Category Archives: Birds

A swim before Barney

An Eyeballing

I chucked some branches of cotoneaster horizontalis* in with the chickens. The branches were covered in berries and I thought it might be nice to sit and draw the chickens pecking the berries, everything outside being so frozen it wasn’t muddy for once.

No sooner had I started than Tiberius came up and gave me a through eyeballing. At close range, and while seated practically on the ground, this is a disconcerting look to receive from a large cockerel. I drew him instead.

An Eyeballing by Tiberius, a fine Light Sussex Cockerel

*cotoneaster horizontalis… it’s one of those plant names I love because it just trips off the tongue is such a nice way: coton-e-aster hori-zon-talis. Try it 🙂

Things seen fleetingly…

6 Replies

I was up in Cumbria for the weekend, swimming, but that’s another story. Fleetingly, driving out of Great Langdale, I glimpsed the odd sight of a snow covered hillock crowned by a single dead tree. There were sheep beneath the tree, and dozens of rooks standing in the tree and on the sheep. I suppose they were keeping their feet warm. The whole thing was such an odd but picturesque tableau that it deserved a picture, even though I cannot really say what it looked like.

Dead Tree Hillock

Tiberius in winter light

2 Replies

Tiberius, our Light Sussex Cockerel, has grown into a fine chap in the three months or so that we have had him. And he is no longer scared of his wives, and can manage the… cockereling duties.

Tiberius Tyrrol Cockerel

Tiberius Tyrrol

R.I.P. Vladimir, a psycho sadly missed… 30th June

2 Replies

Cat-of-the-day would like to note the passing of a one Vladimir, magnificent cockerel and in chicken years probably a centurion, who, having survived dog and fox attack over the years, finally fell off his perch today. He was a fine beast, stupid and psychotic, as any good cockerel should be. Though he mellowed over the years he still looked at me with murder in his eye, especially that time in when, in my haste, I fed the chickens while wearing red leather gloves, a thing I shall not repeat in front of a large cockerel.

R.I.P. Vladimir.

And to you over the pond, that’s a rooster, I am told….

Vladimir the cockerel

At the Royal Bath & West Show, 31st May

WaterDrawn

Art & Design by Nancy Farmer, all of a watery nature