Fieldfares galore!

After what was forecast to be a fairly gloomy day it was lovely to see the sunshine while out on a walk to Top Withens and even more of a bonus to witness the huge numbers of Fieldfares on the moors, their chattering calls all around us. An amazing sight, close to 400 birds split into two flocks. These handsome thrushes have flown here from Scandinavia to dine on our winter fruit and are of Red Conservation Status in the UK, it's lovely to have them back along with the pretty Redwings.

View from the ruins - Top Withens

Flocks of 300-400 Fieldfares!

Red Grouse, a Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk were also highlights of the walk.

We were showing off the area to a couple of friends visiting us from "down south" and it was a great reminder of just how lucky we are living in such beautiful countryside. Gotta love Yorkshire!

I'm back!

Hello!

Long time no type :) I thought I'd resurrect this blog as it's been out of action for too long . . . so it's had a makeover! Twittering and Facebooking clearly isn't enough for me so I'm Blogging again.

For my old followers, if you're still about, my official website has had a complete makeover too, still at the same web address however, www.megghyll.co.uk

And for those social media lovelies, you can also follow me:

• on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/megghyllpencilartist
• on Twitter @MegGhyllArt
• on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/megghyll

Not all updated religiously at the same time but I'm known to float between them so please keep in touch!

That's all for now, I hope the naturalists amongst you are enjoying the arrival of the migrants and the emergence of autumnal fungi, I love this time of year despite the cold and slippery conditions on the bike!

Meg x

Website now has Galleries!

Take a look at my new "Galleries" page on my site where you can peruse my latest works at leisure, hopefully you'll find it nice and simple to use.


www.megghyll.co.uk

And a belated Happy New Year to you!

Latest commissions

Meet these three lovelies!

Dolly. Kern Terrier X Schnauzer. A4. Meg Ghyll © 2011

Sugar. Patterdale. A4. Meg Ghyll © 2011

Swift. A4. Meg Ghyll © 2011

Christmas commissions

I am taking Christmas commissions up until the end of September to allow time for completion. Just to get you thinking ahead. I can take them after that but there will be no guarantee they can be done in time. If you are not wanting a commission as a Christmas gift then get in touch anytime :) 

Please refer to the "Commissions" page on my website www.megghyll.co.uk for prices.

Thank you.

Research on the Isle of Rum

Exactly a month ago I was lucky enough get the opportunity to help out a PhD student with some GPS tracking work on Manx Shearwaters. So I took the chance to take my Suzuki SV650 on its first proper long roadtrip up to Mallaig and back.

Scotland

 A fantastic week was had with some very lovely people met. We were living in a hut up a mountain (Hallival) with just a stream for amenities.

Manx Shearwaters are seabirds and they spend their days feeding or rafting out to sea and then come in at night to their burrows when there is less chance of being predated on. We had a set number of burrows that were being monitored and the chicks in them were weighed each day.

GPS trackers were being fitted to the backs of adults and geolocators were being fitted to their legs so their movements could be tracked, where they were going to feed and such. Gripping new research! 

So an excellent week had by all involved, and the weather was very good to us (which I'm told is a rare thing for Rum!) with us only having one night and day of unpleasant weather.

A visit to the Birdfair at Rutland Water

I managed to get along to this yesterday, and despite a hiccup of my backpack managing to deposit it's cargo of walking boots somewhere while on the motorbike, the rest of the trip went much more smoothly. I met up with a friend and we travelled down in the car.

I'd not been to the Fair before and the weather was beautiful...if a bit too hot in those marquees! I especially enjoyed watching the "Artists at Work", where renowned artists added a bird to the board and thus incorporating lots of different styles in one place, a fantastic idea and fascinating to watch. We also enjoyed a talk from Simon King, naturalist and broadcaster. A great day out!