Chough family

We were at Fistral beach by 7 this morning, looking out on a slightly choppy azure sea with a gentle breeze. Far out at sea, tiny white spots marked where birds were floating on the water. As we walked round the back of a hotel, I spotted a group of four noisy corvids ahead of us, and two things jumped out at me: the unusual sound they were making, like a squeaky dog toy; and their bright red bills and feet. Choughs again! This time, what looked like two or three young ones and a parent (or both parents) trying to keep up with their demands. I kicked myself that I didn’t even have my small camera, or my mobile phone, with me. They were delightful to watch, and stayed so close to the path, unbothered by all the people passing them, I wouldn’t have even needed to zoom in; I could see every detail: the sheen of the morning’s sun on the glossy surface of their open beaks, the shade of blue shimmering on their feathers, matching the sea. The dogs’ ears meanwhile were pricked up at the noise they were making. Out for a dog walk, we had to move on pretty quickly, but I caught a glimpse of them again on the way back to the car after our walk. 

In the absence of my camera, I have decided to reproduce the scene as a painting. It’s more like a coloured-in line drawing than a professional painting as I’m not too familiar with traditional artists’ techniques and don’t work with watercolours a lot, as indicated by the dozens of tubes I found dried up as I searched for colours for this piece. I finished this painting on the 1st July but thought I would post it here to accompany the sighting that inspired it.