House martins returned in good numbers over the weekend.

An essential update after my last rather worrying post. House martins returned in good numbers over the weekend! Friday saw a sudden increase with birds quickly claiming new artificial nests then and over the weekend. It now looks like we have five pairs in residence, up from just one this time last week- how quickly things can change. It is a joy to hear their chattering calls close to our upstairs windows again. They are now very much part of Gilling East’s dawn chorus.

Swift arrivals have stalled for a few days in Gilling East. We have one formed pair in box 2 (probably not last year’s mate), but that’s it. This pair has been doing lots of nest building, mainly bringing back feathers and leaf bud cases gathered in the air. There is possibly another pair back in village hall about 150 metres away. The skies have been quiet after an initial flurry of returnees. Historically there is a bit of a gap in really big counts at watchpoints in Southern Europe, particularly between 11th and 15th May. I wonder why? These counts might not tell the whole story but it’s interesting to look. The weather from all I have seen has been suitable for north bound migration these last few days, but for whatever reason they are in no rush.

A visit to Helmsley yesterday morning saw lots of swifts drifting above the large colony areas at 11.30am. I have speculated that smaller colonies may see earlier birds going to large colony areas for a while before more from their own colony return. With the loss of breeding pairs in our village last year I can’t help wondering if smaller isolated colonies are more vulnerable because they don’t have a large pool of swifts as potential mates. We saw this here last year as our numbers dropped when their previous year’s mates didn’t arrive. No doubt in another week’s time I will be writing about more returning swifts here, but for now the delay is somewhat perplexing but certainly not yet worrying. Last year’s breeding swifts often take until the late 20s of May to fully assemble at a colony.

However it is a joy to see house martins populating the village again and to see them nesting on other people’s houses. Hopefully our own colony has acted as a hub for efficient breeding with fledglings returning to populate areas away from the natal colony. At the moment numbers look promising compared to the terrible years of 2020-22 and after mid month I expect to see the second wave of first time breeding birds who start building nests from now on.

Their ‘raspberry’ calls fill the warm air again. Insects are abundant with lots of Mayflies hatching and dozens of large red damselflies launching off for their maiden flights from our pond. Spring is really approaching its height.

All words and text copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2024

House martin inspecting an artificial nest.

Swift pair mutual preening.

Dark-eyed junco in Hartlepool today

A rare chance to see and sketch a dark-eyed junco in a residential area of Hartlepool today. This is a North American species off course in this cold April. Who knows when it arrived and what route it took? Fascinating to ponder and a lovely bird to watch. It was very fluffed up at times in this unseasonably cold weather.

This was time away from preparation for my Spring Bank Holiday annual exhibition at Gilling East village hall. See poster below and Exhibition page in menu above.

Our first house martin arrived this morning. In 2022/23/24 the first house martin has touched down on 26th April. Wonderful to have house martins under the eaves again the start of their entertaining antics from now until September! More on the house martins soon. But for now I try to imagine the sights this bird has seen since it left in the middle of September 2023.

House martins arriving in the UK

Many people across the UK are reporting their first house martins back at nests. I’m still waiting as usually they don’t arrive here until the last third of April with most arriving in May, but I thought it would be timely to post a link to my house martin WordPress page.

I share my experience of attracting these beautiful and threatened summer migrants. It contains a month by month account of what to look for in a typical UK house martin season, a gallery of house martin sketches and a guide to some tried and tested artificial nest designs.

I hope you find it useful. As house martins become more scarce, fewer people are familiar with them and some knowledge of their identification, nesting habitats and how we can help them can go a long way. I hope this page helps others to spread the love for this lovely bird.

Right now here it us just 7C and windy with heavy rain. Frankly, I’m glad mine haven’t yet returned! But I cannot wait to see the first house martin back under our eaves. What will this season bring for our house martins and swifts I wonder? I’ve been maintaining the nest boxes and setting the nest cameras ready this week in anticipation of their arrival. I gaze constantly at the sky with mounting expectation.

I will be blogging on here about my house martin and swift colony from the moment they arrive…

Link to my House Martin 2024 page below.

HOUSE MARTINS 2024

A small online exhibition- some recent watercolours.

I’ve been spending some recent wet days working in the studio- I work to the sound of frogs croaking, a year to the day since they spawned in 2023. The chorus outside the studio grows daily, led by the throng of numerous chirping tree sparrows.

The dawn chorus is growing rapidly. This morning a robin started singing at 5.30am followed a couple of minutes later by a blackbird at 5.34am. Song thrush joined soon after at about 5.45am as tawny owls made their last hoots of the night. Wren next at 5.47am then dunnock at 5.54am. It was a joy to lie in bed and listen. Later in the day the great-spotted woodpeckers start drumming, nuthatches pipe loudly and greenfinches perform their song flights.

For me there now begins a couple of months of the most intensive sketching of the year. So much to see and record as migrants flood in and spring progresses. A month from now I’ll hopefully be watching the first swallows, pied flycatchers and redstarts and eagerly looking for the first house martin back at our colony.

Online Exhibition

The pictures shown below in this small exhibition were painted from sketches made on field sketching trips, some of them recently. They are fresh off the drawing board. Some observations happened so quickly that I drew quick sketches and backed up with some reference from my cheap bridge camera. I never like to work entirely from photos, even my own photos. For me making sketches is essential for all studio work.

The lapwing composition below is a good example. It captures a split second when a freshly alighted bird joined three others that were resting, all facing into the strong wind. The landing bird has approached into wind, unsettling the nearest resting bird. The disturbed water meant there was very little reflection. So with this picture I have tried to capture a moment in time. Shortly after all birds would have settled facing into wind again. I’ve deliberately painted this loosely to try and retain the sense of movement.

If you are interested in purchasing any of these pictures please follow the link to my Big Cartel shop here https://jonathanpomroy.bigcartel.com/

All images and text copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2024

Lapwing flock at Cley, Norfolk. Image size 43×28.5 cm. Watercolour. £400

Curlew on the shoreline- Menai Straights, Anglesey. Image size 53x28cm. Watercolour. SOLD

Lapwing in winter. Image size 54x31cm. Watercolour. £400

Barn owl near Castle Howard- a bird sketched at 11am in bright March sunshine. Image size 30x28cm. Watercolour. £350

Dipper. Image size 34x24cm. Watercolour. £295.

Curlew in song flight near Wheeldale, North York Moors. Image size 53x33cm. Watercolour. £390

Red Kite near Oldstead, North Yorkshire. Image size 46x35cm. Watercolour. £350

Early swift flypast, May 24th. Image size 45x20cm. Watercolour. £295

Swifts forming a low, fast pass- July 24th. Image size 43x28cm. Watercolour. £275

All these pictures and more are for sale in my Big Cartel shop which you can view here https://jonathanpomroy.bigcartel.com/

Red-necked grebe at Burton Riggs nature reserve, Scarborough

I don’t travel great distances to see birds and at best could be described as a selective “twitcher”. I’ll will go and see any species of swift within reasonable distance and some other scarce birds on the Yorkshire coast, but occasionally a bird turns up that I have to see and sketch. I have gazed in wonder at pictures of red-necked grebes in breeding plumage since my childhood. Inspired by the beautiful shape of this species coupled with gorgeous sumptuous colour and bold markings.

Yesterday after a successful morning in the studio I checked the local bird reports- you’ve guessed it, red-necked grebe, but better still in breeding plumage. I didn’t even stop to think. I always have sketching kit in the car at the ready and like a Typhoon pilot on scramble was on the move within a couple of minutes.

I always take the view that if the reported bird isn’t there, as an artist there will be plenty of other birds to draw, so that way I can’t lose! On arrival the bird was showing well. Interestingly when not feeding it chose to tuck itself away quietly in amongst branches that emerged from the water. But within a couple of minutes it was on the move, unobscured, There within about 40 metres was a red-necked grebe in breeding plumage, brightly lit by an all too rare burst of late afternoon sunshine.

I spent a couple of hours sketching and just watching this bird normally found in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia and perhaps blown here by easterly winds? Wow, I couldn’t take my eyes of it even when it was hiding there were small details to see which helped me record the overall structure of the bird. It was a very memorable early spring afternoon- though it felt every bit like midwinter. I also saw my first chiffchaffs of the year. For a while one fed a few feet above the grebe in a very memorable combination of species. After a couple of hours I was cold enough, time for a strong coffee and some warmth, but glowing with the memory of a new and absolutely stunning species for my bird sketch list.

Details for Burton Riggs Yorkshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve here https://www.ywt.org.uk/nature-reserves/burton-riggs-nature-reserve

All text and images copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2024

Red- necked grebe watercolour sketches.

Red- necked grebe pencil sketches.

Red- necked grebecomposition study. Watercolour.

Burton Riggs north lake. Red-necked grebe resting in those submerged branches on the island.

Recent lapwing studies

I am often asked, “what is your favourite bird”? I see all wild birds as equal so picking favourites is not something I do really- I don’t value one species over another. However there is no doubt that there are some species I go back to again and again when sketching. The lapwing is one such species.

I especially love sketching them in winter, when there is such a multitude of plumages in a flock. The variation is incredible if you look closely. Some have the most spectacular long crests and I have to check my drawing to make sure I haven’t exaggerated! But all have the most wonderful shape with a very interesting head and bill structure and a big eye suited to feeding in low light.

Watching and sketching lapwings in winter is something I look forward to as much as watching swifts and house martins in summer. Their crests can show the current weather conditions, sometimes just lifted or turned by the slightest breeze, or in a gale bent forwards over their heads or turned 90°. An avian weather vane.

They dazzle in flight in bright winter sunshine and then there is the slightly mournful quality of their collective calls. Lapwings are certainly in my top five of numbers of sketches made of a single species. Now those flocks are breaking up as birds return to fields and moors to breed, with many heading back over the North Sea having wintered here. Their plumage is becoming sharper, the males gaining black from the breast band right up to their beaks. Males begin perfoming spectacular display flights over potential breeding areas.

But for me they are one of the birds that keeps me going through the darkest days of winter with their infinite and beautiful plumage variation. As the time comes for swifts to depart I remember that a winter of lapwings is all to come.

All images and text copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2024.

Some of the images in this blog are available in my online shop. Please see link below https://jonathanpomroy.bigcartel.com/

Lapwing feeding on a breezy February afternoon. Cley, Norfolk. Watercolour. Available in my online shop.

Lapwing and dunlin. Cley, Norfolk.

Lapwing study.

Sketching on the verge- waxwings by the A6055/ A1(M)

I made the most of waxwings today. I sketched on a rubbish strewn verge, by the busy A6055 which runs parallel to the A1(M) near Melmerby. Hardly glamorous but the sight of waxwings perched together in a small birch was stunning, their soft peachy colours contrasting with a Payne’s grey wash sky. Despite the roar of traffic their evocative trilling calls were clearly audible.

I immersed myself in watching and listening to these waxwings, unsure if I’ll have another opportunity before they return to their remote Scandinavian habitats to breed- anticipating their forthcoming migration flight above the North Sea. It could be years before the next waxwing winter.

A dense, roadside hedge has sustained these birds throughout the winter showing the value of leaving hawthorn and other species to fruit in profusion. Only now is the berry supply running low.

But the waxwings were also feeding on buds- I saw some taking sycamore buds and when the weather is mild enough they catch aerial insects in graceful flying sorties.

It has given me immense pleasure to spend time with these beautiful Scandi wanderers this winter.

All text and images copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2024

Some useful reference perhaps? But really just enjoying fast sketching and trying to capture the character and colour of these incredible birds.

Waxwing studies- available in my online shop.

Please see link to shop here

https://jonathanpomroy.bigcartel.com/

Tree sparrows return- February 16th

Tree sparrows have appeared in good numbers here. We have a flock of around thirty attracted to red millet seed. This follows two very poor breeding seasons in Gilling East. I am hoping more stay to breed in the village this summer- time will tell. But for now the sight and the sound of a vibrant flock of tree sparrows is lovely so I have been sketching them a lot. I am aware that many readers may not see tree sparrows locally and so the study sheet below, sketched from my studio this morning, shows the difference between male and female house sparrows and tree sparrows whose sexes are alike.

We are also seeing an increase in house sparrows on the garden. Seen together they are much more ‘chunky’ than tree sparrows. Seven house sparrows is a good number for here and the repetitive “chirrup” calls of the males in our road is a welcome sound.

I feel ashamed to admit that I have been frustrated by sparrows taking over swift boxes in the past. They certainly prefer them to standard hole nest boxes. But the secret is to put up more nest boxes so there is choice and room for all. Swifts can usurp sparrows if they want the nest site and this is a battle that has been happening under roofs for centuries.

When our tree sparrows disappeared I really missed them. Until 2020 they were the most abundant species of bird in our garden. Truly I didn’t know what I had until it was gone. They seemed so resilient, but like other species that have vanished in plain sight, they are not and they need our protection. The difficulty with tree sparrows is that we don’t really know why their numbers fluctuate so significantly.

Now the flock that has returned I study their beautiful plumage in detail and enjoy watching their social behaviour. Both sparrow species’ calls are interesting because they are very easy to ignore as background noise, but when you do concentrate on their collective sounds you realise they are major contributors to the early spring soundscape.

Recent days have been extremely mild and the growth rate of daffodils and crocuses is incredible. As snowdrops reach their peak other signs of spring multiply. The bird song continues throughout the day with song thrush, robin, dunnock, chaffinch, nuthatch and blue, great and coal tits particularly noticeable now. Blackbirds are increasingly joining the chorus but not with full song yet. Yellowhammers are returning to their hedgerow territories. I occasionally hear frogs croaking in the pond though spawning is usually well into March here. I have, just now, seen my first two seven spot ladybirds of 2024.

The snow I wished for has not materialised. As the days lengthen snow is still very possible but the chances of it settling for any length of time become less.

All text and images copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2024

House sparrows and tree sparrow- February 16th.

Tree sparrows in our beech hedge.

NEW original watercolours added to my shop.

For further details please see link below

https://jonathanpomroy.bigcartel.com/

Swift moments from fledging. Watercolour. £250

Swift studies- June 18th. £275

Lapwing studies

Curlew near Wheeldale, North York Moors. £295

1st February- hawfinch at Yorkshire Arboretum

Yorkshire Arboretum reopened today after its long winter closing time, so I was eager to try and sketch one of my favourite birds. We often see hawfinches here in Gilling East through the winter months but sadly not this year. The arboretum regularly attracts this species on account of the numerous hornbeam trees within its grounds and I have spent many happy hours sketching them there, not least during my arboretum artist’s residency in 2020/21. Hawfinches are seed predators as they take very hard cased seeds and crack them to eat the kernel, which prevents germination. This action can be heard at some distance on account of the force of that huge, powerful bill and the hardness of the seed. Do not try this with your teeth unless you fancy a trip to the dentist!

Approaching the arboretum’s Red Squirrel Enclosure I was lucky to find a male hawfinch, which announced its presence with a loud “tick” call, before it flew off to the west with some redwings. But even a brief view of this species leaves a strong impact. In the sharp winter sunlight its colours shone out, especially the rich auburn markings around the head, light pink coloured bill and pinkish grey breast plumage. Male hawfinches have a pale slightly pink bill in the winter which gradually turns a lovely blue grey after the new year, in time for the breeding season. Drawing one feels rather like drawing a cartoon on account of the huge bill and those beady eyes on a massive, muscle packed head! They are simply stunning birds and just ooze character. So these watercolour sketches are from memory just after the bird flew. Sadly I didn’t see one again after that, but I intend to return soon.

All the hornbeam seeds have dropped from the trees now but there will be some amongst the leaf litter. Hawfinches industriously move leaves as they search for food. However they face stiff competition from the numerous grey squirrels which really ‘hammer’ the food supply. This shows a lesser known negative aspect of the presence of grey squirrels- they outcompete indigenous species for food and consume a large volume of the total supply.

The arboretum currently has a breeding area for red squirrels as part of a long term project. Do visit. The numerous feeding points also attract a lovely selection of woodland birds. The enclosure is beautifully done and will make you long for the day red squirrels return to parts of the English countryside. For details about visiting the arboretum please see the link below

https://www.yorkshirearboretum.org/

I loved seeing tiny scarlet hazel and alder flowers on the bare twigs next to the golden catkins. Song thrushes sang and in the full sun I could really feel spring on this the first day of February.

All text and images copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2024

Male hawfinch in very bright February sunshine. Watercolour in sketchbook.

Below are some new swift watercolours for sale. Pictures are sold unframed which avoids posting glass and enables you to choose your own framing style. Some pictures are sold with deckled edges which suits a float mount style. To purchase, please email pomroyjonathan@gmail.com or visit my Big Cartel shop at the link below https://jonathanpomroy.bigcartel.com/

Swifts through the gap. Watercolour, unframed/unmounted. 35x26cm. £260

Swift pair fast pass. Watercolour. Unframed/ unmounted. 45x20cm. £200

Late May flypast. Watercolour with deckled edges. Unframed/ unmounted. 57x31cm. £325

Blackbird singing as swifts pass. Watercolour with deckled edges. Unframed/unmounted. 45x34cm. £275

Swifts forming tight screaming party. Watercolour. Unframed/ unmounted. 39x28cm. £245

Swifts pre roosting pass. Watercolour. Unframed/ unmounted. 42×30 cm. £200

Mid January Blog

I have just been watching the local rooks enjoying the high winds on the south western flank of storm Jocelyn as it moves away to the east of the UK. It was a very gusty night here, far more so than storm Isha. Rooks seem to revel in high winds. They fly to their limits and perform spectacular high speed, downwind glides using the most graceful wing positions. Look closely at a large corvid flock and you will see that many are flying distinctly in pairs within it. As rooks go out of their way to fly in such conditions it is hard to believe that there is not some element of excitement or emotion involved in this behaviour. I love watching rooks and look forward to the sight and sound of a busy spring rookery here in Gilling East. Soon the annual competition of which rook can carry the largest stick will begin in earnest!

Last week I made the most of the harsh freezing conditions. They brought some spectacular wildfowl to the UK.  On 15th January I went to RSPB Saltholme to sketch a beautiful drake long-tailed duck. I stood sketching in some of the most bitter conditions I have experienced- with no shelter I worked in full exposure to the northerly wind, but the sight of this duck kept me going. RSPB Saltholme is a fabulous reserve which I urge you to visit. The birding is always rewarding in a variety of habitats. The hides are superb and often manned by friendly and helpful staff. Above all though it brings wildlife and people together. On 19th January I sketched at Wykeham Lakes (North Yorkshire Water Park) near Scarborough. I had not been there before and the level lakeside walk is a delight with a chance to see a great variety of wildfowl, often at close range. In particular I had gone to sketch one of my favourite subjects- the smew. There was a beautiful drake smew with a ‘red headed’ smew on show the whole time I was there- when they were not underwater! These scarce visitors were swimming amongst the equally stunning goldeneyes and other more familiar species. But in addition there were 21 whooper swans, five white- fronted geese, pochard, a female scaup and an overwintering red- throated diver to name just a few. 

Smew and scaup breed in Northern Scandinavia or Russia- both species dive to catch food  but the smew is a type of ‘saw bill’ duck, its mandibles have serrations which can grasp fish. Long- tailed ducks and the red-throated divers could come from the same areas or Iceland. The white-fronted geese breed in Russia while the whooper swans come from Iceland. There is real magic about these cold weather species which often breed in very remote habitat. They transcend human borders and perform huge migration flights in search of milder weather. It is a real privilege to sketch them.

The northerly wind at both locations was bitter. But there is a challenge and great satisfaction to sketching in such conditions, which for me represent the antithesis to sitting out on a warm June evenings sketching swifts. A trip on to the local moor to sketch the landscape saw me working in -4.5C temperature at 11.30am! The landscape was covered in powdery snow which sparkled in the intense, low winter sunlight- very beautiful conditions. Paint freezes surprisingly fast especially the washes on the metal palette. Even the brushes loaded with wash freeze but the cold produces effects in watercolour that are unique to those conditions. For this reason I use a flask of warm water which quickly froze to the palette! I like the sensations of sketching gloveless in the cold but certainly appreciate my trusty Stanley flask filled with strong hot coffee!

Back in the garden the long- tailed tits, which usually move on after quick visits to the feeders, stayed around all day giving me ample chance to sketch their fluffy pink, black and white plumage. Blackbirds enjoyed offered supermarket apples joined by a magnificent fieldfare. All birdsong fell silent- spring on hold. The song thrushes and robins stopped singing and as dusk fell and the long freezing nights approached the birds’ struggle to survive was tangible. But now it is mild again. At this time of year you can be pulled towards spring even though there is plenty more time for cold winter conditions. I find myself wanting more freezing weather as if spring needs to be earned. I love the cold and yearn for more as the very mild gale blows outside.

All text and images copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2024

Some of the watercolours in this blog are available in my online shop. See link below

https://jonathanpomroy.bigcartel.com/

Sketching in snow near Helmsley

Fieldfare studies- January 18th

Blackbird studies- January 18th

Drake long-tailed duck at RSPB Saltholme

Smew, pochard, tufted duck and scaup studies at North Yorkshire Water Park