Introducing Lady Victoria C. Pigeon of the New Guinean Columbids.

It's my drawing for Day 14 of the Ink-Birdtober challenge. Today's prompts are New Guinea's Victorian Crowned Pigeon and "Lady."

Unlike yesterday's Himalayan Monal, both the male and female Victorian Crowned Pigeon are equally fantastic in their plumage and colours. Definite aristocrats.

#Birdtober #Inktober #birds #birdart
#sciart #birdsofmastodon #ink #drawing #mashup #pigeon

Here's another quick drawing, for Day 13 of the Ink-Birdtober challenge. Today's prompts are the Himalayan Monal and "Flimsy".

Admittedly this one's a bit subtle. I learned that "flimsy" is old slang for bank note, and in 2005 the Nepal Rasta Bank released a commemorative 50 rupee bank note featuring a pair of Himalayan Monal.

"Soft flimsy" refers to a counterfeit bank note, which this financially astute female Himalayan Monal has just discovered!

😀

#Birdtober #Inktober #birds #birdart
#sciart #birdsofmastodon #ink #drawing #mashup #hawks #raptors

I was just looking through our copy of the Collins Complete and Unabridged English Dictionary and discovered the word “Flummery”. I’m not sure if I’ve ever used flummery before but it’s a good description of a lot of modern politics, and not the pudding definition.

> flummery NOUN, plural -meries. 1. Informal, meaningless flattery; nonsense. 2. Chiefly Brit, a cold pudding of oatmeal, etc.

#dictionary #word #flummery

Here's a quick drawing for Day 12 of the Ink-Birdtober challenge. Today's prompts are the Sharp-shinned hawk, a small raptor from the Americas, and "Toss".

I've drawn a bird that's being released after being banded. For all the good that this does for bird conservation, they're never exactly appreciative.

#Birdtober #Inktober #birds #birdart
#sciart #birdsofmastodon #ink #drawing #mashup #shoebill

Have you lost a shoe? I recommend hiring Bill from Shoe Rescue.

This is my drawing for Day 11 of the Ink-Birdtober challenge. Today's prompts are the Shoebill from Africa, and "Rescue".

I was reminded that the scientific name of shoebills is B. rex (*Balaeniceps rex*), which is terrific.

#Birdtober #Inktober #birds #birdart
#sciart #birdsofmastodon #ink #drawing #mashup #shoebill

Here are four of my more notable observations from my weekly biodiversity run about Ōtautahi-Christchurch city, NZ, yesterday.

The steel blue ladybirds are back. These are Australians that have been spreading through the city over the past 6 years.
https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/407394546

The poroporo-feeding Australian beetles *Psylliodes brettinghami* are about again. These beetles first showed up in the city in 2024 and now many of our poroporo plants are pock marked with feeding holes.
https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/407394556

Two kererū were in Ernle Clark Reserve by the Opawaho-Heathcote River. This has been the site of lots of native tree planting and weeding by the local community, so I hope the kererū stick around and nest.
https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/407394555

A young wild native mistletoe that I've been watching on the grounds of Cashmere Primary School looks like it's about to fruit for the first time. Mistletoes are rare in the city so hopefully the birds help it to get some baby plants established in the area.
https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/407394557

#nature #biodiversity #nz #wildcounts #Ōtautahi #Christchurch #nz

Here's my drawing for Day 10 of the Ink-Birdtober challenge. Today's prompts are the Crimson Rosella from Australia, and "Mystical".

(Most mystically I discovered that my fingers still know how to write in cursive. It's been a *long time* since I've done that.)

#Birdtober #Inktober #birds #birdart
#sciart #birdsofmastodon #ink #drawing #mashup

I was saddened to find a kāhu (Australasian harrier) amongst today's roadkill on my bike commute home from work.

For a bird so frequently seen scavenging for roadkill, I see them killed by cars surprisingly rarely. This bird got unlucky.

As sad as it is to find them, it's also a privilege to be able to admire them up close. They're elegant birds.

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/406973748

#birds #roadkill #nz #harrier #kāhu #Lincoln

If you've got a tricky demolition job, be sure to hire the right animals.

Here's my drawing for Day 9 of the Ink-Birdtober challenge. Today's prompts are the Rook, and Ram.

Working together, I reckon they have a unique set of destructive skills.

#Birdtober #Inktober #birds #birdart
#sciart #birdsofmastodon #ink #drawing #mashup

Here's Hania Rani playing her track Komeda live for KEXP.

Just incredible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H24NfGngaIc

#PianoMusic
#JukeboxFridayNight

Here's my drawing for Day 8 of the Ink-Birdtober challenge. Today's prompts are the Spectacled Owl from the tropical Americas, and "stinky", so I've drawn the owl after catching a striped hog-nosed skunk.

That's probably not it's preferred prey, but I'm reading that some other owls eat skunks.

#Birdtober #Inktober #birds #birdart
#sciart #birdsofmastodon #ink #drawing #mashup

There's no need to panic when we share our world with such exquisite creatures as the bee hummingbird, the smallest of all birds.

Here's my take on Day 7 of the Ink-Birdtober challenge. Today's prompts are Cuba's tiny bee hummingbird and "panic".

😄

#Birdtober #Inktober #birds #birdart
#sciart #birdsofmastodon #ink #drawing #mashup