Waxeyes

Waxeyes | Painting - Not for Sale

To paint these little creatures, I put cut apple in the tree, and needed to camoflage myself to take close-up photos whilst they were busy themselves, at the fruit.
On art paper firstly, I had a set of three black & white prints made. Next comes the tinting.

Waterscolours, I've found most suitable to depict their delicate plumage.

Also known as Silvereye, White-eye & Blightbird, they now live almost anywhere from sea level to atleast 1200 metres, if a few trees or bushes are present. They are common in orchards, gardens, pine plantations, scrub & native forest.

A hundred years ago, these birds drifted over from Australia. They are called "Tauhou" in Maori which means "Little Visitor".

The Maori used to erect two vertical poles about one and a half metres high, and across the tops of these fixed a horizontal stick. Below this they hung a cord, to which a few live birds were tied by their becks. The fluttering of the captives attracted other silvereyes which were struck down with a rod wielded by the fowler hidden in a light shelter below.