Birding Through the Pandemic

Wow, I have truly outdone myself this time. OVER A YEAR without a post O.o 

Guess I didn’t have much to say, especially in the last 6 months when a lot of my time that I intended to dedicate to my creative work, this blog and my shop - had to be surrendered to activities that not only took a ton of my time but also so much physical energy and mental effort, that there was barely any space left for basic drawing.

And all this time there was one thing that helped me through: watching birds on our terrace. 

It was already a couple of years ago that I decided to tame magpies that nest on a nearby tree (optimistic I know lol) but they largely ignored all my efforts. The seeds I left for them however attracted a few unexpected guests around October-November 2020: great tits, blue tits and robin redbreast! And I could not be happier! I never really paid much attention to these small folks before and was surprised to see them - silly enough, I didn’t know robins were real lol, somehow they only existed in my mind as typical idyllic elements of Christmas cards, and I don’t think I even was aware of blue tits in any shape or form. All of them were so adorable that they quickly made it to the pages of my sketchbook (check IG for more).

These lads kept me company through autumn, winter, spring and are pecking peanuts just 2 meters away as I’m typing this hehe. I guess the absence of contact with any familiar animals during the pandemic (like my in-laws’ dog or our protégés in an animal sanctuary) made me turn to birds that gradually became my semi-pets :) Just as pets providing solace in stressful times, these birdies have been keeping my spirits up without even knowing it. You just cannot watch them without smiling or laughing - and that's some therapeutic stuff right there!

Just look at this blue tit babe! Been a regular on our terrace since November and so are his (or her, can’t tell!) chicks these days :D

The more I watched them, the more fascinating their individual traits and habits became - and I didn’t want to miss or forget a thing so I started logging their visits and behaviour hehe. On the most eventful days and when I can take notes, it’s easy to cover up to 5 A5 pages. Crazy, eh? xD

Anyhow, the birds have not only taken over my terrace, sketchbook and heart - they will be making regular appearances in this blog as well hehe. Stay tuned!

Oh, and keep an eye out for a shop update, this time here on the website. Their will be some bird-y items too! ;)