I recently spent a very enjoyable day  with  fellow shutterbug Michael Anderton  in the hills surrounding Loch Dan in Wicklow. I had met Michael at the Birr Game Fair where he offered to show me sika deer rut when autumn proper would roll around. Come to think of it autumn proper rolled around August this year!

We linked up early Sunday morning in a misty Roundwood but by the time we arrived at our spot the mist was lifting and the day held good promise,a gentle breeze and not too cold.There was a wonderful view of some distant escarpments in the early morning mist reminding me of images I have seen of China on tv.

Misty Mountainside

The sika were not playing ball and apart from a few fleeing rumps  nothing stood still for us. They seemed to be heading for cover after their feeding. I was a bit disappointed thinking that we hadn’t arrived early enough but Mike told me to relax and that we would see heaps before the day would be over.

We walked past autumnal larches and rocky streams as we made our way out onto the mountain proper. I was amazed at the amount of ravens wheeling and diving in the sky and thought that they must have been feeding on a deer carcass or something but Mike said that the ravens always put on a show like this. Their aerial acrobatics were superb to watch .We threw ourselves back in the heather and watched them for half an hour. We could see that many were performing courtship rituals with the males passing a sprig of vegetation to the females while diving together at speed often upside down. They mate for life and therefore the bond between both birds is strong.

We continued onwards and upwards and then we spotted them… sika deer… everywhere! I was  delighted to get such great views of small groups of hinds with their stag keeping a close eye on them.We could not spot any truly large beast , eight pointers were the biggest we could find. Even though the deer are  quite tolerant of walkers we could not get as close as we would like with our smallish lenses. They would move steadily away as we approached them and stare intently at us. They are not particularly large deer but Mike and I had a slightly unnerving episode shortly afterwards when an aggressive beast galloped towards us and stamped his leg a few times while staring furiously at us . He had been wallowing in some peat hole and his unkempt appearance gave him a most wicked demeanor.I was glad someone else was with me on the open mountain, Mike was the only object I could hide behind if this bad boy decided to have a game of chase! I didn’t say this to Mike even though he probably was having the same thought! I hope he doesn’t read this.

We continued walking in a long loop over the tops towards loch Dan. What a beautiful view greeted us as we reached a ridge where the  lake and inflowing river could be seen below us.

Loch Dan

River Inlet

We headed back towards the car after a little lunch (thanks to Mike, I forgot mine!). The walk back saw some late evening sun bathe the valleys with warm light perfect for picture -taking. I particularly enjoyed photographing the deer in the ferns. The valley has some impressive Scots pines and stands of sessile oaks. I look forward to paint a sika stag in this setting. This truly is a beautiful part of Wicklow and a day which we both really enjoyed .

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Hello all! Autumn has kicked in here in Connemara ,The mountain ash berries are now crimson and  it seems to me that the ferns have died early this year . The bog vegetation has turned the most beautiful sienna hue and when the sun sits low in the evening sky the landscape is ablaze in the most magnificent autumnal colours.

I have just completed a large work of a flock of finches on a thistle plant. There are three goldfinches and two siskins in this picture. The plant they have alighted on has not yet produced its seed  but they know that they won’t be long ripening. I have decided to title the picture “Seedless Sojourn”.

Seedless Sojourn

The image size is 460 mm x 650 mm.I will hopefully have it framed next  week.The framed work will have a costing of 1100 euro.The following images show some of the detail of the work.I don’t care if I ever should see a thistle again!

Siskin

Goldfinch

I have also completed a pencil sketch of a woodcock resting beside a pool of water under the hazel canopy. This is a study for a large woodcock painting that I’ve been keen to do for a while. The first arrivals of woodcock are probably here already but the main influx will be following the first full moon of  November . It therefore seems fitting that my thoughts should be on this secretive bird at this time.

Woodcock in Hazel

This pencil sketch measures  200 mm x 210 mm and framed costs 180 euro.

I am currently working on some trout and other fish images for the big fly fair in Galway which will be held in mid November. (Details in  “Exhibitions” in the menu bar at the top of the page.) I am quite excited about these paintings as they are quite loose and I am trying to let the paints mix on the page instead of the palette.

I have recently finished some paintings and have not had a chance to show them on my blog yet.

The first is a watercolour vignette of a Sika stag in the Wiclklow hills. He is making his way across the bog in the early morning light seeking the refuge of the spruce to pass the day.The image size is 375mm x 255mm.

Heading for Spruce

The second picture is an atmospheric painting of a Connemara bog scene with a woodcock flitting by some birches.This picture measures 310mm x 255mm.

Connemara Woodcock

The final picture is a lovely little vignette of a woodcock heading out over the bog to feed.It is painted with sepia colour only and this gives the picture a very unified look. The image size is 150mm x 150mm.

Dropping In

All these paintings are beautifully framed.

I am adding a new page to my blog today and I’m naming it “On The Easel”. It shall feature the picture or pictures that I am currently painting with information regarding size and framing etc.

I am writing this looking out of my studio window as the mist and rain are steadily making their way across the Connemara hills  towards the house. The”summer” is reputedly over and the mountain ash is aglow with berries while the heather flowers are in bloom pointing towards a change of season.

The Birr Castle Game Fair which was held on Saturday and Sunday had its share of changeable weather, Saturday afternoon in particular being soft underfoot due to thunder storms . Some  people’s choice of footwear was quite interesting to say the least! Sunday was a lovely day and the crowds enjoyed the sunshine.

I really enjoyed meeting with  many people  over the two days and would like to thank them for the encouragement they gave me and the compliments they paid my work. I would also like to thank a few who gave good critical advice, people who had great knowledge of certain aspects of natural history. These little gems of information will help me to improve. I will post some of my recent work on the site over the coming days. That rain that was rolling in from the hills  has arrived!

The gamefair season is upon us again and thats great because it means  summertime is here! I am currently working on some new paintings and hope to have them ready for the first fair. There is nothing like pressure to concentrate the mind!

The first show I will be exhibiting at will be the Shane’s Castle Gamefair in Antrim. This will be held on July the 7th and 8th. Following this I will be showing my works  at the Birr Castle gamefair in Co. Offaly which will be held on 25th and 26th of August.

Both these venues are held in wonderful parkland settings and are a great day out for the family.I hope to see some of you folks who have encouraged me throughout the year at the show.

I was displaying some of my artwork at the AGM of the Leinster branch of the Irish Deer Society this weekend.This meeting was held in Laragh, County Wicklow. It was quite interesting to learn about deer numbers and distribution  countrywide as well as various issues concerning the branch such as poaching and conservation policies.

While on the east coast I decided to take a look at Bull Island which is near Clontarf in Dublin city. I drove out on a grey Saturday afternoon and was amazed at the wealth of birdlife which greeted me as I crossed the causeway. Teal, Shoveler, Pintail,Grey Plover and many more types of birds were often within fifty yards of the road. The great thing about the place is that these birds are quite used to humans and are generally quite relaxed.I got some lovely images of pintail at last! I didn’t even have to freeze in a hide,it was so easy I felt guilty!

I will be back  as I hear that there are a couple of peregrines around the area. It would be great to get a couple of pics of these. Dublin city and county has many great bird sites and is so handy to get to,(better not let the Dubs hear us say that too loudly!)

I have just completed a painting of a red deer stag with some hinds  and young. I decided to position the stag against the skyline as this would give him a more domineering stance. The thundery sky also adds to the feeling of drama.

The image measures 13 inches x 8 1/2 inches and is beautifully framed. The framed work measures 18 inches x 15 inches. Purchase price is Euro 550.

Whitefronts on Beet

After recently finishing a painting of pintail I felt the urge to study them in detail.There is probably no better place in Ireland to see them than Tacumshin lake in County Wexford.I arrived late Thursday evening and set up my hide.I was surprised at the low level of the water and the lack of wildfowl.

Tacumshin lake is a shallow brackish lough that once was part of the sea .Water levels are still regulated by the locals farmers I believe.

After a cold night spent in my car I trudged down to my hide ladden with cameras, seat, flask of tea and much clothes at 5.30am. The frosted reeds made a quiet approach impossible and immediately a redshank and curlew sounded the alarm.The cover of darkness helped settle their nerves.I sat in the hide and waited for dawn.I love being in a hide early in the morning, I was excited as I could hear a raft of wigeon pass by, it was still too dark to make out anything apart from black shapes.The early morning sounds were beautiful, the whistles of wigeon and teal, the greylag ganders arguing, melodious sounds of the curlew , lapwing and redshank.

The sunrise was fantastic. I was glad that I had my 5mm neoprene waders on as my feet were in water, it was coooold! As the morning grew later I realised that the ducks were too wary to come near my hide.Pintail were to be seen waaay out the lake and looked quite happy out there!I got some nice shots of a black headed gull dining on a frog.That was the highlight of the morning photowise. My observation of  the previous evening on the lack of birds was confirmed as I could not see the usual large rafts of wigeon and shoveler. I could not see any godwits at all. Nevertheless it was a very enjoyable morning.

I drove up to the Wexford Wildlife reserve later on in the afternoon to photograph the Greenland White Fronted geese.The  geese are attracted to the reserve by crops of beet and grasses. This reserve  attracts 30% of the Greenland population. Late evening light made for some nice snaps . I also got some snaps of teal in the home pond from one of the hides.I had to laugh when I thought of all the trouble I had gone to that morning to get photos of ducks and here they were outside the reserve front door! I waited till dusk and enjoyed the skeins of geese flying over my head out to their roosting spots on the estuary sands.I would recommend a visit to the reserve to anyone, bring the kids and get them excited about wildlife!

Marsh Pintail

Marsh Pintail Closeup

I have just finished this painting of a flock of pintail resting on a marsh edge. A little snow adds a winter feel to the scene as well as the cool blue in the sky . Pintail are one of my favourite ducks to paint . I love their elegant shapes and the strong markings on the drakes heads. This picture should look nice on someone’s wall…hmm on second thoughts I might keep this one myself!