This was a LOT of fun. The birds took a while to settle down so it was great to try and capture them as they scooted up and down branches, behaving rather truculently towards their patient carers! The two macaws, Panettone and Scarlet, are living as permanent residents as the wonderful Jaguar Rescue Centre in Costa Rica, and the macaws are ambassadors for the great work the sanctuary does for all kinds of wildlife in the region.
Panettone is the great green macaw, and he (or she – it’s impossible to tell without a blood test), and he is unable to fly having broken the equivalent of his collar bone as a baby. Scarlet, the scarlet macaw was kept as a pet, undernourished and in a small cage so is much smaller than her wild counterparts, and would struggle to survive. Both species are critically endangered, and seeing them behaving essentially as wild parrots really makes it clear how unsuited they are to captivity.
They have a large play pen for everyday use, and a smaller temporary enclosure for carrying out their ‘contractual obligations’ such as the drawing class we did via Zoom. Their beaks are so strong, and can crack open a Brazil nut. A tongue that behaves like a finger combined with their zygodactyl feet (two toes facing front, two facing back) they are remarkably dextrous at de-husking seeds and cracking nuts.
Personally I love the chance to do lots of quick sketches, and get bogged down if I try and get too detailed. I had my coloured pencils and as the birds were mainly interested trying to bite the phone that was filming them, there were a lot of close-ups of their faces! These sessions are so great for really building up an observational bank, and that immersion means it stays with me for a long time. I used my Fabriano sketchbook for these drawings.
I can thoroughly recommend the classes with Wild Life Drawing – we are heading to Iceland (virtually) to draw Puffins in September!
