Comments on: Thomas Bewick’s Birds Of Spitalfields https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/03/22/thomas-bewicks-birds-of-spitalfields-ii/ In the midst of life I woke to find myself living in an old house beside Brick Lane in the East End of London Mon, 24 Mar 2025 15:12:56 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 By: Ryan Johnston https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/03/22/thomas-bewicks-birds-of-spitalfields-ii/#comment-1704065 Mon, 24 Mar 2025 15:12:56 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202617#comment-1704065 Such a lovely list! There are peregrine falcons living in the bell of Christ Church and can be heard often.

]]> By: Bailey Jones https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/03/22/thomas-bewicks-birds-of-spitalfields-ii/#comment-1703714 Sun, 23 Mar 2025 09:21:11 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202617#comment-1703714 I think Berwick’s collared dove is actually a wood pigeon. What we now call the collared dove only arrived in Britain in 1958 but is now wide spread. The collared dove is slim and elegant, the wood pigeon, for all its lovely colour is a large clumsy creature. Both have collars and perhaps wood pigeons were also known as collared doves at the time.

Great that all the featured birds still live in or visit Spitalfields.

]]> By: John Cunningham https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/03/22/thomas-bewicks-birds-of-spitalfields-ii/#comment-1703638 Sun, 23 Mar 2025 01:12:53 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202617#comment-1703638 I live in deepest west of Ireland countryside. Many of these birds visit our garden on a regular basis. Pied Wagtails in particular love to amble around the lawns and seems totally unconcerned by lawn mowers or cats. We haven’t seen any Ravens, Woodpeckers, Parakeets or Kites yet. But there’s still time I suppose!

]]> By: Marcia Howard https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/03/22/thomas-bewicks-birds-of-spitalfields-ii/#comment-1703590 Sat, 22 Mar 2025 20:39:36 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202617#comment-1703590 What amazing illustrations. I seem to recall one of my siblings had a book of British birds by Thomas Bewick. Probably got sent off to a jumble sale at some point…..

]]> By: the gentle author https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/03/22/thomas-bewicks-birds-of-spitalfields-ii/#comment-1703573 Sat, 22 Mar 2025 18:55:27 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202617#comment-1703573 In reply to Gail.

All of these birds are still to be seen. in Spitalfields, Gail.

]]> By: Lynne Perrella https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/03/22/thomas-bewicks-birds-of-spitalfields-ii/#comment-1703531 Sat, 22 Mar 2025 14:59:47 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202617#comment-1703531 That crow! He is a master and commander. Just look at the way he plants himself, and defies anyone to get in his business. A good friend of mine is a gifted bird photographer, and she
patiently explained the differences between ravens and crows. Clearly, there is a WORLD of
difference.

I have a whole Dover book of archival images by Bewick and have (selectively) used them in my collages. Even the backgrounds in these bird prints are quite lovely and evocative. His work was so precise, and yet never soulless.

Wonderful! Happy spring

]]> By: Gail https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/03/22/thomas-bewicks-birds-of-spitalfields-ii/#comment-1703501 Sat, 22 Mar 2025 12:40:54 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202617#comment-1703501 How lovely to think these were once a common sight in Spitalfields, and sad that they are no longer.

Where I work in New Street, I hardly ever see a bird!!

]]> By: Duncan Leuth https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/03/22/thomas-bewicks-birds-of-spitalfields-ii/#comment-1703480 Sat, 22 Mar 2025 11:18:21 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202617#comment-1703480 Bewick was a great illustrator but perhaps not so good an ornithologist: surely that is a wood pigeon rather than a collared dove?

]]> By: Caroline Murray https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/03/22/thomas-bewicks-birds-of-spitalfields-ii/#comment-1703478 Sat, 22 Mar 2025 10:58:19 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202617#comment-1703478 Lucky you to find such an early edition! Do you know Jenny Uglow’s biography of Bewick? A really good read. All good wishes!

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