Desperate For A Butchers

Hands up who doesn't get excited about these? Thought so. GGS's have provided me with some of my best birding memories - especially when I've blundered into them myself! Re-finding one at Barrow Tip in the Worsbrough Valley in April 1990, and then finding one on passage near Winscar Res. in Oct 2011 remain major highlights. A couple of sketches of the bird which at Midhope last January are below, with a worked up drawing below those. Ok, in the pose chosen I've had to 'recreate' the primary patch as the bird flew before I could get a detailed look at it. Further sketches did show the flank feathers often obscuring this, though. I've also added the highlight to the eye - otherwise it would look stuffed! I've chose a nice blue sky background to emphasize the bird's striking pattern. A stunner - no matter what the pic looks like!
Thanks for looking.
Russ

                Field sketches of Great Grey Shrike, Midhope, 24th January 2015 and bxxxxy cold!

                                                                  On my 2016 wish-list!