The humble Wood Pigeon

Well it might not be a great rarity but it's still a stunning bird and never fails to make a good subject to paint, alive or dead.  I found this dead one next to where I park my car - it's unclear how it died; it was under a roost tree, so perhaps of natural causes?  It seems unlikely to be cold weather as it's been relatively mild, and this bird is quite fat.  It hadn't been predated either - no signs of blood, and nor was it a road traffic victim.  A window collision isn't possible either.  I've just been so busy all week I've not had time to paint it until this morning.  I quite enjoyed doing it.  And then I wanted to paint it again but I was running out of time so I just did a few quick sketches instead.  Once you get started there's no limit to getting on with painting.