Saturday 15 June 2013

Isle of May - day five


Wednesday 12th June

 
At 6.30am nothing in the heligoland traps. I went up to the South Horn and began a watercolour that looked north-west to the informatively named main lighthouse - Main Light. Dominating the foreground is a wonderful giant (giant's?) sentry box. It housed the clockwork timing mechanism that released air to the foghorn. The two foghorns on the island had to be perfectly precise, each had a different voice so captains could navigate safely by comparing the two.


 
 

Painting was finished between breakfast and lunch. My breakfasts have been relaxed: looking to sea; chatting with whoever was around - Hallgeir, James, Keith,  Maurizio & Silvana; working my way through Keith's 'Return to One Man's Island'.

A few hours of sketching razorbills at Lady's Bed. Enjoying observing them closely. Without binoculars or direct lighting from the sun you can hardly ever make out their eye - a dark bead that sits at the end of the horizontal white facial stripe. To me it always looks like that white stripe is the eye; like the birds are wearing some sort of battle helmet.




 
 
Maurizio and Silvana left this afternoon and were replaced by Tim and Ruth.



New birds seen:

- Black guillemot at Kirkhaven and again outside Low Light
- 44 Canada geese flying in a long line out at sea
- Kestrel




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