Kestrel ~ "Shadows of the Sky" ~ Pastel Lovebirds Snowy egrets were hunted almost

Snowy egrets were hunted almost to extinction in the late 1800s for their delicate breeding plumes

Not symbolic

I've always felt there's something ancient about pileated woodpeckers

trading positions in a line with a cooperative efficiency that looks choreographed

The blue-gray

Kestrel ~ "Shadows of the Sky" ~ Pastel Lovebirds Snowy egrets were hunted almostThis kestrel pastel painting captures North America's smallest falcon a bird no bigger than a robin that hunts with the ferocity of a hawk ten times its size. Kestrels hover in place against the wind, scanning the ground below with vision sharp enough to see a grasshopper from a hundred feet. They are proof that power has nothing to do with size. I worked in pastel for this piece, building the kestrel's russet back, slate blue wings, and boldly