Places to Go
Piping Plover male & female
watercolor on calfskin vellum
4.5″h x 18″w
Little shorebirds have always intrigued me, not least of all because I really have trouble identifying them! But I have always loved to watch them busily zooming here & there, avoiding the waves and looking for goodies in the sand. I was fortunate to observe this pair of Piping Plovers at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge – this probably the only little shorebird I can readily identify! They were on a nest and I swear I probably wouldn’t have ever located the nest with the female sitting on eggs if it weren’t for the wire cage around it to protect it! I observed the male buzzing around looking for food while the female sat on the eggs. Every so often, the male would zoom through the wire fence to check on his mate and their nest. It was a memory I really wanted to capture. I
Accompanying this painting are two studies; a Piping Plover chick and a nest with 4 eggs. I have been thinking about ways to further study and understand my subjects more fully and these painting, watercolor on handmade paper, allow me to explore and create a little more about my chosen subjects. Enjoy!
