Under-painting Done For New Painting

I'm now getting back into the studio and creating a series of birds of northern California. My goal is to paint loser and make each mark count. I've been enjoying Painting my World by Karen Margulis blog on The Evolution of Style...What is the Key? Although I don't use pastel's, I love her work and her inspiration. Here is my start with my first bird painting in my series.

I tend to paint tight and I want this one to be a little loser and just enjoy the process. We'll see how this goes.