"April couple"

Acrylic 10"x8"

Available through 'Birds! Birds! Birds!' Or contact me for details.

Every spring sees the return of the wheatears as they pass through on their way north to their breeding grounds. April is a particularly good month to catch up with this elegant bird in the south of England. The males dazzle with their perfect colour scheme and the females play the supporting role in only slightly more subdued hues. The male of this couple was happy to pose for me to sketch whilst his companion busied herself searching for sustenance among the grass. When the wheatears return after the breeding season their colours, although still beautiful, will not be as bright, but the memory of the 'April couple' will be recalled and I'll be enthralled once more until they are gone and I await their return next year.

click here to see a detail of the painting