caught by the river -matt sewell

Mentioned this site once before, but CBTR has a fantastic British illustrator amongst their ranks, Matt Sewell. He does a Bird of the Week every few weeks... that he introduces with a few pithy comments. This isn't hard science, or shotgun ornothology (love that phrase...had to cram it in) so easy to appreciate. Today's post was perfectly seasonal; The Robin, then a bunch more below.

"The quintessential winter bird. Who is actually with us all year round, as most gardeners will know, diving in around your wellys for grubs and worms even before spade has left earth. The Grandmother’s favourite but really everybody loves him. Charming and cocky, with his shocking red vest and a song like Sinatra."

"The least creepiest of the crows, often seen swaggering about like they’re carrying a couple of radiators. His Rook and Crow brothers definitely have the whole horror thing sewn up, but there is something very spooky about a Jackdaw, and i know why… They are one of the only animals to have white iris’s and like us use eye-contact to communicate with each other. That’s why you can be walking along and a Jackdaw will look you directly in the eye, like he’s reading your mind and make you feel slightly unsettled before flying off. The Jackdaw, never afraid to hold a man’s gaze." -via Caught by the River

See what I mean... all thriller no filler.