The Avocet is a wader that will be well-known to millions of people as the symbol of the R.S.P.B., although only a small proportion of those may have actually seen the bird in the wild. This species is one of the U.K.'s earliest conservation successes.

Just after World War II a few pairs began breeding in Suffolk and, with protection on many reserves set up since that time, the species has done well. Almost 1000 pairs now breed around the coast of England, even as far north and west as the R.S.P.B. Leighton Moss reserve at Silverdale in Lancashire.

They prefer a habitat of shallow pools with low muddy islands next to the coast. This specialised habitat is not common in this country but it is one they are happy to "borrow" for a few weeks of the year, lending one meaning to the title of the piece.

These elegant and graceful long-legged birds have distinctive black and white plumage. They feed by sweeping their long, upcurved bill from side to side through the water, picking out invertebrates.

In winter they fly south to warmer climates, but in a mild winter can be found in large numbers on the estuaries of Devon and Cornwall.

Steve had been thinking about this piece for many months and had in mind the kind of light he wanted to give the scene to complement the pied plummage. On the inside, his portrayal of a graceful adult, helping a single chick, provides a second and different interpretation of the title - "Grace and Favour". It is quite remarkable - a full and endearing scene painted on the inside of a vase just as though you were looking through a window!