Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Scribble Picnic. . . . . . . Bird


There are birds, and then there are BIRDS! 
Watching birds in flight brings much joy, but the flightless
 species are certainly interesting in their own way. . . . . . .and 
they're great to hang out with because they don't fly away! 


My rendition of the King penguin - photo edited to a sketch and colored with
 watercolor pencils.

Some of you may already know that I'm a huge bird lover. Sharing my own (well I like to think they're mine) garden birds keeps me busy. I spend an inordinate amount time at the cottage windows. A camera is usually at the ready to capture my colorful feathered friends nibbling at the feeders, bathing in the bird baths and fountain, building nests in springtime, snuggling down in my withered brown Boston ferns in hanging baskets all winter - I don't have the heart to take them down as the Carolina wrens sleep in them nightly - yes, birds take up much of my time! 

I'm not an official 'bird watcher' but have tagged along with authentic birders who often appear in organized groups on expedition ships, sailing to out of the way places on the planet, especially far off islands and coastlines in search of rare seabirds and such. Their excitement at seeing a new to them bird is fun, and they are happy to share all the facts with we neophytes nearby who can't tell one of those huge ocean going birds from another. 

Hard for me to choose a bird to share for Michael's Scribble Picnic theme today - I have so many special ones. I decided to go with the penguin because fewer people see them their true habitat. Found on the Southern Ocean islands such as HERE on South Georgia Island - one of the most incredible places on earth by the way - where I photographed this magnificent bird, along with many more species of penguins on the actual Antarctic Peninsula. . . . . . . penguins in the thousands are a sight to behold. 



The true South Pole location is the only place to view Emperor penguins, the largest of all - sadly I've not quite made it there and doubt I ever will! 
This is my original photo of the sleek King penguin, second largest to the Emperor penguin  - I'm sure you'll agree he's gorgeous!



Hope you join us at Michael's for this week's Scribble Picnic - I know there will
be some beautiful, perhaps unusual, birds to view.

13 comments:

  1. Your king penguin is magnificent Mary, fantastic choice!

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  2. Good morning Mary,
    Love your penguin and to think that you actually saw him and took his picture. Wow! And your backyard filled with the birds!! Love it. Your ingenuity of taking the photo, changing it to B & W and then painting it astounds me.
    Blessings
    Janis

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  3. He looks so 'stuck up' like he knows he's king of his castle. Very nice indeed.

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  4. Love that 'scribble' Mary. So pretty. I'm a bird lover too.

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  5. Oh this is just extraordinary beautiful. I just love it.

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  6. funny, I didn't even think of penguins when I thought of birds - good idea. not quite sure I like the faded colors of the edited versions when compared with the strong colors of the original though if I haven't seen the original, I might have a different opinion.

    have a lovely day.

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  7. I think you did a great job on that bottom left one in particular as it has more colour but more than that, of course, are always the wonderful accompanying posts. Yes, I remember reading your post with all those penguins and thinking you are the only person I know of who has actually been there. The write up really helped me feel like I was there too.

    Have to admit, I did rather wonder which bird you might choose, knowing you love them so. The CArolina wren would have been my guess but, yes, penguins makes sense too. So, while the don't fly away, do they ever waddle? :)

    Thank you so much, Mary, for adding your lovely contribution to our picnic. Oh and btw, a "tall glass of icy elderberry cordial" sounds divine! Haven't had one of those in sooo long that I had actually forgotten elderberry entirely.

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  8. Good choice with your penguin, Mary! In retrospect, it makes meI wish I had taken time to draw a puffin from our Alaska trip. I know what you mean about having the camera ready. Never know what might show up for a quick photo!

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  9. Your King is wonderful. There is something interesting in your coloring and texture that I enjoy.
    I love watching birds too.

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  10. King Penguins are fabulous and I love how regal their behavior is! :) You did a wonderful job, Mary. Loved that you shared a few process photos. Have a great Thursday and weekend! :)
    xo

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  11. Wonderful choice for the Picnic, Mary! You did a splendid job of your rendition of one too. Did you ever get to see the Phillip Island Fairy Penguins on your travels in Australia? They grow to just over a foot in height...so cute!

    I hope you have a lovely weekend ~ xo

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  12. you did a great job with him, very majestic looking :) I've only seen them in zoos, would love to see them in the wild tho

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