The story behind this painting went something like this:  One day, a friend of mine called me up, saying that someone had fished a Japanese Sparrowhawk out of a drain, and it is now in the local Star [newspaper] office -- would I like to go down for a look?

Of course I hurried down to the office.  The bird was in a rattan bird cage, and I had a rather bad time trying to photograph it through the bars.

The background was also not suitable, so I looked for an alternative, with as you see above, a leaf-strewn ground.  Having completed the painting, I suddenly was reminded of its accuracy: do Japanese Sparrowhawks land on the ground?  I don't know, and have no way to find out.

Not long after that, I came upon a Japanese calendar, and leafing through it, I came across a Japanese Sparrowhawk.  And what do you know -- the bird was on the ground.