Swoop, Sing, Perch, Paddle Birds by Carry Akroyd

About this book

Swoop, Sing, Perch, Paddle brings together 132 screenprints by renowned wildlife artist Carry Akroyd, celebrating British birds in all their colour and charm.

Originally created for The Oldie's Bird of the Month column, Carry's vibrant prints transport us through the seasons and across the country, from coast to coast and through forests, fields, back gardens and town centres.

As a self-described 'bird-noticer', Carry's work reveals her keen observation of birds and their behaviour and her lifelong love of the landscapes they frequent. From a party of gregarious, seed-eating siskins to the poised peregrine perched high on a cathedral, each of her artworks is packed with personality.

Carry's joyful prints are accompanied by succinct, entertaining texts from John McEwen, her long-time Bird of the Month collaborator and co-author of A Sparrow's Life's as Sweet as Ours, and their beautiful new collection is a delight for birdwatchers and art lovers alike.

Contents

Foreword
Introduction by John McEwen
Introduction by Carry Akroyd

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Acknowledgments
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Carry Akroyd is a painter and printmaker living in Northamptonshire. Landscape and wildlife are her usual subjects, and as a bird-noticer, they usually fly into the pictures. Accidentally becoming an illustrator, Carry has made both black-and-white and colour illustrations for poetry and natural history books, as well as many book jackets. Her prints illustrate the long-standing Bird of the Month column in The Oldie, and her first book with John McEwen, A Sparrow's Life's as Sweet as Ours, was published in 2019.

John McEwen was born in Berwickshire, pink-footed goose country, in 1942. John has been art critic of The Spectator and The Sunday Telegraph, author of artist monographs, edited the ornithologist Henry Douglas-Home's The Birdman and was arts editor of The Field. He is a regular contributor to Country Life and a founder of The Oldie, to which he contributes Bird of the Month with Carry Akroyd.