BYC’s BirdTober Thread - 2024

[Amer]

So darling.
I love Killdeers, they’re such pretty little things.

I just did a Jay so it could count for today’s and yesterday’s drawing (I couldn’t get a pic because I lost my sunlight before I finished it); you’re right, that bird was a pain to draw.
Their blue isn’t quite the same blue that you’d think.

Exactly! I tried basically all the blues and eventually mostly settled on the first one I grabbed, cerulean. It just didn't look right at first. I tried them all using the sketch itself as the guinea pig because I ain't got time for trying them on a second piece of paper.
The pattern is a convincing enough approximation... Unless you've spent hours staring at a Blue Jay reference photo like me and most of the other people here, it seems. The stripes go at confusing angles.

Had the... pleasure... of being consumed by that already I love the result but it was a bit much

You poor thing... Those aren't even native there and you took it upon yourself to draw one of these (handsome) beasts!
I felt obligated to draw one mostly because aside from the crows (I drew one for backyard bird last year) Blue Jays are the only native bird I see on campus with regularity.

 

[Amer]

The pattern is a convincing enough approximation... Unless you've spent hours staring at a Blue Jay reference photo like me and most of the other people here, it seems. The stripes go at confusing angles

It looks like one of those old ornithology drawings where it doesn't look quite right but it's so well rendered you just don't question it.

 

[Somewhere_In_The_Clouds]

Colours are off but I almost skipped today so... best efforts I guess
9. Marsh. Swamphen.

 

[Somewhere_In_The_Clouds]

You poor thing... Those aren't even native there and you took it upon yourself to draw one of these (handsome) beasts!
I felt obligated to draw one mostly because aside from the crows (I drew one for backyard bird last year) Blue Jays are the only native bird I see on campus with regularity.

I do not remember what possessed me... it was a few years ago...
They must be so cool to see in person!

Spoiler

 

[Amer]

Colours are off but I almost skipped today so... best efforts I guess
9. Marsh. Swamphen.
View attachment 3961226

Swamphens are so cool!

I do not remember what possessed me... it was a few years ago...
They must be so cool to see in person!

Spoiler

View attachment 3961227

At first I didn't appreciate them because I saw them often but now I appreciate how cool they look! They can make some very weird sounds, they're smart, and they are pretty big. And colorful. But they are also mean.

Photo from 1936 Birds of America

 

[RDchicken99]

Day seven and eight:
A Jay, as they are both a backyard bird and members of the Corvid Crew.

 

[Amer]

For "Marsh" I did a very tiny drawing of a very tiny goose.
Red breasted goose, my beloved

I didn't post until now because right after I finished it I had to hurry up and do important things

 

[Somewhere_In_The_Clouds]

Colours are off but I almost skipped today so... best efforts I guess
9. Marsh. Swamphen.
View attachment 3961226

I haven't gotten to today's cause I'm a little stuck on picking a species...
But I did decide to fiddle with the colours on this, maybe a little better?

 

[Amer]

I haven't gotten to today's cause I'm a little stuck on picking a species...
But I did decide to fiddle with the colours on this, maybe a little better?
View attachment 3961788

That looks cool!

 

[Amer]

She's a very delicate color that's hard to see against the background but I think that's excusable because they live in ice and snow in real life.
Unlikely that you'd see them in breeding plumage in WI but I just wanted to draw that ring.
I used pencil, watercolor, ink, and for the ring I did colored pencil since the ring has a pencil quality in real life.
Doubt I'll ever get to see a Ross' Gull but one can dream