Great Spotted Woodpeckers: How to Tell Male, Female and Juvenile Apart
Over the past month we have been enjoying watching a family of Great Spotted Woodpeckers on the feeders in the garden. I usually think of woodpeckers as quite aggressive birds but it has been so nice to see them tenderly
The Drygrange Chestnuts Pt.5: May, June, Flowers and Environmental Justice
[This year I have decided to study two big Horse Chestnut trees near our house. This is Part 5 of my sketchbook-learnings.] In my last update I was celebrating the new green leaves that had burst forth all over the two
Pencil Drawing: Techniques
This is the third post in my mini series about pencil drawing. The first post covered materials and the second post covered inspiration and how to collect it. The act of drawing is basically just making marks on a surface.
Woodland Wildflowers: A Lock-Down Diary
I've been absolutely fascinated by the woodland in spring this year. I missed three months of the woodland last year with being either too heavily pregnant to walk very far or stuck in the house recovering with the new-born. Whereas
Pencil Drawing: Collecting Inspiration
This is part two of my mini series on pencil drawing. Part one was about the materials I use. You can read it here. In this post I'm going to talk about the inspiration for my drawings and how I record
The Drygrange Chestnuts Pt.4: April, Nests and Buds Bursting
[This year I have decided to study two big Horse Chestnut trees near our house. This is Part 4 of my sketchbook-learnings.] In my March update on the Drygrange Chestnuts, it was all about the sticky hard buds that had been
Pencil Drawing: Materials
I've been asked a few times recently about my materials and the techniques I use for my pencil drawings. I thought I'd break it down into a couple of short posts so you don't have to wade through to find
Drygrange Chestnuts Pt.3: March, Buds and a Global Pandemic
[This year I have decided to study two big Horse Chestnut trees near our house. This is Part 3 of my sketchbook-learnings.] In my February update on the chestnuts I commented that I thought February was the toughest month of the
Long Tailed Tits Are Rubbish At Social Distancing
We currently have a large group of Long Tailed Tits who come to the feeders every day to feast on the fat balls. They pop to and from the tree to the side of the feeders - some feed, some
The Drygrange Chestnuts Pt.2: February Bark
[This year I have decided to study two big Horse Chestnut trees near our house. This is Part 2 of my sketchbook-learnings.] February was hostile. Storms everywhere, wet almost every day, icy winds. Not the ideal weather for visiting trees with