Going dotty

At the time of writing no local Dotterels had been reported, and I never had a sniff of finding one locally, so I had to reminisce about this bird from last May which graced the brilliantly-named Elysium Fields (I think that's how it's spelt) near Holmfirth. They're superb birds, too, and I had to go and see it.
Although the colour piece was done 12 months after the sketch, the notes were intended for this purpose and so were invaluable. Ornithologists will spot the extra-large scapulars but I'm not fussed about that. I tried Bristol Board instead of paper for the first time as I'm constantly trying out ways of improving the layering of colour, and I was pleased with how the intensity of the lovely deep orange and umber underparts came through. On the down side the grass is a bit bright, which is strange considering it was fairly overcast day.

                                           Study of Dotterel, Elysium Fields, 5th May 2013