Of Birds and Ballet

My office is in a separate location from the studio so I can accomplish desk work without the distraction of whatever painting is on the easel.  However, there is one pleasant distraction I can work beside and that is the bird life that occupies our backyard and the many feeders.  In the mid-afternoon the crows and flickers arrive for their shift.  It's amusing to watch them take flight with a single hop, a runway take off or a drop from a tree. 

When at a rehearsal later today there will be an attempt at flight as the dancers leap with such power and grace they seem suspended in the air.  It's exhilarating to see the human form airborne using only their strength to defy gravity, even for a few seconds. 

There are many images of the dancer in flight in my pile of sketches, but none of  a bird.  That's a challenge worth taking on.  That lift off when the body of the bird collects itself in such a way as to become instantly airborne.  Any takers?