Birbs of Saskatchetoon - Common Goldeneye

 It was never my intent to paint picture perfect illustrations of birds - like you might see in a birding manual. I wanted to make the identifiable, but really wanted to keep it fun and lively and maybe a bit expressionistic - trying to capture the gesture of the bird in the situation in which I first spotted it...? 

I even thought I might add speech bubbles containing whatever irreverent things I imagine birds might be thinking or saying to each other... I still might... 

I've not been totally happy with the first few that went into the book - which actually left me feeling like a dummy for not starting in DECEMBER and PRACTICING drawing birds for a month before starting in. I'll have to learn to live with it. Perhaps it will, in addition to keeping a record of the birds I saw this year, show a progression or ability and techniques experimented with, incorporated and... maybe not "mastered"... but at least got "good enough" with...? 

These two are the first I've really felt like "yeah, that's kind of almost what I was shooting for..."

Common Goldeneyes pass through the souther parts of the province in the spring and fall - heading to breeding ground in the north for the summer. But there are a fair few that overwinter here in town. They are definitely the most common water fowl I've seen all winter - often appearing in groups of three or four or five. Often diving under the water for a minute before reappearing a little further downstream. 

I see them just about every day that I go out and I saw the first ones of the year on the 3rd or 4th - the first day I headed out of the house and travelled along the river. 

Two Common Goldeneyes (male and female) in the Birbs of Saskatchetoon sketchbook. 

Extra one I did for funsies while working on the one in the book 

Just a few of the "reference" photos I took in the last week or so... 

I can't tell you how many times THIS happened - lining up to take a shot and BLOOP under they went. It was common enough that I was considering doing disturbed water as the pictures for the Goldeneye, but then decided against it... 

Here are a few of the pictures I managed to take BEFORE they dove - or just as they came back up (if I was feeling patient - and WARM - enough!) 

Getting a bit behind here. I think the next bird I saw was a Mallard - but that was almost two weeks ago! I guess I better get on it! 

I'm almost afraid to go out lest I see another new bird and get further behind!