ACCLAIMED BIRD ARTIST BASIL EDE DIES AGED 85

Exquisite feather detail - a feature of Ede's work

THE death, aged 85, has been reported of one of Britain’s greatest bird artists - Basil Ede

Born in Bookham, Surrey, he first came to prominence in 1965 with his book, Birds of Town and Village, which featured 36 full-colour plates, all of which seemed to make his subjects come alive.

This was followed in 1980  by a second British title, Basil Ede’s Birds, which, like its predecessor featured common British birds.

On the other side of the Atlantic, he is best known for The Birds of America - The Art of Basil Ede which contained 103 studies.

The original intention had been to paint 650, all life-sized, but he had only completed 90 when, aged 58, he suffered a severe stroke which cost him the use of his right hand.

Remarkably, he retrained himself to paint left-handed and completed another 13 studies before the publishers decided the time had come to publish the book in 1991.

Ede’s  attention to detail was so precise that sometimes he would use a brush with just a single hair.

Initially, his favoured medium was  watercolour which he would mix with Chinese White, a tint made from zinc oxide, which would make the watercolours opaque rather than transparent.

However, following the stroke, he switched to oil because it was an easier medium to wipe clear if he made a mistake.

His work also featured on numerous greetings cards, calendars and china objects.

Collectors of his work include Prince Philip. 

In 2003, Ede donated a life-sized oil painting of the American bald eagle to the American nation. It was presented on his behalf to President George W Bush and wife Laura at the White House.

The author  was an enthusiastic supporter of the RSPB and donated the proceeds from some of his paintings to the charity.

He died on September 29 this year following a short illness.

Bee-eaters - one of the artists many superb studies

GIANT OFFSHORE WINDFARM: WHY RSPB WON'T CHALLENGE CONTROVERSIAL NORTH SEA PROJECT

                                            

THE RSPB  was fiercely opposed to the plan by Danish company Dong Energy to build a 300-turbine windfarm off the Yorkshire Coast -  known as Hornsea Project 2.

After the Government gave the green light  to the scheme, the society  indicated that it might launch a legal appeal - but it has now decided not to pursue this option.

Says a spokesperson for the charity: " We objected to both Hornsea Project 1 and Project 2, and we appeared at the inquiry and gave evidence to both.  

"However, Natural England removed its objection to Hornsea 2, saying that they believed there would not be a significant impact on birds.

"The Secretary of State is entitled to take the advice of Natural England as the Government’s statutory nature watchdog, and there are several court judgments which highlight this.

"This made RSPB’s position even more difficult. If NE had continued to object then it might have changed the prospects of a legal challenge (subject to a very careful scrutiny of NE’s position and the way that was addressed in the judgment).

"However, once NE dropped their objection we were (regrettably) pretty certain that our case was not going to prevail with the decision-makers.

The spokesperson continued: "It is not the costs that deter us from a legal challenge.

"We have to be sure of our case that a flawed decision was made, and there is something to legally challenge.  We cannot challenge a decision simply because we did not like the outcome.

"The calculations of impacts were incredibly complex with different models and values giving very different results.

"We had concerns over gannet and kittiwake collision and the model predicted 1.1 and 1.4 per cent difference in population over 25 years.

"These differences are not necessarily losses.  If a population is increasing it could mean that the population increase would be 1.1 per cent less than it would have been without a windfarm.  But others used less precautionary figures and calculated negligible impacts.

"We were also concerned about displacement of the three auks (guillemot, razorbill and puffin).  But these calculations are even more nebulous.  

                                                 

Guillemot - displacement risk for this and other auk species

     

"This is because we don’t know what area around the windfarm is likely to be affected (e.g. is it 1km around, or 2km, or 4km).

"Then we don’t know what proportion of each auk population will be displaced from the actual windfarm and the buffer zone around it.  Finally we don’t know what proportion of the population might die because it has been displaced.

"If 100 per cent of auks are displaced but they all survive, there will be no impact, but if only 10 per cent are displaced, and 50 per cent of the displaced birds die, that could be a significant impact."

* The proposed windfarm is also likely to effect  other marine life, including whales, porpoises and seals - most notably during the construction phase when piling work will be extremely noisy. However, as with birds, the extent of the potential impact is unclear  

GOVERNMENT BALKS AT HUNTING REPRIEVE FOR WOODCOCK, SNIPE AND GOLDEN PLOVER

Golden plover - "little evidence" that it is in decline says Government

A  PETITION calling for a moratorium on the hunting of woodcock, snipe and golden plover has received short shrift from a Government department.

In its response to the call, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs states: "It is unlikely that hunting has had a significant impact on recent population trends for these species.

"Trends are likely to be influenced more by the quality and extent of habitat.

"All wild birds are protected in accordance with the provisions set out in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, but some species of birds (as listed in Schedule 2 of the Act) may be killed or taken outside the close season. 

"Woodcock, snipe and golden plover are among those species that may be taken. In England and Wales.

"The dates for woodcock are 1 October to 31 January;  snipe 12 August to 31 January; golden plover 1 September to 31 January.

"Shooting is a legitimate activity and in addition to providing jobs and investment in some of our most remote areas, it can offer important benefits for wildlife and habitat conservation.

"The Government’s manifesto commits to protect shooting for the benefits it brings to individuals, the environment and the rural economy.

"Recent data shows that the woodcock has a breeding population or around 78,000 pairs; common snipe 76,000 and golden plover between 38,000 and 59,000. 

"Overwintering populations increase their numbers to approximately 1.4 million (woodcock), 1 million (common snipe) and 400,000 (golden plover). 

"The numbers in winter are greatly increased as a result of birds arriving from Scandinavia, the Baltic States and Russia and many of our breeding birds (and their offspring) leave the country in winter. 

"For all three species, the numbers of birds hunted is small compared with the population present in the country during the open season.

"When combined with the fact that many of our breeding birds winter abroad, it is unlikely that hunting pressure in this country has played a significant role in the recent downwards trends in the size and range of GB breeding populations of either woodcock or snipe.

"There is little evidence that the golden plover is currently in decline in GB as a whole.

"The reasons for any declines are complex and include habitat loss as a result of land drainage, the drying out of natural woodlands, declining woodland management, the maturation of new plantations, overgrazing by deer, recreational disturbance and reductions in prey availability. 

"The woodcock is currently red-listed due to breeding range decline in the past 25 years.

"Measures have been taken to improve habitats through Environmental Land Management schemes such as the Countryside Stewardship Scheme where grassland breeding waders have been specifically targeted. 

"The woodcock will have benefited from Woodland Grant Schemes, some of which specifically target management for declining woodland birds.

"The Government is not persuaded that the current level of hunting has a significant detrimental impact on the numbers of woodcock, common snipe and golden plover.

  "A number of English estates have already instigated their own voluntary bans on the shooting of woodcock. 

"Any moratorium in the rest of the UK is a matter for the devolved administrations."

The petition was created by broadcaster Chris Packham last month and reaches its six-month deadline on March 23, 2017

The Petitions Committee will take a look at this petition and its response. They can press the Government for action and gather evidence.

If this petition reaches 100,000 signatures, the Committee will consider it for a debate. As of today, there had been 14,935 signatories.

Pointing to data indicating a significant decline in all three species, he said a moratorium would "allow the impact of shooting to be established by independent scientific investigation".

The committee is made up of 11 MPs, from political parties in government and in opposition. It is entirely independent of the Government.

*  Photo of golden plover: (photo: Andrej Chudy/ Wikimedia Commons)

THE MANY ADMIRERS (INCLUDING DAVID BOWIE) OF ARTIST POLYANNA PICKERING

                                                           

What could be more co-operative than a model that poses on top of the picture frame?

    

AS one  of Britain's top wildlife artists, Pollyanna Pickering's superb  paintings are in demand all over the world.

 

Her  work has been featured on the postage stamps of African nations, and she was once even commissioned to produce a study of the Queen Mother's favourite racing pigeon!

 

Celebrity collectors of her art  include John Hurt, Virginia McKenna and David Bowie, while Sheik Mohammed has a specially commissioned series of paintings of his Royal Ascot racehorse winners.

 

Pollyanna travels extensively, invariably accompanied by her daughter, Anna-Louise, who  provides the accompanying text and photographs for her books.

 

Over the years, they have visited some of the coldest, the hottest and most humid places on the planet where, in less pleasant moments, they have been bitten by numerous insects, not to mention ape and snake.

 

Later this year, the duo  will be heading for what will be their first visit to Australia.

 

Pollyanna, who is a patron of Born Free and the Badger Trust,  has her own website:  www.pollyannapickering.co.uk

 

 

 

WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND BROUGHT UP?

In a village called Whiston, near Rotherham, in South Yorkshire.

IS THAT WHERE YOU LIVE NOW?

No – for more than 40 years I have lived in the Derbyshire Peak District.  

DID YOU GO TO ART COLLEGE?

I completed a foundation course at Rotherham Art School, then studied at the London Central School of Art for a further three years.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE ANIMAL SUBJECTS?

I love to paint anything living!  The big cats are always especially beautiful, and I have made several expeditions to study the most endangered species in their natural habitats, including amur tigers in Siberia and snow leopards in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan.

WHAT ABOUT BIRDS? ANY PARTICULAR FAVOURITES?

I paint a lot of birds. My annual British Birds appointments calendar  always sells well, so I complete new images of garden birds every year. My bird table is right outside my window so I can sit and sketch them without even leaving home.

WHAT SORT OF BIRDS VISIT YOUR GARDEN? 

As well as the more common species, I regularly see long-tailed tits, treecreepers, goldcrests and flycatchers.

 

WHAT ABOUT RAPTORS?

Having once run a wildlife sanctuary from my home for 15 years I especially love to paint birds of prey of all species.  With their wonderful pale colouring, barn owls are a particular favourite.  

WHAT POSTAGE STAMPS HAVE YOU DESIGNED?

I have painted several series of stamps, mostly for African countries including Benin, The Congo, Liberia and Guinea-Bissau.  Other sets have featured my paintings of wolves, tigers, and domestic cats.  I also designed a first day cover for the Royal Mail some years ago to commemorate the release of a series of photographic stamps of British wildlife.

   

WHAT'S YOUR BEST  MEMORY AS AN ARTIST?

It is so hard to choose! Visiting the printers to watch my first book coming off the presses was very special. So was receiving an honorary degree from the University of Derby, in recognition of my work in the arts, which was an amazing honour. It was something I could never have imagined happening when I first started out!

WHAT ARE THE TITLES OF YOUR BOOKS?

Brush With Wildlife, The Eye of the Tiger, Giant Pandas and Sleeping Dragons and On Top of The World.

AND  YOUR  BEST OTHER   MEMORY? 

I have been very lucky to have been able to travel widely to paint endangered species in their natural habitats, and this has lead to some amazing experiences.  I think my best memory has to be bottle-feeding a six month old  panda bear in a tiny wildlife clinic in the Tibetan borderlands.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?

While I was at art college in London I worked as a waitress at a coffee bar in Soho.

 

WITH WHICH  FAMOUS PERSON WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER? 

I have been very fortunate in having had the opportunity to meet a lot of my heroes in the world of wildlife conservation including David Attenborough and Jane Goodall . Earlier this year, I returned from trekking in the Virunga mountains of Rwanda where I  studied and painted mountain  gorillas, so I would love to have met the late Dian Fossey and asked  about her ground-breaking work with them.

 

DO YOU HAVE ANY PET ANIMALS?

Not at the moment – my work takes me away from home so much.  It seems very strange as I have always been surrounded by animals, not only pet dogs and cats, hens and donkeys, but also all the wildlife that was cared for in my animal sanctuary. Happily, one of my assistants has a gorgeous dog who always comes in to work with him several days each week, so I feel I have a part-time dog , and I always "cat-sit" for friends and relatives when they go away!

DO YOU HAVE INTERESTS OTHER THAN PAINTING AND WILDLIFE?

I don’t have a lot of spare time, but I love to go to the theatre, and   I also walk a lot in the Peak District.

IS THERE ANYTHING THAT REALLY IRRITATES YOU?

Actually I am fairly easy going!  When you travel a lot through developing countries, you quickly learn that it is no good being annoyed by transport delays or having to change your plans.  But cruelty to animals make me extremely angry.

 

DO YOU HAVE ANY SUPERSTITIONS?

Not really, though I do have some lucky Chinese coins hanging in my gallery – I am waiting for them to bring me prosperity!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE OVERSEAS  DESTINATION?

I was absolutely enchanted by Bhutan – it is a unique country which seems very untouched by the outside world. The mountain scenery is absolutely spectacular, and the people are friendly and charming. I was fortunate to receive a fellowship from an international art society – Artists For Conservation – which sponsored my visit to paint the unique wildlife in the region.

 DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVOURITE PLACES IN BRITAIN? 

The Scottish Highlands  – I try to get back there at least once a year.  I stay in a wooden lodge right on the banks of Loch Ness.  It is a very inspirational place for my art – both the highland landscapes and the abundance of wildlife.  I  even managed to catch a glimpse of the elusive Scottish wildcat on one visit.

 CAN YOU REMEMBER  THE LAST FILM YOU SAW IN A CINEMA?

I seem to see most films on a tiny screen in the back of the airplane seat in front of me!  I think the last film I actually saw in the cinema was Black Swan, which was excellent – very atmospheric.

 ANY FAVOURITE MUSIC OR SINGER?

I listen to a wide variety of music when I am working in the studio.  At the moment I am playing some CDs of traditional African ‘click singing’ which I brought back from Namibia recently.  My all time favourite band would have to be Sparks – I love the fact that they create music in their own world which doesn’t appear to have any outside influences, and their recent albums are remarkable!

 

YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD?

 I have been vegetarian for many years, so I am delighted that so many restaurants now offer such an imaginative and delicious range of meat-free dishes.  However, I couldn’t live without dark chocolate!

FAVOURITE DRINK?

Green tea.  I drink it all day and always carry tea bags with me when I travel.

 

FINALLY, IF YOU COULD TRAVEL BACK IN TIME TO A PREVIOUS ERA, WHERE WOULD YOU GO?

It would be amazing to visit Egypt while the pyramids were being constructed to see how they were really built. I would also love  to travel back into prehistoric times so that I could sketch the dinosaurs from life!