Ron Maliepaard

Cotman watercolours tubes, Faber Castel Pastel pencils on Saunders Waterford 300gsm 310×230 Cotton Satiné High White paper On a beautiful sunny, but still fresh evening in early April, I saw this male European stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) sitting on a lookout/singing post in the setting sun, apparently overlooking his domain. Occasionally, he flew into the air in a graceful fit to catch flying insects. I thought this was such a beautiful image, that seemed like a very nice scene to paint….

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When I was admiring the large swarms (thousands of) Eurasian Wigeons in the Reeuwijk lakes in the spring (that was really, really great to view!) I also saw this beautiful duck with its striking red-brown crest, the male of the Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina) (Dutch: Krooneend). Sometimes that crest was set up and its head looked even bigger than in this photo. The Red-crested pochard can be confused with the Common Pochard (Dutch: Tafeleend especially later in the year when the…

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Cotman watercolours tubes, Faber Castel Pastel pencils on Saunders Waterford 300gsm 310×230 Cotton Satiné High White paper The Purple Starling (Lamprotornis purpureus) had been on my list to paint for a while. I was curious if that shiny green/purple glow could also be expressed with watercolor. When I recently came across it at the zoo, I took a few photos of it and started working on those photos. I am very satisfied with it. I think our (European) starling is…

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This heron species had been on my want-to-have list for a while, both for photographing and for painting, the Black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax). I can check this off my list now. See my other Instagram account @ronmaliepaardnl for the (reference) photo. It is one of the smaller herons, around 62 cm. A long, long time ago they existed in large colonies also in the Netherlands. But nowadays they are rare in the Netherlands, with only about 35 breeding pairs. Both sexes…

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Cotman watercolours tubes, Faber Castel Pastel pencils on Saunders Waterford 300gsm 310×230 Cotton Satiné High White paper This heron species had been on my want-to-have list for a while, both for photographing and for painting, the Black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax). I can check this off my list now. It is one of the smaller herons, around 62 cm. A long, long time ago they existed in large colonies also in the Netherlands. But nowadays they are rare in the…

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Cotman watercolours tubes, Faber Castel Pastel potloden op Saunders Waterford 300gsm 310×230 Cotton Satiné High White papier During early spring I walked through the Hania polder in Dordrecht. Suddenly a bunch of birds settled in the yellowish reeds that had remained from last year. These were the first Reed Buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus) returning from their ‘winter vacation’ in the South. One of the birds looked curious at me at a reasonable distance and I was able to quickly take a…

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Cotman watercolours tubes, Faber Castel Pastel potloden op Saunders Waterford 300gsm 310×230 Cotton Satiné High White papier This impressive bird is the male of the Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus). This fowl is about 74-90 cm long (including the 25 cm long tail) and can weigh up to 4.5 kg. The females are about 1/3 smaller and lighter. Also, as is often the case with birds, they lack the distinctive plumage of the male. They are banded light-grey-brown. At the end of…

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Cotman watercolours tubes, Faber Castel Pastel pencils on Saunders Waterford 300gsm 310×230 Cotton Satiné High White paper 📸: Benjamin Balazs via Pixabay When you see him, you may think he walked away from Jurassic Park, don’t you? A bird with a large bony helmet on the head, a 10-centimeter-long claw on each leg, a powerful beak and brightly colored wattles that can change color depending on the mood. Feathers that you can’t really call feathers. He also seems to have…

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This beautiful head belongs to the White-headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis). Its head has a distinctive reddish beak with a bluish waxy skin behind its beak. On its head a beautiful white crest, that’s where it owes its name. Around and under his eyes there is a pink red bare skin. When excited it turns red! This vulture species is found in the Savannah of South Africa. Often solitary, but can also occur in small groups. It can have a wingspan…

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Cotman watercolours tubes, Faber Castel Pastel pencils on Saunders Waterford 300gsm 310×230 Cotton Satiné High White paper The beautiful blue bird is the male of the Superb fairywren (Malurus cyaneus). The female next to it is considerably less colored, against the boring. This songbird is found in Australia. They live there in family groups with a dominant pair and some helpers, who are usually the offspring. With loud singing and fierce chases, they defend their territory. They look cute but…

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Cotman watercolours tubes, Faber Castel Pastel pencils on Saunders Waterford 300gsm 310×230 Cotton Satiné High White paper This lovely bird is a Eurasian nuthatch or wood nuthatch (Sitta europaea). You can see it going upwards, but also downwards along and around tree trunks. Being able to go down along the tree trunk makes it unique and distinguishes it from woodpeckers and treecreepers, which can only go up. Also, the nuthatch does not rest on its tail, as woodpeckers do. The…

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On a beautiful sunny but still fresh evening in early April, I saw this male European stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) sitting on a lookout/singing post in the setting sun, apparently overlooking his domain. Occasionally, he flew into the air in a graceful fit to catch flying insects. I find this one a very nice one, that’s why haveI also painted this one. You will soon be able to find the painting on this site (or on my facebook or instagram account…

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