Eric Morecambe's copy of The Observer's Book of Birds set to go under hammer in New Year auction

 

A WELL-THUMBED copy of The Observer's Book of Birds was  among the birdwatching books owned by comedian Eric Morecambe of Morecambe and Wise fame.

Now it  is among his modest collection of ornithological titles which is to be sold as a single Lot at auction in the New Year.

The 25 or so books also include Birds of South Vietnam and Birds of  Hawaii though it is not known if he visited either country.

Possibly of greater interest within the same Lot (number 402) is a four-page handwritten letter from another comedian-birdwatcher, Bill Oddie, who penned it while his pal was recuperating from one of several heart attacks.

The presale guide price for all is between £100 and £150. 

Morecambe (who died aged 58 in 1984) had a birdwatching buddy, Gordon Beningfield, who was an excellent  wildlife artist.

Individual Beningfield studies of a pair of Bullfinches, Snipe, Water Rail and a 'falcon' - each with a pre-sale estimate of  between £100 and £200 - are also included in the sale as is Morecambe's own 1966 oil-on-canvas depiction of a Robin in winter.

The  comedian's optical accessories for his hobby seem almost primitive by modern standards.

His binoculars (of unknown magnification) were a pair of vintage Deraisme of Paris, thought to have been manufactured by French company Jumelles.

However, no information has been given about the telescope and tripod.

The sale is  to be conducted by auction house Hansons at  their salesroom in Etwall in Derbyshire on January 10-11 next year.

Beningfield's study of a Water Rail

                                         

Eric Morecambe's French-manufactured binoculars and case. The pre-sale guide price is between £30 and £50

                                                              

Old-fashioned or what? The late comedian's telescope for which the guide price is between £50 and £70.

Winter Robin - as depicted by Eric Morecambe. The painting is expected to fetch between £30 and £50.

Another sketch by Beningfield - this time a Kingfisher

Chris Packham: "I should love to spend five minutes of my life as a Swallow."

 

Dynamic - artist Chris Packham says the aircraft were 'outgunned' by the Swallows 

DURING downtime from his broadcasting and campaigning activities, celebrity naturalist Chris Packham has been exercising his artistic skills - most notably with a study of Swallows and wartime Spitfire fighters. 

Says he: " I grew up obsessed with Spitfires - I made endless Airfix models of them. 

"They were originally called The Shrew but thankfully the name was changed for this beautiful aircraft. 

"However, they are 'outgunned' for me by the Swallows.

"I should love to spend five minutes of my life as a Swallow!

"Can you imagine being able to fly that fast and that well? 

"Anyway, I thought I would put the two together to celebrate these two passions of mine and chuck in a load of glitter to give them the shine and sparkle they deserve - I hope you love this print as much as I do"

The BBC Springwatch host's  work was  the result of hours of paper cutting to produce the original designs. 

He then scanned these into a computer and meticulously tidied up the paper edges before the file was then turned into a seamless digital print. 

The final step was to screenprint with glitter-and twinkle ink. 

Anyone interested in the artwork can contact Packham's agent Taylor-Jones & Son of Deal in Kent.

The broadcaster puts the finishing touches to his impressive creation

Firm market for ornithological and natural history titles at auction sale in Yorkshire

                                                           

A collection of  122 volumes in the prestigious Collins New Naturalist series has sold for £480 at a sale held by auction house Tennants of Leyburn in North Yorkshire. The pre-sale guide price was  between £300 and £500. At the same sale, the hammer came down at £300 on a set of Francis Morris' History of British Birds at the top end of the presale estimated of between £200 and £300.