Learning to sketch birds

I've been just awed by Laureline's sketches of the birds in her yard and thought I'd add some of mine. I've been trying to sketch the birds at our feeder a little bit every day, so I have several pages of bird sketches now. I'm actually feeling a bit more confident sketching quickly and finding it easier than when I began a few weeks ago. It's affected my other sketching, too, which is a pleasant surprise!

I really wasn't paying much attention to our feeder birds before sketching them and have gotten to know them a bit better in the time that I've been at it. I've discovered that the nervous, chatty, bossy house finches are the most numerous but we have quite a few other visitors, including White and Gold crowned sparrows, who mostly hug the ground, but occasionally will jump up on the platform feeder. The California towhees are quite brazen and don't seem as disturbed by my staring presence on the other side of the glass. In fact, they stare back while they eat! Oregon juncos move faster than the speed of light, it seems, and the Mourning doves are true Californians, very mellow and easy going.

I look forward to my bird sketching sessions and find myself listening for the house finch's chatter as I work on other tasks around my house. When they call, I come running whenever I can.