Mid-winter Birds
It was the shortest day of the year today, but luckily it was a lovely sunny winters day. Every weekend I aim to have a 'stay at home day' and work on new drawings and prints, but ofcourse I usually get distracted by the birds fluttering around outside! I thought I'd share some photos from today, some aren't the best, sharpest photos but they show the variety of birds that visit me and my sugar-water feeders. 
I hear this Fantail most mornings, but they are so quick if you blink you will miss them. I heard this little guy coming so rushed outside with my camera and got a few blurry photos.
My resident Bellbird was singing away today. He sings especially loud in the wind, I wonder if he thinks his song will reach further if it's carried by the breeze, but who knows!
Sorry for this terrible photo, but this lady was the most exciting visitor I had today, she's a female Bellbird, only the 2nd I've ever seen near my house. I was so excited to see her, and was hoping she'd stick around and possibly hit it off with my resident male Bellbird, I would love to see some young ones around!
Kereru are always entertaining, and extremely clumsy, this one came flying in at a great speed, carried by the wind, then landed on a nearby Kowhai tree and tried to hang on while it was being blown around by the wind. This one was quite small, possibly a young-un.
Tui don't really need any explanation, but my usual flock seem to have disappeared, there are only a few of them waiting for their breakfast in the mornings. Hopefully they've gone somewhere warmer, and manage to survive the winter, there are some pretty low temperates on the forecast at the moment!
Since the Tui are having a break, that means the Waxeyes are able to get their share of the sugar-water. I love having trees full of these little birds, their quiet little cheeps and fluttering wings create a peaceful environment, and they are enjoying having a steady supply of food.
I've finally listed my new set of 'bird collection' prints, there are 6 prints in this series and they feature our native birds (of course). I've been trying to add colour into my products, and I'm proud of how these have turned out. I can't wait until my next craft fair so I can suss out what everyone thinks of them! My next projects are greeting cards, notebooks and possibly wrapping paper featuring these colourful birds. In the meantime I'm having fun playing around with layouts and arranging all the birds that I've spent the last few months drawing.
