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Martin Eccles is a self-taught wildlife illustrator and has been been painting for 15 years.

"As I only draw and paint outdoors my work only exists within my sketchbooks - I don't have the inclination to work pieces up in a studio (and I don't have a studio!). I draw during what available free time I have, during holidays and during working trips through my day job as a doctor.

Kazakhstan May 2006

In the two week trip we visited three main areas within travelling distance of Almaty – the foothills of the Tien Shan, the steppe to the west and the plateau lands to the east.  To see a full set of paintings check out the Kazakhstan 2006 folder on my website at www.martin-eccles-artist.co.uk.

In the foothills of the Tien Shan we stayed in a former astrological observatory at about 2800m.  This was just about at the tree line and the Himalayan Rubythroats would sing from the tops of the Juniper scrub.  Below the observatory the lake hosted Ibisbill.  It was remarkable how difficult they could be to find as they blended into their stony habitat.

From our camp in the steppe it was a short walk to the artesian well where, amongst a host of other species, Bimaculated Larks were regular visitors.  However, the single Dark-throated Thrush that passed through the nearby village was less expected.

 

Our final camp was in the eastern plateau. The Grey-necked Buntings were more readily heard than seen as they sang from the tops of the low hills surrounding the camp.  The nearby woodland turned out to be fantastic for Azure Tit; they responded well to pishing and gave fabulous views.

>> See Martin's sketchbook from Chile

>> See Trip Reports from Kazakhstan