Laura's Sketchpad
A Growing
Collection of
Wild Birds
Hand-drawn from real sightings — each bird gets a drawing, a caption, and sometimes a photo or a voice recording.
See the Birds
Scroll down to see them all.
Hand-Drawn
Every bird is drawn by hand — in ink or pencil, one careful line at a time, from a real sighting.
Real Photos
Where a photo was taken, the real bird sits right beside the drawing so you can compare the two.
Listen In
Some cards have a voice recording — press play to hear the story of when this bird was spotted.
The Project
Every bird gets its own page.
A personal collection built up slowly, one bird at a time. Each drawing is done by hand, with a note about when and where it was seen. Sometimes there is a photo too, or a little voice note.
See the full collection
The Birds
All the Birds So Far
Every bird in the collection is here. Tap play on any card that has a recording to hear the story behind the sighting.
13birds drawn
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthis
Spotted by the river on a quiet morning. Impossibly blue — gone in a flash before the pencil could keep up!
Recording
0:00
European Robin
Erithacus rubecula
Sat very close during the sketch, not scared at all — just curious about what was going on.
Recording
0:00
Barn Owl
Tyto alba
Glided past at dusk without a sound. The heart-shaped face is the best part.
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelis
So many colours on one tiny bird! Found perching right in the thistles.
Recording
0:00
Common Kestrel
Falco tinnunculus
Stayed perfectly still in the sky, just hovering. Plenty of time to get every feather down.
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytes
The tiniest bird with the loudest song. Had to draw very fast before it vanished into the hedge.
Recording
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Common Swift
Apus apus
Moves so fast through the sky. The wings took many practice tries to get right.
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Comes back every spring and always sits in the same spot on the wire before nesting.
Common Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
One of the most common garden birds, but up close the colours are really amazing.
Recording
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Common Blackbird
Turdus merula
Heard singing at the end of the day. Its song was absolutely unforgettable.
Recording
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Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleus
Only stayed still for a moment in the cold — had to draw really quickly to catch it!