As a highly inactive life-list birder it’s unusual for me to see a species that’s completely new to me, at least in my home country. The birds to be found around my house have stayed more or less the same over the past decade. But a few days ago a lifer presented himself without any effort on my part, right in front of my window no less.
A little bird landed on the fine branches of a chestnut tree, and busily started inspecting the bark for potential food. A woodpecker – if one could call it that. He was immensely tiny. A hefty house sparrow would have been bigger: Lesser spotted woodpecker then. There’s one for my non-existent life list. Still, it feels special to have seen something I’ve never seen before.
– Coloured pencil on brown toned paper, 14,8 x 21 cm