Chatham Shag

Waiting for the tide to turn

A bird of the rocks

The wind comes in hard off the sea. Waves crash against the stacks offshore, throwing spray high into the air. The cliffs behind are dark and wet. Everything is moving, roaring, restless.

Except for the shag.

It stands on a rock at the very edge of it all, perfectly composed. Its crest is ruffled by the wind, and its long hooked bill points out to sea. Its feathers are layered close, and its tail rests against the stone. It isn’t bothered by the weather. It’s been out here before. It knows the sea will settle eventually, and the fish will come in on the turning tide.

So it waits. Calm, patient, completely at home in a place most of us would find wild and inhospitable.

The artwork

The shag stands on a rock on the right of the coaster, facing left, with a slender neck, a long hooked bill and a ruffled crest at the back of its head. Its body is covered in finely drawn, scalloped feathers, and the tail extends down against the rock.

Behind it, the coastline stretches away: jagged sea stacks rise from the water, waves break against them, and tall cliffs line the right side. A small bird glides high in the sky. The whole scene is drawn in fine lines and warm tones on wood, with a rugged, windswept feel.

There’s a lovely contrast between the calm bird in the foreground and the wild sea behind it, as if the shag were the still point in a moving world.