Blackcap, a sad tale

Here's a study I painted on Sunday afternoon, of an unfortunate juvenile blackcap (a kind of warbler). We found it dead on the path in front of the lawn - I think it probably flew into the window.

In the spirit of one of my favourite artists, Tim Wootton, I thought I'd do a post mortem study. So, two studies of the same unfortunate bird. It was an excellent exercise in observation. 

I'd been watching this youngster only the previous day, being fed by one of its parents. I was pondering the long, long journey it was going to be making - blackcaps migrate to Africa - sadly, this one didn't make it any further than my little Cambridgeshire village. Such is the natural world, but what an amazingly fragile little creature to make that journey...

Watercolour, quarter sheet. As always, you can click the images for a closer look.