Study of a Sedge Wren in the High Meadow

Painting 110 - Sedge Wren in the High Meadow

Watercolor, 12x16 Arches Cold Pressed 140 lb Paper

You can't help but be held captive when watching this little bird. He sings and dives and then flies for a short burst...then dives again, then sings again just to let you know he's there, all the while making sure he stays well hidden among the tall grasses and stalks of meadow flowers! The first time I saw this fellow I definitely was riding a birding high. My adrenalin shot up so fast (I'm sure you know that birdie feeling!), and I was so excited. We are on the eastern-most range of this bird, which means we don't get to see him very often. If you look on our Cincinnati Bird List he's a "EEEE," which of course means he's hard to find; and "may not be present at all at this time in some years, but has occurred often enough to form a pattern." I was lucky enough to find him twice. Once on August 2, 2009 (post is here) and again on August 7, 2009. I got a few photos from both visits, but they were not great, so I decided to bring him to life with watercolor. During this summer and early fall I watched and listened for him every time I was in the High Meadow at VOA Park, but he never returned, which is predictable because that's his nomadic little modus operandi...

p.s. While painting this little guy I warmed the colors in his plumage up just a bit because he holds a warm spot in my heart (and that's how I see him in my mind's eye). He's a little more faded in reality (you can see that in the photos I posted here).