Wildlife Art - Original Paintings and Prints

Extensive gallery of bird, wildlife paintings and wildlife art prints

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Welcome to the online gallery of artist Martin Ridley.

My specialist area is British wildlife and landscape paintings. Most of the original artwork is created using oils or watercolours.

UPDATED: 25th July 2010

There are frequent website updates of new pictures and I display my current drawings and paintings using digital camera shots. Please revisit every few weeks, I'm sure there will be some fresh images for you to look at. You might also like to visit my other website www.wildlife-art-paintings.co.uk

Skinburness Marshes

Original oil on linen
image 6 x 8 feet
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The most frequently updated section is the "on the easel" page.

2010 - THE SWIFTS ARE BACK

In 2010 swifts were first seen over the house on 28th April.
Download video clips of our swifts on their nest

Swifts in the nest chamber 2010
First inspection 8th May
Leaving chamber (File size 15 MB)
Mutual preening
Feathering the nest (File size 8.5 MB)
Beak full of grass (File size 10 MB)
Nest building using saliva
Swift fighting intruder (File size 15 MB)
Screaming contest with intruder (File size 15 MB)

Unfortunately after the eggs had only just been laid another swift desperately searching for a nest site of its own managed to enter the nest chamber. In the morning the eggs had been swept from the nest during the scuffles and were broken. Each year we see swifts unable to find their own nest sites. Reduced nest site availability is considered one of the major problems causing the crash in our population of swifts. See if you can help swifts Fortunately the swifts managed to lay a second clutch which should hatch around 21st June.

View clips of the 2008 chick as it developed... Nestbox News
The chick was ringed and finally flew on 29th of July after its parents had already departed for Africa. The first 2009 swift was seen over Rossal on 10th May. We had two pairs of swifts breeding at Rossal in 2009 unfortunately neither used the nestbox with the camera.

STARLINGS then more swifts

The nest chamber used by swifts in 2008 attracted starlings in 2010.

Starling pair nest building (File size 10 MB)
Starling turning eggs
First record of feeding chicks 15th May
Starling feed
Startling double feed (File size 7.5 MB)
Finding an open bill in the dark
Food calls
Very hungry chicks
Who has been getting all the food? (distortion caused by camera lens)
On 4th June another pair of adult starlings entered the nest and eyed it up for their own purposes. You can hear the chicks alarm calls.
Exploring intruders (File size 8 MB)
Nest box eco-fan
Up close
One starling chick had gone by the morning of the 5th the remaining three fledged a day later. I cleaned out the chamber immediately and within 10 minutes an adult starling was looking around, by lunch time a swift had explored the interior of the box. It soon brought a partner and they are now occupying the box each night.

The nest chamber used by starlings at the start of the season is now occupied by swifts. I have attached a different entrance hole to prevent other species from entering. There is an unrestricted box a few feet away.

Once again swift nest sites are being fiercely contested.
Intruding swift (File size 14 MB)
Result of fight with intruder (File size 15 MB)
I first thought that a bird had acually been killed.

In the clip below the bird on the right is nuzzling up to its partner lying exhausted in the foreground, but in the dark it starts making non-aggressive bonding type greetings to the bird that fought its way in.
Confused swifts

I could make out the breathing of exhausted bird. It took half an hour for it to move more significantly and I'm pleased to say that it has made a full recovery.
Recovery of swift (File size 15 MB)

Forthcoming Exhibitions

Each year I take part in a number of exhibiting events. In 2010 I'll be showing at The Royal Highland Show, The Scottish Game Fair, Perthshire and a joint exhibition at the Donald Watson Gallery, Waterston House, the Scottish Ornithological Society's headquarters. In London there is the annual Society of Wildlife Artist's exhibition at the Mall Galleries . Full details are available on my events calendar page.

How to Commission a Painting

Perhaps you would like a special piece of artwork to remind you of an experience or as a gift for someone with a particular interest. Please read the advice on how to commission a painting and contact me to discuss any ideas that you have. I regret that I do not undertake any commissions of domestic animals or human portraits.

The "on the easel" page is used to share the creative process with my clients. Clients can follow the progress of their commission on-line and are sent an email whenever the page has an updated camera shot of their artwork. This idea is proving very popular and saving or printing the images of the developing painting from the web page adds a little extra to the provenance of the finished painting.

Clients sometimes ask me whether I would contact them if I ever produce a painting of a particular bird, animal or location. Please feel free to register your special requests. I cannot make any promises but if at a later date I generate any suitable work I'll get in touch.

"Amongst the Crags" Red deer stag and hinds

Original oil painting
image 24 x 48 inches
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