Limosa limosa

I love the Latin name of the Black-tailed Godwit. It is the National bird of the Netherlands where we call it Grutto. It is classified as a Near Threatened by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). The numbers have drastically declined the past couple of decades.

Like many other nature lovers I get very happy when I see in March the first ones in the fields. It means Spring has finally arrived. So it was clear to me that, if I would ever draw or paint a series of birds, the Godwit should be in it. I will try to make a series of six birds in total. I painted it in watercolour and it’s about 18x24 cm in size.