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Pastel on Pastelmat Card ($POA)

The royal spoonbill (Platalea regia) also known as the black-billed spoonbill, occurs in intertidal flats and shallows of fresh and saltwater wetlands in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. It is a wading bird and has long legs for walking through water. Spoonbills are characterized by their spoon-shaped bills, which they use to sweep through the water to catch prey. It eats fish, shellfish, crabs and amphibians, catching its prey by making a side-to-side movement with its bill. Ibises, also have long legs and long necks, but on the other hand have long, curved beaks used for probing in the mud for food. They are however the closest relative spoonbills have. Both Ibis and Spoonbills are excellent indicators of wetland health.

Pastel on Pastelmat Board ($POA)

Image size 60 cm h x 60 cm w
Framed 78 cm h x 78 cm w

The Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides) is widespread in Australia, though it occurs only sporadically in Tasmania. Kestrels usually occur in open country, such as grasslands and farmland, and avoid dense forests unless they have been opened up by clearing. They hunt a variety of prey, including small mammals (especially mice), small birds, lizards and insects. Small items may be eaten while flying, but larger prey is taken back to a perch. The Nankeen Kestrel’s success as a bird of prey can be largely contributed to its tolerance for a wide variety of habitats and its ability to feed on a variety of foods and nest in a range of sites.
It nests in a wide variety of sites, including tree hollows, caves, ledges on the outside of buildings, and occasionally on the ground. The nest consists of anything from a simple scrape in the dirt of a ledge or tree hollow, to a nest of sticks or mud that has been abandoned by another species of bird. Pairs of Nankeen Kestrels usually stay together over successive breeding seasons and will often use the same nest site or territory year after year. Usually, only one brood of young is raised in a year. The female does the bulk of the incubation, while the male supplies the food.

Pastel on Pastelmat Board (Sold)

Image size 42 cm H x 60 cm W.
Framed 61 cm H x 78 cm W

Flat Rock is exactly as it sounds, a large flat rocky outcrop between two beaches in the Ballina Shire. It is a haven for seabirds, both local and migratory, and they know they are safe there. This Pacific Reef Egret (also known as Eastern Reef Egret, and Pacific Reef Heron) was busy fishing in the early morning, wading through one of the many shallow pools.
Having lived in this area since 1982, I often walk these beaches enjoying the beautiful sights here. I just love the drama in this image and hope my artwork has conveyed this.

Pastel on Pastelmat Board (Sold)

Image size 80 cm h x 60 cm w
Framed  100 cm h  x 78 cm w
I recently spent time in Western Australia where these stunning Forest Red Tails reside. Sadly they are critically endangered due to losses of native habitat, car strikes, nesting competition, animal attacks, and poaching.
They mate for life, sometimes over 50 years, but as they breed slowly, just one young every second year, increasing the species’ numbers has proven difficult.
Their distinctive screech gave them their Noongar name, the Karrak, and is also old bush-lore indicating rain is coming. To see them fly overhead is an absolute privilege, and I hope to have paid homage to their beauty in my artwork.

Pastels ($POA)

60 cm H x 48 cm W

Barn owls live alone or in pairs and are excellent hunters, catching their prey in complete darkness, using super-sensitive hearing, and silent flight.
Being nocturnal, they roost quietly by day in unseen places like tree hollows, thickly foliaged trees, caves and rock crevices, buildings and even wells. As Australia is one of the world’s worst offenders when it comes to land clearing, with a projected 3 million hectares of untouched forest to be lost by 2030, one of the biggest threats to Australian owls is loss of habitat. Our owls rely on hollow-bearing trees, often hundreds of years old, for breeding.
As owls are natural predators of rodents, Rat Poison is fast becoming the biggest killers of owls, due to secondary killings. Owls also fall victim to vehicle strikes as they disperse in search of food when local prey populations begin to thin out, or drought conditions affect inland Australia.

Pastel on Pastelmat (Sold)

89 cm W x 63 cm H

Galahs (Eolophus roseicapilla) are one of the most abundant and familiar of the Australian parrots, occurring over most of the country, including some offshore islands. Galahs have a bouncing acrobatic flight, but spend much of the day sheltering from heat in the foliage of trees and shrubs. Huge noisy flocks of birds congregate and roost together at night. They are affectionate and friendly birds, with pairs mating for life. Female Galahs have red or pink eyes (the males have brown or black), so these are girls obviously hanging together for a good giggle.