KILLDEER STUDIES

 

I have been continuing work on the Killdeer family that was present at the nearby wetlands. Mostly this has been in the form of sketches but also some watercolors. I plan on showing their lifecycle from nest through to adult as shown here. During hot weather, birds appear much slimmer than at other times due to their feathers being compressed and held close to their bodies to help with cooling. Some birds will pant when it is unusually hot (and also when they are stressed). This study is of an alert bird as it has young nearby. I find it is important for me as an artist to paint the individual. Similar to portrait painting where one tries to capture the characteristic and likeness of the sitter, in turn I try to capture the same in any bird that I paint.

This painting is of an almost fully-grown immature. Killdeers usually lay a clutch of 4 eggs but I could only find one youngster that had grown up. The others could have been hidden in the grassy marshland nearby or perhaps they were predated. Anyway, I noted how much plainer its plumage was compared to the adults and the bill perhaps not quite full size yet. So far, I have enjoyed trying to capture the details of this family. And in doing so have been able to share something of their life through my observations and studies. Sizes of each are about 5 x 8 in (13 x 20 cm).