Some paintings and pics

 I have been working on a few roughs for some larger paintings recently, I would like to keep this style and add a few more birds. Back in the field the reedlings were still a little skittish, had 3 males chasing a female several times and saw them mating close to the second nest. Apart from one male that landed beside me, most of the views were a little distant feeding in the reed bases or flying back and forth. The wind picked up quite early and after that the reedlings  stayed low and mostly quite.

 

 

I stumbled on a wood sandpiper yesterday, unfortunately I decided to come back to it after checking on the reedlings which tend to disappear after mid-morning. A friend sat watching it until a field of cows decided to go for a drink and flushed it, I never found it again.

 The water rail pair with chicks were a no show yesterday, but this adult showed really well until I tried to take out my sketch pad. The wind picked up early on and very little showed around the reed bed.

 This sinensis cormorant was hanging around all day, my first at the site, it rare to get close enough to scrutinise them most days.

I had over 40 crossbills last week at a pine forest near home and while watching them I had heard a woodpecker calling several times. This woodpecker has been giving me the run around all spring, this being only the third time I have heard it and have only seen it once in almost 20 visits since March. Atleast the crossbills have been showing well.