The Peregrine Falcon, what can I say about this bird that hasn't already been said? Not much I think. Obviously a favorite bird by many and it has been well documented by many over the years. An incredibly exciting bird to observe and study, not least of which is due to its stoop when hunting, seemingly to fall out of the sky it gains tremendous speed to strike at its prey - usually with its bunched talons. This often stuns its prey if not kills it outright, and I am lucky to have see this a number of times. While I feel sadness when a bird dies, it is a fact of nature that often something must die so that another can live.
This primary feather is from a juvenile. A marvel to look at and examine - from the slightly oval quill to the beautiful twist of feather barbs along its length, and how the feather slowly changes from a slightly pale brown at the base to almost black at the tip. Juveniles peregrines have an interesting mostly brown plumage during their first year of life before they mout into a bluer plumage when they mature. As an artist, I actually prefer this earlier version. Younger birds have varying dark vertical streaks on the breast and often a wonderfully patterned head, the cere, eyering and talons are usually a greyish-blue. Being around falconers in the past has allowed me close-up views of these birds and I have done quite a number of studies and paintings of them - and I'm sure there are a lot more to come! Both these watercolor studies done in my sketchbook, sizes around 7 x 8 in (18 x 20 cm) and 12 x 9 in (30 x 22 cm).
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