It’s not ALL birds…

Occasionally I’ll branch out into some of my other favourite wildlife. These tend to be larger scale than my birds, with a recent Brown Hare and Stoat scaled up to A3.

I’m fortunate enough to live surrounded by Brown Hares (though at this time of year the grass is far too long for them to be visible, so sightings are limited to brief bursts out into the open, or stumbling on one sunbathing.

The Stoat was based on a photo I took (and 99.9% of my art is from my own photographs, with twists to truly try to reflect their nature). This was on an area of ground that many would consider a wasteland, but where I saw not only Stoats, but furtive Foxes, hunting Kestrels and displaying Skylarks. This little one I watched for quite some time, willing it closer and closer, as it popped up unexpectedly a distance from where I’d last seen it. I got lucky with one shot, at its closest point, spotting me, taking me in, deciding if I was worth worrying about, before resuming the hide and seek.

I loved that moment, which I’ve had with Otters and a large number of birds, where there’s a moment of catching each others eye, and that assessment, that can only come with patience and respect for the subject.