Red-backed Shrike painting

Here's a painting I recently completed of a super-cool bird, the Red-backed Shrike. I did this one to submit to an exhibition; alas it was not selected to be exhibited but I enjoyed doing it a lot. It was a nice opportunity to choose whatever subject I fancied, and also to experiment with incorporating more of a background, something I'm trying to get better at. I am trying to keep my backgrounds relatively simple, so that the main focus is on the bird and also because I find them much less interesting to paint! I am however envious of artists who are able to place their bird subjects within the context of a marvellous landscape....I think there is a balance to work towards in my own paintings between the bird and its surroundings; I don't think I quite achieved it just yet in this one.

Red-backed Shrike watercolour painting.