22nd January 2010 2009

Today, the whole of Ackworth’s first form visited the bird gardens at Lotherton Hall, near Leeds. I was looking forward to the outing because the aim was to spend a morning sketching the many exotic birds to be found there.

Sitting on my folding stool, I managed to hide beneath a large umbrella to sketch one of my favourite birds at the garden, a marabou stork. From the same spot, I also sketched a couple of cranes.

Conditions were less than ideal for the use of watercolour but I managed to add some colour to the pictures. I tried to sketch a koukaburra from a new and less-sheltered location but the rain was worsening and I had to lift off some of the paint simply to get it to dry.

At Ackworth and Hemsworth, I have not heard or seen any fieldfares during recent days. The large flock seen during the snowy spell has moved on. Redwings can be heard flying overhead in the dark as soon as I leave the house each morning and small groups, numbering only in single figures, have been moving around the school grounds.

Bluetits and great tits have been singing loudly in the grounds at Ackworth and I found the little owls sitting shoulder to shoulder in the usual oak tree. In the past, the little owls have nested in the barn and have roosted in trees close to the barn but it looks as though they are going to nest in one of the small group of oak trees. There is some damage to the tops of at least two of the trees and it is likely that there are suitable nest-holes.

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