This is one of the first birds I painted that became the start of this Native New England series. It was January of this year that I had the itch to begin watercolor sketches of the wildflowers and botanicals I love so much at Mill River Park in Stamford. Of course being winter the meadow was dormant, but the banks of the river are always alive with the daily activity of the canada geese and mallards. After watching them for some time I fell in love with the expressions and poses they offered. Of all the birds the canada geese seemed to  exude personality unapologetically. After doing a few sketches I was hooked, and have continued exploring our native New England birds throughout this year with the changing seasons.