To me this species is synonymous with sunny summer mornings in Pretoria. While I explored the city's small urban nature reserves a male Red-collared Widowbird was never far away - voicing his concern about my presence with sharp calls, or performing his exaggerated slow-motion flights over his little grassy territory. This painting is available as [...]

A stunningly beautiful bird! Formerly known as the Cape Widow or Yellow-rumped Widow, this species brings to mind images and smells of mountain fynbos. I therefore decided to show it against the backdrop of the iconic Table Mountain, in the fragrant flowering strandveld vegetation. This painting is available as a limited edition (set of 25) [...]

The familiar Southern Red Bishop is a childhood favourite. I still remember the elation I experienced when I first laid eyes on this creature, with its mix of inky black and fiery red plumage. While breeding males can hardly be considered LBJs, the nondescript females and non-breeding males are challenging to identify. They are often [...]

This is probably one of my favourite paintings - it is also featured in one of sliders on my website. Rudd's Apalis is endemic to the low-lying sand forests and thickets in Mozambique and adjacent territories. Within such habitats it seldom emerges from its thorny sanctuaries, as depicted here. This painting is available as a [...]

This attractive little hunter, with its elegant combination of greys, yellows and greens, punctuated by a fiery red eye, is a common member of mixed foraging parties in lowland woodland habitats throughout much of subtropical Africa. It is quick to respond to threats such as owls or snakes, voicing its concern with gravelly calls. This [...]

This plate only begins to capture some of the incredible regional variation in the plumage of this characterful little leaf-gleaner. However, it is easily recognised by the combination of a white eye and thin chest-band. Often the first clue to its presence is its loud, cheerful calls - or a white-edged tail diving into cover. [...]

This is one of the specials of Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands where it inhabits cool montane forests, such as at Vumba Botanical Gardens - the inspiration behind this image. This is certainly not the most colourful member of the Apalis genus, but it makes up for it in its spirited calls and active foraging behaviour. This [...]

An encounter with the daintly little Black-headed Apalis requires an expedition into the lowland forests of central Mozambique, as depicted in the background image here. Within its humid, dense habitat the species is relatively common, but can be hard to track down - familiarity with its piping calls is essential. It usually seen in the [...]