OBRC and sketching

I started taking pictures because I can't draw... With that said, I'm currently working on a few things for the Ontario Bird Records Committee.

1.) I'm learning how to spell Committee. It's bad when the spell check doesn't even know what you're trying to say.

2.) I'm writing reports for birds I've found last year. I never really had time to finish them! A big help has been sketches I completed while I was up there. More on this below.

3.) I'm voting on records for the OBRC!! (first year on the team)... It's already pretty interesting. I'm sure the job is much easier today thanks to digital cameras!!!

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   So what does that jibberish above, have to do with this blog post? Well it has to do with sketching birds. I can't draw worth beans. I tried, and I ended up getting a camera. I've always been jealous of people who can draw - and have always thought Robert Bateman does some of the greatest things I've ever seen in print (sometimes I actually try to take photos that I think partially match his style.. if that's possible).

Ok - back to the point - sketches... I really can't draw (last time I say it, promise)... But even I seem mildly capable to draw rare birds, add some notes, and make something passable. They aren't the see-all end-all of my reports, but they really seem to add something.

As stated above, photos make voting for the OBRC really easy - but there are still a number of records that don't have photos! Those that have sketches add greatly to the report, whereas just text reports (while great) - are a pain to write and often get submitted to the OBRC rather short.

You see it every year in the report, and I've already seen some that will probably fall under the same category. " Person X probably did see bird Y, but there is not enough in this written report to accept it as a SCIENTIFIC RECORD*"

-----*getting records that pass the olde "scientific test" - the purpose of the OBRC. (not to try and shoot down your birds).

If a picture is worth 1000 words.. I'm guessing a sketch is at least 500 (if not more). Please consider doing it! It's easier, more fun, and adds a lot to a report.

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Ok, with all that said... Here are two of my recently submitted sketches (along with 2+ page typed reports, not shown here).

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The red numbers added in photoshop after scanning. I figured my writing was poor enough, that I numbered the text, and typed it out in my report so the voting members could read what I wrote!

So there you go... my horrible skills put to work - trying to sketch things. I never thought I could do it, and yes they're still pretty ugly, but if I can do it - so can you!