Paintings from my bird log

	With my two birding mates Martin & Peter, I was among the last dozen people to see the Ancient Murrelet on Lundy Island. It was a stunning-looking little bird: one I'll never forget.... The same trip added Surf Scoter and Boneparte's Gull to our lists!
	A pen and ink drawing of a group of raptors seen at Sandringham on a beautiful Spring day. I personally think birds of prey are just the most exciting of all, both to watch and to draw!
	Little Auks are among my favourite birds: little Arctic Sprites that appear for one or two weeks most Autumns, battling through headwinds and never failing to delight!
	Cirl Buntings are undoubtedly on the increase in South Devon. Exminster used to be a regular stop on the way home from Cornwall: until, that is, their favoured breeding spot in the old hospital grounds was cleared away for housing.....
	I sketched this Aquatic Warbler at one of the most reliable UK sites: Marazion Marsh. If you've never dropped in during late August, you really should! It's a great place for Spotted Crakes too!
	We are well overdue for a Nutcracker invasion! This one, near Coventry, took a piece of chocolate from my fingers! A stunning and amazingly confiding bird, just like my first at Westleton.
	A pencil drawing of a Penduline Tit at Titchwell: one of perhaps half a dozen I've seen in the reed-beds of East Anglia. They always remind me of teensy Red-backed Shrikes!
	An American Wigeon at Blickling Hall, Norfolk. Once a highly sought-after tick, these are now annual in some numbers....... They can be surprisingly hard to find among a flock of Eurasian Wigeon!
	All Phalaropes are charming little waders: always worth making the effort to see. Unusually, it's the females that wear the brightest breeding plumage. This Red-necked Phalarope was at Cley.