I had spent a bit of time drawing under a stunted oak tree next to a series of linked lagoons flowing out of the reserve. Every so often a small flock of Starlings arrived in its branches chattering away noisily and a Common Tern returned regularly to pick out slippery silver fish from the lagoon. Skylarks were ever-present in their aerial songs behind me. The grey, dramatic skies overhead really brought out the bright colours of the land and I turned away from the oak to capture something of that in this piece.