It’s been a feathery kind of day today. Starting sadly.

A small starling with a completely broken beak was in our back yard this morning, desperately trying to share the chickens’ breakfast but unable to pick up any food and clearly starving to death. I amazed myself by catching it, but it was obviously desperate to eat and too weak to fly far. Before I could take it to be euthanised, it escaped with extraordinary skill from a closed box on our front porch where it was wrapped in a towel, and it hasn’t been seen since. I feel very sad for it whenever I think of it.

Late this afternoon, I felt like doing a last minute non-blob feather picture for the Challenge and did the Blue-footed Booby (at bottom) which was only a partial success, but the partial success was enough to whet my appetite for another go and I followed up with the emu below who’s a little better perhaps. The glued on shreds of paper were an enjoyable new aspect for me that I’ll play with more in the future.

emu – indian ink, watercolour, white gouache and collage on book page

Blue-footed Booby – indian ink, watercolour, white gouache and collage on vintage book page