John Busby, Artist

Landscape and wildlife artist, illustrator and author

F is for… more pictures (F,G,H,I,J)

F is for…  Fairy tern, fox and flounder

This fairy tern Gygis alba, also known as the white tern, was drawn during a dramatic trip to the Aldabra atoll in the Seychelles in 1974 (see Land Marks and Sea Wings Chapter 4). It is so beautiful and delicate against the blue sky. These are not adjectives that could be applied to the flounder, an illustration for a book on the Shetland Isles, but John manages to give it some character nevertheless.  The fox is a study of character in economy of line.  Enjoy!

see also  Avocets to Egrets (A,B,C,D,E)      Kentish Plovers to Ospreys (K,L,M,N,O)      Pochard to Tigers (P,Q,R,S,T)    and the tailenders (U,V,W,XYZ)

G is for…   Gannets, garden birds and Golden Eagles

How could we not have gannets in any John Busby Alphabet? He loved drawing these majestic birds, with their sharp plumage and iconic greeting rituals. That he was able to share this enthusiasm with a very many artists on trips to the Bass Rock was wonderful.
Birds in the garden were another joy. Here we have far too many crowded round a bird table because this was used as a cover for Birds in your Garden by Tony Soper, a book that is well worth searching out a second-hand copy, and we have a few other original illustrations left too.
Another majestic bird in the Golden Eagle, but John was full of admiration for the courage of smaller birds in driving away the great raptors.

H is for… Harlequin ducks, heron and hoopoe

Two bright ‘look-at-me’ birds today and one trying to blend with the background. The vim and vigour of the ducks is brilliantly drawn and even the hoopoe is mid-preen – John’s birds are usually doing something. The heron stands on its own as if disconcerted by the gaggle of lapwing and waders behind. Not much chance of a quiet meal here!

I is for… Imperial eagle, Inca terns and immature red-footed falcons

Three non-UK birds today. The Imperial Eagle was drawn on a trip to Bulgaria “another walk… brought us within telescope range of a nesting Imperial eagle. I watched an adult arrive and begin to feed a single white eaglet.”
Inca Terns are usually found off Chile and Peru and the Red-footed Falcon in Eastern Europe and Asia although this particular bird was spotted near Edinburgh. “It stayed for a few days by a viaduct over the river Almond. This delightful immature bird flew close by people on the bridge in pursuit of dragonflies and was itself chased by local jackdaws.”
Quotes from  Lines from Nature  pp 120 and 122

J is for… Jackass penguins, Jay and Jackdaws in a strong wind

These characterful Jackass penguins were drawn on a trip to South Africa in 1995. Not the first time south of the equator but likely the first time seeing penguins in the wild rather than in a zoo.
The Jay is an illustration from “Birds in your Garden” by Tony Soper – well worth searching for a second-hand copy.
Jackdaws in a strong wind is now sold, but shows how John could capture the ‘invisible medium of the air’. In ‘Looking at Birds’ (p.52) he wrote, “Who can doubt that [Jackdaws] actively enjoy flight? I could happily spend all day watching Jackdaws. In a strong wind they can even fly backwards keeping head to wind. All the crows seem to revel in flight.”
see also  Avocets to Egrets (A,B,C,D,E)       Kentish Plovers to Ospreys (K,L,M,N,O)      Pochard to Tigers (P,Q,R,S,T)  and the tailenders (U,V,W,XYZ)