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| Mixed media painting by Bee Skelton |
We only saw one or two magpies in the garden when we first came to the house last
year, but since then my husband has dangled several bird feeders from every tree and the magpie population has soared, as have all the other wild bird species we attract. But I really am in two minds about them. It seems to me the collective noun for magpies is quite apt; a 'murder' of magpies. The
magpie diet is incredibly varied and as well as the seeds and nuts we give them, they're quite partial to picking off other creatures in our wild life garden.
Nature really is red in tooth and claw and the bloody colour and these birds inspired my latest painting. It's a mixed media collage piece on gessoed board and I used ripped pieces of one of my printed papers for the background, then added the birds and details with acrylic paint and inks. You can see
more information or buy the finished painting by clicking here.
We have Magpies, Urban Segulls, Sparrows, Crows and Robins, and Squirrels! Apart from the Seagulls the wildlife works together. The Seagulls are just great big bullies!
ReplyDeleteJulie xxxxxx
Fortunately we don't see any seagulls in the garden, just the occasional small flock using the farm fields as a staging post to somewhere else. I've lost count of the different small garden birds we see. Some I'd not come across till we lived in middle England. Just hope those pesky magpies don't see them off!
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