributed to Norfolk. There has been a huge influx of Jays across the county and my brother Ant and I saw it first hand as we stopped in Hunstanton for a hot sausage roll breakfast. We witnessed squadrons of Jays passing overhead as we headed for Holme Dunes at the start of our epic weekend of birdwatching on the North Norfolk coast. Holme Dunes NNR (just as it says on the picture) Normally this time of year heralds the right migratory winds from the east that would make any birdwatcher salivate at the prospect of the rarities in abundance falling at their feet. Not this weekend though. With a very light North Westerly, things were quiet on the land and on the sea. Nice day for a stroll though. There were a few wader species on the beach. Knot, Turnstone, Sanderling, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank and Oystercatcher all allows close viewing with only the oc...

I have decided to go back to basics and learn watercolour techniques properly. I suppose you could liken this to fieldcraft when birdwatching. It’s nearly all about observation and interpretation. I can easily make assumptions about a bird just because it’s what I expect to see and it’s possible I have mis-identified something because I haven’t looked at it properly. So hopefully my Thursday evening watercolour classes will train my eyes and brain to focus on the detail of a subject hard enough to understand it with clarity and confidence. These examples show I have a long way to go! Pear Early Pineapple A bit more graphic Very graphic Detail Final effort