This redstart is a commission for a customer. The bird was seen in Wales and the mossy stone in my garden!

We paid a visit to the wonderful Bird of Prey Centre at Biggleswade yesterday. What a fabulous place - about 300 different birds, all lovingly cared for by enthusiastic young falconers who clearly adore their work.

Flew a frisky young Bald Eagle called Denver; he loved the windy conditions but decided to spend quite a bit of time in a tree. It was the owls though that really attracted us. They are so loose feathered and soft, and for some reason often seem smaller and more delicate than expected. I handled a delightful little Hawk Owl and this beautiful Barn Owl. I will be posting more sketches and watercolours from this day out soon.

This watercolour sketch is for sale on my website Barn Owl

Collared Doves

Make love, not war - that's the Collared Dove's philosophy for life. These mild sweet little doves are often very tame and seem to breed for most of the year. They nest in silly places though, as in the gutter of house this April. That nest didn't last so they built over a wall light instead.

The story of the Collared Dove's spread right across Europe over the last fifty years is very strange. But spread they have and now there isn't a town or village in England without them.

Pheasant in the orchids

Another sketchy watercolour of the pheasant we saw in Anglesey amongst the orchids. It's been a fantastic year for orchids but I don't know what exact species these were. Probably Marsh Orchids or Common Spotted but they're always so variable it's not easy to tell.

The Goodyere Partridge

A Mrs Goodyere approached me when I was painting at the National Trust shop at Stowe Landscape Gardens recently. Her name, she explained, was originally spelled 'Goodear' as in good ear of wheat, and her husband's family's crest was a partridge holding an ear of wheat in its beak, probably meaning his ancestors were good farmers. This watercolour was a gift to him.

Charlie the bull

This is Charlie. Along with his herd, he grazes some tussocky fields strung along the valley bottom of the River Ouse here in Turweston. A magnificent animal, he is apparently a gentle giant, but I must admit I never allow him to get that near.

The original watercolour of Charlie is sold but a print of him can be bought here.

Taki & Lord Gage

Taki is an Amazon parrot and Lord Gage is a well known judge. I'm sometimes asked to paint people's pets and this was one of my favourite commissions.

Visit my website at Chris Pendleton.