38. Steller's Eider (Polysticta stelleri)

The Steller's Eider is a true Arctic duck, breeding in parts of Alaska and Russia, and is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to rapid declines in its Alaskan population. Part of the Russian population winters around Varanger and I feel very privileged to have seen these amazing ducks whilst at Gullfest.

Steller's Eider, ©Tormod Amundsen/Biotope.

Steller's Eider sketch.

Time for another drawing of a bird in flight today. I've made him a bit fat and misjudged the amount of space available for wings, oh well! Think I've got the wing length more in proportion to the body at least compared to previous attempts.

Here are some more of my Gullfest photos with a Steller's Eider theme!

I was walking down Kaigata in Vardø on the first full day of Gullfest starting to think about lunch (which happens a lot) when I bumped into Ian Lewington, who told me there was a Steller's Eider in the harbour, only a few metres out! As I had never seen a Steller's before I shot down there pretty quicksharp.

My first ever Steller's Eider, just metres away in Vardø harbour! Thanks Ian!

Another one from the King Eider vortex:

The King Eider vortex - spot the Steller's.

One of the best places to see Steller's Eider was the beautiful and slightly desolate Kiberg harbour, which was a short drive westward from Vardø along the Varanger peninsula:

Kiberg harbour.

Kiberg harbour.

Raft of Steller's Eider in Kiberg harbour.

Amazing light at Kiberg harbour.

Now whenever I think of King and Steller's Eiders, they are synonymous in my head with Vardø and Varanger. It's no surprise that Destination Varanger have made the very special and iconic Steller's Eider into their logo:

They should make badges of this. I would totally buy one.

37. King Eider (Somateria spectabilis)

This incredible photo is another of Tormod's, taken from the floating photo hide at Båtsfjord which seems to be gaining somewhat of a legendary status due to the opportunity it allows you to get amazingly close to seaducks! Alas I didn't have time or funds to visit it during my Gullfest trip, but maybe next year....

King Eider, ©Tormod Amundsen/Biotope.

King Eider drawing, pencil and coloured pencil crayons.

Yeah! Colours! I would do all my drawings in colour if I had time, it's so much more satisfying. Pretty pleased with this one!

King Eider was another new species for me at Gullfest, they look so improbable that I wasn't ever quite sure they were even real until I actually saw one. Well, until I saw more like 10,000, as my first King Eider experience was in the so-called (by Tristan Reid) 'King Eider vortex'! This described very aptly the swirling clouds of Eider that surrounded our boat during the King Eider safari, it was hard to know which direction to look in, it was a completely overwhelming birding experience in the best possible way.

King Eiders on the King Eider safari trip.

The King Eider vortex!

King & Common Eiders take off.

36. Common Eider (Somateria mollissima)

Today is a double-duck bonanza as I didn't have time last night to do a drawing.....we still hadn't watched this week's Game of Thrones so that needed rectifying, priorities and all that. Plus I knew I would have plenty of time this evening!

Today's photo is reproduced with the kind permission of Tormod from Biotope, organisers of the awesome Arctic Gullfest in Vardø, Norway - the event that inspired me to start drawing and blogging.

Common Eider, ©Tormod Amundsen/Biotope

Common Eider sketch.

A fairly common seaduck, nonetheless Common Eiders are still a handsome bird, just look at that fine profile! I enjoyed drawing it, those smooth clean lines are most pleasing.

The numbers of Eiders up in Varanger during the Gullfest were pretty awe-inspriring, here are a few of my photos of the King Eider safari in which we went out in a fishing boat to the mixed rafts of Common and King Eider (plus the odd Steller's and Long-tailed Duck).

Gives some idea of the density of the Eider flocks which frequently surrounded our boat.

Eiders + Vardø.

Common + King Eiders.

Expect more Gullfest-related ramblings and photos as I work my way through the Eiders!

First blog - super inspired by Gullfest

Just over a week ago, I got back from Varanger in Arctic Norway. I'd been to Gullfest, a birding festival organised by the Norwegian pro nature architecture company Biotope in co-operation with many other local businesses and people, based on the island of Vardø in which, although birds were the primary focus, the vibrant and amazing Arctic culture of Vardø and its people was also celebrated. As if this wasn't cool enough already, the people who had gathered at Gullfest from various countries around the world, united in their passion for birds, were a truly excellent bunch, bursting with enthusiasm and dedication. In short, Gullfest was probably the best and definitely the most inspiring birding event I have attended in my admittedly rather limited birding antics so far. 

Amazing birds

Inspiring people

Beautiful places

Unique (and delicious!) culture

Amongst the people present were artists Darren Woodhead and Ian Lewington. Ian is one of the world's foremost bird illustrators who has created plates for numerous bird guides, and Darren is a watercolour artist who produces all his work in the field. I was wowed by Darren's dedication, working in blizzards, sub-zero conditions and even on a boat to produce stunning paintings, and amazed to find that world-renowned bird illustrator Ian actually has no formal art training. This was one of the facts that Martin Garner of Birding Frontiers dropped into his inspiring presentation on the opening night of Gullfest at the North Pole pub in Vardø, the theme of which was following your passions. Martin described Vardø as a place that was also beginning to pursue its dreams, just as he and the organisers of Gullfest had. Art was also to be seen on many of the abandoned buildings around Vardø, the result of the street art festival Komafest that had taken place in 2012 to draw attention to the depopulation of remote areas in North Norway, and Vardø feels like a town that is starting to realise its potential with the help of some very dedicated and enthusiastic people working together.

Darren Woodhead gave a presentation about his art and how you can learn a different way of seeing to depict the natural world.

Ian Lewington explained how careful observation and understanding of bird anatomy is vital in producing bird illustrations.

A typically enthusiastic scene - Martin, Louise and Tormod on the Hurtigruten.

Street art in Vardø.

More of my photos are on Flickr, here and here.

I felt humbled and to be honest, a bit intimidated by all the knowledge, passion and skill present, although Martin assured me that they mostly 'just blagged it'! Everyone was only too happy to share their knowledge with me and I learned a lot, but how could I maintain the inspiration and continue to expand my understanding once I'd returned to everyday life in suburban Birmingham? It would probably take a bit more than blagging! I would like to spend more time in the field but working full-time and studying for a degree in Environmental Science with the Open University means I have very little free time - I usually go birding about twice a month. I'd also sporadically done some bird drawings and paintings in the past, but again felt that I didn't currently have time to do this. So I have decided (perhaps rashly) to set myself a project in which I will work my way through the Collins Bird Guide, reading about and then drawing one bird a day. I will also do at least one drawing in the field every time I go out birding. I reckon I should be able to make at least 5-10 minutes every day for this, and have posted a fuller description of The Rules.

As a starter, here are some fairly dreadful field sketches that I did at the weekend at RSPB Sandwell Valley where I volunteer - you can see why I need to practice! 

It's probably obvious that the oystercatcher kept still for longest. That pesky teal (barely more than a couple of lines) kept still the least longest! Even though they aren't very good I already have found it a very useful experience, for example I noticed how the white cheek patch on Canada Geese appears to change shape slightly depending on the posture of the bird. Also, the shelducks were somewhat unusual in the Valley - a pair had apparently been around for 2-3 weeks which hasn't happened before, and they seemed to be checking out the area for suitable nesting sites. Really hope they stay and breed so I can see the cutest ducklings EVER!