Arctic Skuas on Orkney

by Tim Wootton

Tim has been watching and drawing birds since his childhood in Yorkshire. Although he works on large scale paintings, the inspiration is always observations made in the field. He was shortlisted for the 'Swarovski Young European Bird Artist of the Year' award, 1991 and was Wildscape Magazine's 'Wildlife Artist of the Year' (editor's category), 2008. He lives and works as an artist and writer in the Orkney Islands. "Working for the RSPB monitoring the breeding birds of Orkney brings me close to the varying fortunes of the seabirds. My favourite bird is the arctic skua and it's also one which has suffered very badly over the past few years. This year, however, things are looking much better with fledged youngsters being seen on the wing. Here are a few field drawings made during survey work in the North Isles:" See Tim's Dotterels from Orkney