Sketchbook from Malaysia "Pitta time!" by Peter Elfman

This month's artist is Peter Elfman

Born in1966, Peter lives in the small village of Väggarp near Lund in southern Sweden. He has an MSc in Chemical engineering and works as a research scientist at AstraZeneca (asthma medicines). In his spare time he watches, paints and draws birds. Peter's passion for nature and birds has always been deep. A talent for drawing and painting made him interested in bird art. He describes himself as a total autodidact and has never attended any art courses.

Peter mostly works in watercolour and sometimes in oil. For illustrations in bird magazines, he also uses pencil and ink. In recent years he has also done some bird sculptures in polymer clay. He likes sketching birds while he watches them and he thinks the sketching is very important for the understanding of the bird's balance, anatomy and jizz. "I see every bird as a new and exciting personality. I think all birds are fascinating although my favourites are raptors, owls and waders."

In 1991 Peter was selected as "Bird painter of the year " in Sweden. During the last 15 years his paintings have been featured in exhibitions in Sweden several times a year.

In 1998 and 2001 he was selected for the prestigious exhibition "Birds in Art" at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin, US. "My paintings have also been selected for the Museum´s "Birds In Art Tour" in US. Naturally, it's a great pleasure and honour to be a part of this big exhibition together with some of the top bird artists in the world. "

He has illustrated articles in several Swedish bird magazines and written about bird watching and travelling. Recently he has illustrated an article about identification of Black-eared Wheatear in Dutch Birding. Peter has travelled and watched birds in Spain, Turkey, Gambia, Israel and Bali. In 1996 he illustrated a book for children about the White Stork.

He is a member of the program committee in the Scanian Ornithological Society, SkOF, where he leads excursions and arranges lectures for new birdwatchers. His other interests include music and playing the guitar, sports, literature and his family.

Sketchbook from Malaysia "Pitta time!" by Peter Elfman

12-21 April 2003 I travelled in Malaysia together with six birdwatching friends from southern Sweden. It was a very nice trip in a hot, friendly and cheap country. We visited Kuala Selangor, Frasers Hill/ The Gap and Taman Negara and saw or heard 287 species. Highlights of the trip were of course the pittas.

The first was a Mangrove Pitta (right) in Kuala Selangor. We saw it at 10 meters distance from the trail along the mangrove. It was carrying some (nest-?) material in the bill. The second pitta was the Rusty-naped Pitta in Frasers Hill. We heard two birds along the Bishops Trail.
A Garnet Pitta at close distance along the Jenet Muda trail .
In Taman Negara we saw a Blue-winged Pitta just outside the park headquarters, a Garnet Pitta at close distance along the Jenet Muda trail and short after that, a splendid Banded Pitta (right) THE bird of the trip!). As a bonus we heard a Hooded Pitta along the Tahan river. Other nice birds during our trip were Mangrove Flycatcher in Kuala Selangor, Long-tailed Broadbill, Green Magpie and Pygmy Wren-babbler in Frasers Hill, Sultan Tit and Rhinoceros Hornbill in The Gap, Masked Finfoot, Great Argus, Dusky Broadbill, Helmeted Hornbill and Malaysian Rail-babbler (heard) in Taman Negara.