We did a recent post about owls, but forgot to include the illustration below – a charcoal & wash study of barn owls by John Busby.

However, it’s given us the opportunity to blog about this collection of magazines from which the illustration was taken.

They’re vintage 1970s RSPB magazines that we picked them up in a local charity shop – 20 or 30 of them in total.

We’re very fond of birds and see numerous species on our dog walks, but it was the magazine covers that were of initial interest…

…with their varied & striking artwork.

Artists featured in this post include Keith Shackleton, John Paige, Eric Ennion, Kenneth Waterfield, Robert Greenhalf, John Busby, Jean Young, Michael Warren, Ian Willis, Ken Wood, Fulco Pratesi, Philip Rickman and Robert Gillmor.

Some of the work has a real period style – and the magazines are very frame-able as the title & date are kept very restrained.

Inside there are lots of bird related features, stories and advertisements of course… and even more artworks!

It’s virtually impossible to pick an absolute favourite, but it might well be the paper collage below…

…a great spotted woodpecker by John Paige dating from 1973.

We holidayed in North Norfolk over the summer and these woodcuts & silkscreen take us back to that lovely corner of the world.

We’ll be keeping an eye out for some more of these vintage issues.

The modern editions have high-tech photographic covers, with attention grabbing banners & adverts. That’s OK of course – but we think these earlier copies are actually more interesting – and far more charming.