Bird Impressions: A Personal View of Birds

by Darren Rees

Oblong Sm Quarto, Hardcover, Gilt Lettered, 1993, Unpaginated,

128 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1994

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Tree Sparrow and Whooper Swans. Artist Darren Rees, copyright Darren Rees.)

I've had this book for about 15 years, and whilst I have often looked at its beautiful pix, I had never read the accompanying text. This time I did, and it was fascinating. Rees’s description of various bird antics and behaviours made me realise how blind I am to these critters. Besides a vague naming "Ah there's a robin, there's a sparrow, there's a swallow....." I am almost totally ignorant of them. This I think is partly because my eyesight isn't brilliant, and partly because bird watching isn't my thing. Anyway, with this book Rees woke me up to the rich world of bird watching. I'm not a convert, but it was a delight seeing birds through his eyes. Here’s an example of his wonderfully evocative writing...

Another windy day and I choose the cover of Solfach’s hide to sketch from. Before me the seaweed sprawls like a thousand rusting pipes. Many birds are picking through the debris looking for food and I lift my binoculars for a closer look. The seaweed is alive with Starlings and Pipits moving like a plague of mice through the litter. Two Yellow Wagtails weave a lemon trail and a Wheatear bounces along the sand. Some Starlings are hitching a ride on the back of a sheep.......

Really, it was a whole new world...

The one path leading from the lighthouse to the landing steps runs through part of the Tern colony. Walking along the track can be a perilous business.... Terns are nervous at the best of times and they do not tolerate humans near their chicks. Trespassers trigger an eruption of screaming birds and you are dive-bombed and harried relentlessly. As the Terns swoop they emit an unnerving clicking noise, the frequency increasing the nearer they get to your head. They regularly make contact and their sharp beaks can easily draw blood. Often as not, though, they just leave their white, slimy calling card....

He also has some wonderful snips for artists...and drawing is one of my things, even though I'm grossly inept.

For anyone wishing to draw birds, Blue Tits on garden feeders are good places to start. Sitting on bleak estuaries might seem daunting to beginners, but what could be more comfortable than sketching familiar birds through a window from the warmth of indoors. Blue Tits may be restless and can flit and jerk every which way, but patience and effort will usually be rewarded. The process of sitting and looking will not only help to understand the nuances of their simple shape, but also reveal patterns of behaviour that may be easily overlooked. Drawing is the business of learning and two hours spent observing and sketching Blue Tits is far greater education than slavishly mimicking a photograph.

And again...

A gallery owner once told me not to paint Gulls. I thought this a somewhat strange suggestion. I paint Gulls because I enjoy watching them. Using live models as much as possible leads me often to look at familiar, more accessible birds..... No justification is ever needed for a painting that is faithfully observed....

I am guilty of drawing from photographs! Guilty, guilty, guilty! I felt inspired by what he wrote above. It’s definitely time to do some drawing from life.

I have loved this book for many years – purely on the merits of its amazing artwork. What a treat then to eventually get round to reading the text, and find that this was a delight as well. Rees is not only a brilliant artist (& this book is busting with pix), but he is an excellent writer too. Highly recommended....